Regarding the META KEYWORDS tag

[RScime25]

Two questions regarding the META KEYWORDS tag:

1. Does Google actually penalize you for using the KEYWORD META tag, or does it just ignore it?

2. On a related matter, I've noticed that when I use the On-Page Optimization Tool, it indicates that my header includes the KEYWORD tag, although I've taken great pains to remove keywords from pages that had been optimized by a previous SEO. I'm using Magento - Could it be a legacy issue? Would that make a difference?

[StreamlineMetrics]

1. You won't be penalized, they are just ignored as a ranking factor and thus it's just recommended not to waste your time adding them in the first place. Another reason to remove a Meta Keywords tag is that it provides an easy way for your competition to quickly see the keywords you are trying to target (any competent SEO could likely figure this out by analyzing other elements on your site but don't make their job any easier!)

2. So your site currently has the Meta Keywords tag but you are trying to remove them, correct? If you are using Magento, you should be able to remove them either through the dashboard or by manually editing the template files.

[RScime25]

I just checked the page's source code using my browser and—lo and behold!—there was the META KEYWORD tag . . . which it appears Magento had populated on its own.

I'm not competent to edit templates, and as long as there's no penalty, I don't think I'll mess with it. It's unfortunate, though, that the on-page optimization tool doesn't like it.