Search Engine Optimization Uncovered
Google Meta Tags Explained
by Jerry West
Updated: January 25, 2008

Note: If you are looking for a comprehensive list of Meta Tags and how to use them in your pages properly, please see my comprehensive article: Meta Tags Explained.

If you read in an article, a forum or heard from an "SEO Expert" that they know of a "secret" Google Meta Tag to increase your ranking in Google, plain and simple: they are lying.

Google doesn't have meta tags. There are no "secrets" they are just trying to "con" you. Beware. The only "meta tags" Google has are the ones below and I have covered the options for how they should be used.

googlebot: noarchive - does not allow Google to display cached content
<meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive">

googlebot: nosnippet - do not allow Google to display excerpt text in the SERPs or cached content
<meta name="googlebot" content="nosnippet">

googlebot: noindex - similar to the robots meta element which denies indexing
<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex">

googlebot: nofollow - instructs Google not to pass any PageRank or link popularity to the link served, however, Googlebot may follow the link and index the page referenced.
<meta name="googlebot" content="nofollow">

Do you see anywhere there where there is a tag that will increase search engine ranking? Neither do I. What "these experts" may be referring to is a meta tag to validate the XML sitemap feature with Google Webmaster Central ... but that has nothing to do with ranking in Google either.

Be careful out there, it seems there is always someone out there waiting to steal your money and time.

Recommendation: You generally do not need to use these tags unless you want Google to do something specific with your site. The Google Meta Tags listed above are some of the few meta tags that Google will read, index and obey.

Good Tip: If you want Google to use the description you wrote in your meta description tag, just place your targeted keyword phrase in your meta description tag and Google will use your meta description. If you don't, Google will just take a snippet of content from your page which has that keyword phrase. Most of the time, it doesn't read very smooth.

For more info, see Google's Remove Page .

Back to Meta Tags Explained & Uncovered.

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Jerry West is the Director of Internet Marketing for Web Marketing Now. He has been consulting on the web since 1996 and has assisted hundreds of companies gain an upper-hand over their competition. Visit Web Marketing Now for the latest in marketing tips that are tested and proven.

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