In 2012, Google introduced a special meta tag designed specifically for news publishers: the news_keywords metatag. For five years, publishers used this tag to help Google News better understand and categorize their content. Then, in October 2017, Google quietly stopped supporting it--without telling anyone.
This is the story of what happened, why it matters, and what it teaches us about relying on SEO signals from search engines.
Key takeaways from this guide:
- The technical format and purpose of the news_keywords metatag
- How and when Google deprecated the feature
- What Google officially told publishers after the fact
- Why meta tags matter (and don't matter) for modern SEO
- Practical guidance for news publishers today
The News Keywords Metatag: Google's 2012 Announcement
In 2012, Google introduced a Google-specific meta tag designed to help news publishers improve how their content was categorized in Google News. Unlike the general-purpose meta keywords tag (which Google never used for web search ranking), the news_keywords metatag was specific to Google News and its editorial algorithms.
The format was simple:
<meta name="news_keywords" content="World Cup, Brazil 2014, Spain vs Netherlands">
Publishers could specify up to ten keyword phrases per article, with commas as the only allowed punctuation. Google explicitly stated that all keywords were given equal weight--the first keyword wasn't considered stronger than the tenth.
What Google Told Publishers
The original help documentation explained the purpose clearly:
"Our crawler also makes use of a Google-specific metatag to help determine how to best classify your content. By implementing the news_keywords metatag you can specify which keywords are most relevant to your articles."
Use cases Google mentioned:
- Helping Google News understand the primary topics of an article
- Disambiguating between related terms (e.g., specifying "World Cup" means soccer, not rugby)
- Categorizing content for relevance in Google News feeds
The tag was never intended to influence regular web search rankings--it was exclusively for Google News inclusion and relevance.
The Quiet Deprecation: October 2017
Here's what makes this story remarkable from an SEO perspective: sometime around October 2017, Google stopped supporting the news_keywords metatag--without telling anyone.
What happened:
- Google removed the help center documentation about news_keywords
- The crawler stopped processing the meta tag
- No announcement, no blog post, no notification to publishers
- Publishers continued using the tag, unknowingly doing nothing useful
For four months, publishers who had followed Google's instructions continued adding the tag to their news articles. It had no effect--but they didn't know that.
How We Found Out: February 2018
The truth came out only because Joost deValk, a well-known figure in the WordPress and SEO community, noticed the tag wasn't working as expected and asked about it publicly on Twitter.
John Mueller's response confirmed the deprecation:
"Hi Joost, it looks like we dropped support for this around the time when we removed it from the help center. Keeping it on pages is fine, we just don't use it for Google News anymore."
This was a stunning admission--Google had quietly deprecated a feature they had explicitly told publishers to use, without any communication.
Timeline:
- 2012: Google announces news_keywords metatag for news publishers
- October 2017: Google stops supporting the tag, removes documentation
- February 20, 2018: John Mueller confirms deprecation on Twitter
- February 21, 2018: Google SearchLiaison issues official statement
What This Means for SEO Professionals
The news_keywords deprecation isn't just a historical curiosity--it's a case study in how search engines handle signal changes and what SEOs should actually focus on.
The Meta Tag Reality Check
Let's be clear about meta tags and SEO:
| Meta Tag | Google Uses for Ranking? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| title | Yes | Primary ranking signal, click-through |
| meta description | No | Click-through optimization only |
| keywords (general) | No | Never used for ranking |
| news_keywords | No | Was Google News only, now ignored |
| robots | Partial | Indexation control, not ranking |
Why Meta Tags Rarely Move the Needle
The news_keywords story illustrates a broader truth: search engines have become incredibly sophisticated at understanding content without explicit signals. For publishers looking to maximize their visibility in search, focusing on comprehensive SEO services that address multiple ranking factors provides more sustainable results than optimizing for any single meta tag or signal.
What actually matters for news SEO:
- Content quality and relevance - Google's algorithms can understand topic relevance without explicit keywords
- Authoritativeness - E-E-A-T signals, backlinks, site reputation
- Freshness - Timely publishing for news content
- Proper structure - Clear headlines, logical organization
- Schema markup - Use NewsArticle schema to help search engines understand content type and context
The Pattern: Quiet Deprecations
Google has a pattern of quietly deprecating features rather than announcing them. This isn't necessarily deceptive--it's often about managing communication overhead for features that affect a small percentage of sites.
Examples of quiet deprecations:
- The keywords meta tag (acknowledged in 2009 but largely ignored before that)
- Various link signals (Penguin updates changed weighting without announcements)
- Content Keywords feature in Search Console (retired in 2016 without fanfare)
SEO takeaway: Don't rely on any single signal. Build comprehensive authority across content strategy, technical excellence, and user satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I remove news_keywords tags from my existing articles?
No need. Google's official guidance was clear: 'There's no need to remove news_keywords meta tags from pages with them.' The tags will simply be ignored. Removing them costs development time with zero SEO benefit.
Should I add news_keywords to new articles?
No. Google explicitly stated: 'nor add them to new pages.' The tag serves no purpose and wastes development resources. Focus on content quality instead.
Does using news_keywords hurt my site?
No harm, no foul. Google will simply ignore the tag. There's no penalty for having it, and no benefit from removing it. It's completely neutral from an SEO perspective.
What meta tags actually matter for SEO?
The title tag is the most important meta element for SEO. Meta descriptions don't affect rankings but influence click-through rates. Most other meta tags (keywords, news_keywords) have no SEO value.
Why didn't Google announce the deprecation?
Google's official statement apologized for not communicating the change. The most likely explanation is that the feature affected a relatively small number of publishers (news sites only), so the communication overhead wasn't prioritized.
What's the lesson for SEO from this incident?
Don't over-rely on any single SEO signal. Build authority through comprehensive content, proper technical structure, and earning genuine relevance. Meta tags are just one small piece of the puzzle.