This factor estimates how many comma-separated entries appear in a page’s meta keywords value. It never returns 0: an absent tag or a single keyword with no comma both score 1, so read it as a legacy-compatibility count rather than a modern ranking lever.
| Factor ID | RG-MET-015 |
|---|---|
| Family | Metadata |
| Measurement | Compatibility list count |
| Measured zone | Parsed meta keywords content |
What it measures
This factor estimates the number of comma-separated entries in the parsed meta keywords value. It reports how many discrete keyword segments a page declares in its keywords meta tag, giving a simple count of the list’s length.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses the meta keywords value and counts comma-separated segments only when a comma is present. If the value is absent, or present but contains no comma, the factor returns 1. In other words, a comma is what splits the value into multiple entries; without one, the entire value is treated as a single entry.
What RankGear looks for
<meta name="keywords" content="seo, ranking factors, metadata">| Parsed value | Returned count |
|---|---|
| seo, ranking factors, metadata | 3 |
| seo | 1 |
| (tag absent) | 1 |
How to optimize it
Do not target this count for mainstream SEO. Treat it as an observation of what a page happens to declare, not a number to grow. If another system in your stack genuinely requires the meta keywords tag, keep its entries concise, accurate, and nonrepetitive rather than padding the list to raise the count.
Important considerations
- An absent tag scores 1 rather than 0, so the value is a floor of 1 rather than a true presence check.
- A single uncommaed keyword also scores 1, making 1 ambiguous between “no tag” and “one keyword.”
- The behavior intentionally preserves legacy compatibility with the historical meta keywords convention.
- Major search engines generally ignore meta keywords for ranking.
- This is a measured, correlational signal within a result set, not a cause of ranking; a higher or lower count neither makes a page rank nor guarantees any position.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.