The short but indecisive answer is yes and no... it depends. Yes, it depends. In some search engines, Yahoo and Ask, meta tags still hold some weight. In others, Google and MSN, experiments conducted are inconclusive but indicate that meta tags hold little or no weight. However, in no case will using meta tags hurt your rank. And in all search engines, optimizing your meta tags serves at least some function. Therefore, I would still encourage you to use meta tags – although don't make them the focal point of your SEO strategy. Because any advantage you can get in SEO is worthy taking advantage of.

Higher search results are better, right? Whether you answered yes or no, there is no doubt that a first page search ranking can do wonders for your business. This is the very reason Google is so profitable. People are willing to pay high fees per click for a premium, first page spot. But what if you didn't have to pay?   If there is one overlooked, easy to implement technique that can get you there, whether in Google or other search engines, it is anchor text.