Hardly a week goes by without us hearing someone touting the value of meta tags in some form or fashion. It’s been years since they have had any relevance in site rankings, but they are an easy sell for an “SEO expert” to a customer who doesn’t work in the web industry day in and day out. Why? Because just like most scams, this one is based in some sort of truth, albeit an outdated one.

It’s true that in years past (many years past), the meta keywords and descriptions tags were helpful. But they haven’t worked in a long time, and now they are just an easy way for a “SEO guy” to help you to part with your hard earned income. We’ve already buried the Meta Keywords tag in our article, “Meta Keywords Tag: Long Dead, But Still Not Gone.” This time around, we’re taking aim directly at the Meta Description tag.

First, a little background.

The Meta Description tag tells Google and other search engines what to say underneath the title of each page on your web site in their rankings, as in the example below.

In the absence of this tag, Google will simply use the first portion of your pages’ content.

Now that we are clear on what the tag does, let’s explore why it is no longer effective in determining search engine rankings. Google’s own blog states that “Even though we sometimes use the description meta tag for the snippets we show, we still don’t use the description meta tag in our ranking.” Translation? Google may choose to show the description within their index, but it will never make an impact on your search engine rankings.

Is there ever a reason to use the tag?

Yes. If you want to craft the message that visitors will see below the title of your page in Google, then the Meta Description tag is the way to go. Just don’t expect to put in 100 keywords and raise your rankings.

In Conclusion.

Both the Meta Keyword and Description tag are USELESS in increasing your search engine rankings. The next time you get an e-mail or a phone call from somebody who says they can raise your rankings in Google by embedding new meta tags on your site, send them this article and watch their subsequent squirming. That’s all folks!

Only three things are certain in this world: Death, Taxes, and Meta Tags. Long regarded as useless, officially and often labeled as such by Google itself, the meta keywords tag alas still manages to persevere.

I have a theory as to why meta tags won’t just “rest in peace.” I think it’s because it is very easy for a so-called “SEO Expert” to sell an unsuspecting business owner on the idea. Why? Because adding meta tags to a site takes a minute or less per page, and the tags can be generated from one of a hundred free keyword tools.

It’s easy money for them. And, I think I can safely say that everyone with a computer has probably heard the phrase “meta tags” tossed around at some point in the past as a way to increase search engine rankings. It’s comforting to believe that high web rankings can be achieved simply by adding in some hidden keywords, but it’s just not true.

The harsh reality here is that these people won’t help you increase your rankings. Sure, there might be a few misguided souls who used to build web sites in the late 90′s when the technique was mildly effective, and who still honestly believe that is still the case. But most of them just want your money, and don’t care that they won’t help you.

It’s time to confront these people/companies and ask them to explain how spending your hard-earned money on meta tags will help you, when Google’s official blog states: “…we generally ignore the contents of the “keywords” meta tag.”