Keyword Density Is A Myth

SullyUI · 05-23-2009, 01:40 PM

I know that article marketers obsess over the perfect keyword density, but if you do a little research, you'll quickly find out that there is no such thing as a keyword "sweet spot" where Google will give you a higher ranking.

SEO is a complicated thing but keyword density really doesn't matter much other than the fact that you should use your keyword naturally within the document instead of purposely adding it to get a certain percentage.

If you don't believe me, then check out this link:

http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/i...sity-seo-myth/

There's a list of several quotes from top SEO experts saying the same thing: not to worry about getting a specific percentage of keywords in your article.

There are other factors that affect search engine rankings more, like keyword proximity in the document (title, h1 tags, url, inbound anchor text) among other things.

dvduval · 05-23-2009, 01:42 PM

It might help a little, but I do think it is overblown, and when I write articles, I don't consider this all that much. What can happen when you write naturally is you can rank for keywords you weren't expecting as well.

traces2757 · 05-23-2009, 01:44 PM

As far as keyword density goes, I simply make sure that it is not too high in any SEO article I write. I'm really not sure how important it is, but I just personally hate seeing overly saturated articles.

Placement makes a difference, too, so I watch that. You're right about putting the keyword in naturally. It's way too obvious when someone doesn't care about that.

Diane S · 05-23-2009, 02:06 PM

When you are targeting a longtail keyword like white wooden deck chairs you will find you can also rank for wooden deck chairs and white deck chairs, as these keywords are contained within your longtail. The longer the content, the easier it is to have ample keyword density without calculating. If you must know a number, I recommend using the Info button on the SeoQuake toolbar. While your page of interest is showing in your browser, just hit the white 'i' in the blue cirlce icon and a list of two word, three word, and four word phrases and their density is shown.

legednary11 · 05-23-2009, 02:17 PM

I guess it depends on how you think of keyword density, in a way it just makes sure your keeping to the specific topic on your content, thus making the article more pinpointed to that market, if you write an article on pie and stick in the keyword wooden deck chair I would doubt you will be ranking as well as if you wrote the entire post on wooden deck chair. And with writing on that one area you then may make more long tailed keywords by accident thus gaining more seo and traffic... but i would agree there is no real perfect density but i like to keep around 6% for my biggest potential keyword

Mark Brian · 05-23-2009, 02:28 PM

Why a page ranks well is because of the combination of the entire page not just the article.

If you notice why Wordpress sites seems to rank quite well without any promotion, it's because of the keywords that's spread across the entire page for more than 10 times. For example:

1. Within the URL (ex: example.com/article-keyword)
2. Meta Title
3. Meta Keywords
4. Meta Description
5. Breadcrumbs Navigation (Ex: Home > Category > Article Title)
6. Article Keyword in H1 Title
7. Article Content (majority of keywords instances goes here, usually 3+ times)
8. Comments Section (Ex: "There are 5 comments for Article Title")
9-10. Other possible instances in Footer or Image ALT tag

That pretty much sums up on-page SEO.

Hence, keyword density of an article is not only the reason why a page would rank well but a combination of the instances of the keywords in the entire page.

05-23-2009, 01:40 PM	#1
SullyUI Copywriting Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Central, Illinois , USA. Posts: 793 Thanks: 68 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts Contact Info	Keyword Density Is A Myth I know that article marketers obsess over the perfect keyword density, but if you do a little research, you'll quickly find out that there is no such thing as a keyword "sweet spot" where Google will give you a higher ranking. SEO is a complicated thing but keyword density really doesn't matter much other than the fact that you should use your keyword naturally within the document instead of purposely adding it to get a certain percentage. If you don't believe me, then check out this link: http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/i...sity-seo-myth/ There's a list of several quotes from top SEO experts saying the same thing: not to worry about getting a specific percentage of keywords in your article. There are other factors that affect search engine rankings more, like keyword proximity in the document (title, h1 tags, url, inbound anchor text) among other things.

05-23-2009, 01:42 PM	#2
dvduval phpLD master War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Silicon Valley Posts: 2,962 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 44 Thanked 307 Times in 259 Posts Social Networking	Re: Keyword Density Is A Myth It might help a little, but I do think it is overblown, and when I write articles, I don't consider this all that much. What can happen when you write naturally is you can rank for keywords you weren't expecting as well.
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05-23-2009, 01:44 PM	#3
traces2757 Deadbeat Cat to Support Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 335 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 42 Times in 21 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Keyword Density Is A Myth As far as keyword density goes, I simply make sure that it is not too high in any SEO article I write. I'm really not sure how important it is, but I just personally hate seeing overly saturated articles. Placement makes a difference, too, so I watch that. You're right about putting the keyword in naturally. It's way too obvious when someone doesn't care about that.
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05-23-2009, 02:06 PM	#4
Diane S Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: USA Posts: 880 Thanks: 150 Thanked 362 Times in 228 Posts Social Networking	Re: Keyword Density Is A Myth When you are targeting a longtail keyword like white wooden deck chairs you will find you can also rank for wooden deck chairs and white deck chairs, as these keywords are contained within your longtail. The longer the content, the easier it is to have ample keyword density without calculating. If you must know a number, I recommend using the Info button on the SeoQuake toolbar. While your page of interest is showing in your browser, just hit the white 'i' in the blue cirlce icon and a list of two word, three word, and four word phrases and their density is shown.
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05-23-2009, 02:17 PM	#5
legednary11 Warrior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Keyword Density Is A Myth I guess it depends on how you think of keyword density, in a way it just makes sure your keeping to the specific topic on your content, thus making the article more pinpointed to that market, if you write an article on pie and stick in the keyword wooden deck chair I would doubt you will be ranking as well as if you wrote the entire post on wooden deck chair. And with writing on that one area you then may make more long tailed keywords by accident thus gaining more seo and traffic... but i would agree there is no real perfect density but i like to keep around 6% for my biggest potential keyword

05-23-2009, 02:28 PM	#6
Mark Brian Spartan Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: PH Posts: 903 Thanks: 122 Thanked 144 Times in 72 Posts	Re: Keyword Density Is A Myth Why a page ranks well is because of the combination of the entire page not just the article. If you notice why Wordpress sites seems to rank quite well without any promotion, it's because of the keywords that's spread across the entire page for more than 10 times. For example: 1. Within the URL (ex: example.com/article-keyword) 2. Meta Title 3. Meta Keywords 4. Meta Description 5. Breadcrumbs Navigation (Ex: Home > Category > Article Title) 6. Article Keyword in H1 Title 7. Article Content (majority of keywords instances goes here, usually 3+ times) 8. Comments Section (Ex: "There are 5 comments for Article Title") 9-10. Other possible instances in Footer or Image ALT tag That pretty much sums up on-page SEO. Hence, keyword density of an article is not only the reason why a page would rank well but a combination of the instances of the keywords in the entire page.