Hello,

Would adding meta tags and image tags to my webpages benefit me in anyway other than the fact that i will discover that it doesn't benefit me in anyway?

Thank you

BTW, are image tags and meta tags completely different??

well image tags you need if your site has images but I guess you are actually asking about alt attributes for image tags

use them correctly and they are useful, stuff them with keywords phrases and the exact opposite may happen.

meta keywords on the other hand will make no difference whether you use them or not.

Doesn't matter if your use meta tags or not. It's not going to make a whole lot of difference. The image tag adds the source option to specify the location and filename of a graphic, you can display a graphic image in your Web page.

so is is best to add descriptions to your images for better search results?

The meta description won't so much help with ranking, but since it's sometimes what's displayed as the description to your link if your pages do appear in a search result it can help convince someone to click on your link.

i agree with vangogh about meta description.
i have read at many places that meta keywords are not useful,
but surprisingly, yahoo recommends webmasters to use meta keywords.
i dont know if it uses them or not.

I'm sure all the search engines can and probably do read meta tags. The problem is they are just so easy to spam in an attempt to manipulate search results that for practicaly purposes they really can't be used as a ranking factor. I think if they're used at all at the moment it's more as a check to catch spammers than anything else.

Can they help? Maybe, but probably not in any way that's worth the time worrying about them. I think you should use meta descriptions though not because of any affect it might have on ranking. As for meta keywords I think it's fine to add them if you wish, but just add the two or three keywords you've optimized the page for and move on. I don't believe you'll ever notice a difference in your rank if you have them there or not.

Hello,
I have found that using meta tags is still useful, I still use them on all my sites and sub pages. I have found that also Google, MSN and yahoo do read them and add them to the listing!
-Dan

Dan could you provide an example of a site that had a change in ranking from meta tags alone. I really don't believe that meta keyword tags will have any impact when it comes to where you rank in any of the major search engines, but I'm always open to different opinions.

Its hard provide proof of something like this but i agree i dont think they help on competitive keyword ranking. I do think however they help in the terms of being listed for secondary non competitive keyword phrases.

Image tags are not so important for search engines. Moreover some count it as a spam. IMHO
Meta tags description and title at least are more meaningfull: when you submit your site to direactories some of them form your site description based on this meta tags.

I dont think meta tags make much difference really, I think relevant links from sites are much better and gives more exposure of your site. You dont really need to bother with meta tags, but it doesnt hurt to have them.

I`m using the meta tags, but didn`t see any difference with or without them

the "ALT" element in IMG objects is a w3c requirement!

they are helpfull for visually impaired surfers who use text-to-voice converters for assistance.

i have fond meta tags to be of use to one of the sites i work for , by tweaking the title/desciprtion tags a little on certain pages i have managed to jump up 4-5 positions. Keyword tags are pretty much useless now although some engines still use them , i think its workthwile using all the tags

the title is not a meta tag

I think it's the title tag changes which are resulting in the changes. Ttile tags often get grouped with meta tags, but they aren't really a meta tag. Ttitle tags will have an effect. They possibly have the greatest impact when it comes to things you can optimize on a given page.

Of course in the end it comes down to a combination of things. No one thing is really responsible for where your pages rank. It's part of what makes seo so frustrating and so much fun.

Hi,
Well i believe that today market is full of competation. To be on top of the sky in this market we must take each very little steps. Never mind whether it's meta tag or alt in image tag.
Meta tags helps to fly on top but some time. Meta tags are secondary factor but we can't simply ignore them .
As far as my knowledge goes it is effected by keyword phrase. Relavant keyword should be used in order to target your clients.

Thanks

Yahoo is the only one that still uses meta keywords and descriptions. Google hardly bothers it. As for image alt tags, I strongly recommend everyone to use them.