Google is now using Meta Description Tags in their Ranking Algorithms

**5urlcom** · 11:27 AM

Google has again, started using the "Meta Description" in it's website keyword ranking.

This does change the rankings for Websites that have used certain keywords in their "Meta Description", until Google reverts back to it's non-use, which they do about 50% of the time (possibly due to experimentation).

Google is still acknowledging "Alt" Tags.

However, www2.google.com, & www3.google.com are displaying older cached versions of webpages than www.google.com for some keyword searches.

If there is ever a need to search all three Google Databases at once, this site offers many many advanced search options:

http://google-dance.miniunternehmen.de/
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more Google related news: http://search-engines-web.com/

**Mo Money** · 11-14-2002, 07:48 PM

Thx for all your great SE info! especially on google cuz they the most important! Im glad to here they are using meta descriptions, thats great, it will help me out. They will start using it when they reindex i guess right??

**conkermaniac** · 11-15-2002, 03:58 AM

Hi 5urlcom,

That's great news! Especially at a time when webmasters were beginning to think that META tags were pretty much useless. This definitely makes the webmaster's job, though I must admit that it can be abused. Many webmasters will start adding nonsensical terms, like "sex" and "jokes", in their META tags, and it may lead to more irrelevant searches. So from a webmaster's standpoint, it's better, but from a surfer's standpoint, I think this new idea is indeed unwelcome.

Thanks for that great tip!

**DaveTodd** · 11-16-2002, 06:51 AM

i for one am very pleased to see this move. i've always put in description tags, just out of habit basically, but i know that some professional webmasters have stopped using them because they sometimes seem worthless. hopefully i can get a couple of places jumped over them, because they're not going to use them, and i will be!!

so...the basics is, get the tags in before the next index! it won't harm you, and could even boost you up a couple of places!!

good luck to you all...and keep the info coming

**SagaLore** · 11-18-2002, 03:09 PM

I noticed this too. And in all the SEO forums I'm subscribed to everyone kept insisting that META Description was worthless for me to have on my pages but I always kept it in there and now google is showing my descriptions.

**Damascus** · 01-08-2003, 06:54 AM

great that they recognise meta description now. I always include this anyhow.

any limitations on the length of meta description allowed I wonder?

**FloREnce** · 05-01-2007, 01:02 AM

I always use description tags. I felt it was being used even though everyone said they were ignored. I think it is mostly positive.

**luvlyn** · 05-01-2007, 04:09 AM

great, thanks for really helpful info!

**BruceWayne** · 05-01-2007, 04:58 AM

Thank you! I also notice that.

**evilgenius** · 05-01-2007, 01:43 PM

5Urlcom thanks for the good news!!

I just added the Meta Tags to my forum today!
Hope I get lucky

**ForrestCroce** · 05-01-2007, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conkermaniac

That's great news! Especially at a time when webmasters were beginning to think that META tags were pretty much useless.

Some meta tags are pretty much useless; others aren't. The description is what shows up in the little blurb of text in the search results. So that one is actually fairly important - once you land in the top 10, the description will help a user decide which result to click ... a well-written one could land you an actual visitor instead of just a rank.

**chrishirst** · 05-01-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evilgenius

5Urlcom thanks for the good news!!

It might have been really great news IN 2002 when it was originally posted.

However it's no longer even valid information so it's a bit pointless getting the tvaddicts signature link drops in and telling us what great information it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Rebate4Web** · 05-03-2007, 05:56 PM

Google keeps changing its Algorithms so it really is hard to gauge what they value as it changes often

**blazeh** · 05-03-2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloREnce

I always use description tags. I felt it was being used even though everyone said they were ignored. I think it is mostly positive.

Same here. Though I think title tags carry a far greater value when it comes to SERP.

**tanjh** · 05-05-2007, 08:39 AM

They are definitely less important now.

**XSI-Larry** · 05-05-2007, 01:36 PM

It's amazing how some old thread can drum results like this on many forums.

**myshabi** · 05-06-2007, 07:12 PM

I am new to this forum and confuse with this post coz this is old post. What is the latest situation about this matter. I think meta description is less important in google algorithm now.

**Puneet_Seo** · 05-07-2007, 04:17 AM

I think it has a good effect ... i prefer to keep meta description with few keywords into it...

and thats really helpful for me...

Regards
Puneet M

**chrishirst** · 05-07-2007, 07:20 AM

Quote:

What is the latest situation about this matter.

Does it really matter??
the answer is No BTW

Quote:

I think meta description is less important in google algorithm now.

The meta description is often used as the text snippet shown in the SERP.

**kline11** · 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

It might have been really great news IN 2002 when it was originally posted.

However it's no longer even valid information so it's a bit pointless getting the tvaddicts signature link drops in and telling us what great information it is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny

Thanks for the laugh Chris! I was about to change my site to only having a description meta tag and an alt tag...nothing else.