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SEO keyword density?

by iamnotfrankkern
23 replies
  • SEO
    • |
When it comes down to keyword density. I know there is no one formula a percentage of how many times the keyword you're targeting should come up in your content.
But on a percentage basis, what we use basic guideline minimum and maximum keyword density.
To my understanding he shouldn't go below 3% and over 7% keyword density.

If you have any other theories of love to hear them.
#density #keyword #seo
  • Profile picture of the author nicktyler
    I'm not sure that keyword density is really that important a ranking factor anymore. I would just write naturally for a user first. You should find that the keywords are included anyway and the content ranks and converts better for it. Just make sure you don't stuff it with keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author justinpaul
    Originally Posted by FerencMakar View Post

    When it comes down to keyword density. I know there is no one formula a percentage of how many times the keyword you're targeting should come up in your content.
    But on a percentage basis, what we use basic guideline minimum and maximum keyword density.
    To my understanding he shouldn't go below 3% and over 7% keyword density.

    If you have any other theories of love to hear them.
    Keyword Density is a criteria that what should be percent of keyword in a given content, suppose you have a 100word content then its density should be 2% to 4%.
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  • Profile picture of the author varshyl111
    I think your thought is right, keyword density should be at least 3% , you can check Google Webmaster Tool
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  • Profile picture of the author DaveDempsey
    I always make sure density is above 2% but never try to go above 5%.

    Like Junne already mentioned you could probably go below 2% BUT you will get less long-tailed keywords that way so I would only go below 2% for a long article >1500 words
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  • Profile picture of the author alantay
    7% is a bit of risky to me.

    I will go with 3% - 5% for my content.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ronno99
    Just make sure the page is relevant. Relative keyword density is more important than absolute keyword density.

    Read more -> Query Relevance and On-Site SEO
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  • Profile picture of the author Targeted Traffic
    Originally Posted by riyasoftees View Post

    Keyword density
    Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page
    err...yeah...but I don't think that's what the OP is asking about... :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author George Curtis
    FerencMakar,

    I have SEOed scores of sites and can honestly say I have never ever checked the keyword density even once.

    Here is the formula I use:
    1) Write naturally.
    2) Try to use the main keyword phrase in the title, and if you can... as close to the beginning if it does not hurt the title.

    Poor Example: 7 Ways to Use Blue Widgets
    Better Example: Blue Widgets Shocker: Here are 7 Ways to Use Them to Improve Your Life

    3) Use the main keyword phrase as close to the beginning of the page as possible.
    4) Use the main keyword phrase as close to the end of the page as possible.
    5) Write naturally in between and use variations of the main keyword phrase wherever possible.

    Do steps #1-5 and you won't have to worry about keyword density.

    Good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
      Originally Posted by George Curtis View Post

      FerencMakar,

      I have SEOed scores of sites and can honestly say I have never ever checked the keyword density even once.

      Here is the formula I use:
      1) Write naturally.
      2) Try to use the main keyword phrase in the title, and if you can... as close to the beginning if it does not hurt the title.

      Poor Example: 7 Ways to Use Blue Widgets
      Better Example: Blue Widgets Shocker: Here are 7 Ways to Use Them to Improve Your Life

      3) Use the main keyword phrase as close to the beginning of the page as possible.
      4) Use the main keyword phrase as close to the end of the page as possible.
      5) Write naturally in between and use variations of the main keyword phrase wherever possible.

      Do steps #1-5 and you won't have to worry about keyword density.

      Good luck.
      Anything over 1% is going to sound like it is written for the SE not the reader. I guess it depends on your target.

      I do not write over 1% unless the keyword just works in naturally: front of the title, first paragraph, last paragraph and middle paragraphs depending on the length of the article.

      Same goes for LSI. If I am writing about French toast, I can't help but mention bread and eggs.

      Seriously folks, it isn't rocket science; unless, of course, your goal is to game the system.
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      • Profile picture of the author packerfan
        High keyword density helps ranking, and it doesn't have to be unnatural. Here's a short example.

        ACME company is a maker of blue widgets. On October 15th they released they're 9th blue widget in the past 6 months. While all 9 are similar, the blue widget 9000x offers user the ability to learn to think logically for themselves.


        If blue widget is the keyword here, my density is probably above 10% but I think it sounds fine.

        If your keyword is blue tuxedo coats made for fat women it gets tricky, but I think you get the idea.

        It only makes sense that a piece of content that talks about the keyword more than another one is POTENTIALLY more relevant to the user searching for that keyword.

        ps - I've done some actual testing that shows that 6% density outranks 2% every time, considering all things being equal.

        In short, higher keyword density is better for SEO. I'd argue it doesn't have to hurt the user experience, but to each their own.
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  • Profile picture of the author IamTJM
    I generally stick between 2 to 5 percent and also use LSI keywords
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  • Profile picture of the author Targeted Traffic
    Keyword density says something about words in a document in relation to the document itself. It doesn't help you to compare and thus sort or rank a set of documents.
    I think the concept has been overrated.
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  • Profile picture of the author rakhi
    Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page as compared to the total number of words on the page.Keyword density is used as an important factor in determining whether.It should be 2 to 2.5% for a keyword.. If the keyword density is more than 5%, then there are more chances to spam your site by search engine.
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  • Profile picture of the author OliviaSSLGuru
    in short sentence Keyword density is a jargon term of SEO which refers to the number of times your keyword phrase appears on the page.
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  • Profile picture of the author dimuth
    I already work lot of SEO Projects.According to my experience i think keyword density should be 4% - 6% and not more than 10%
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    • Profile picture of the author infoseowebmaster
      I think keyword density is between 3%-5% of single page.
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    • Profile picture of the author designmichigan1
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      • Profile picture of the author Jessicalohan21
        Keyword density is percentage of times a word or phrase appears on a Web page in relation to the total number of words on the page. As part of the search engine optimization keyword density can be used as a factor in determining whether a site is appropriate for a keyword or phrase specific.
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  • Profile picture of the author brucaSEO
    The keywords density can be calculated like

    [No. of Keywords/100] * Total number of words

    The keyword density should be 3-4% on single page
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  • Profile picture of the author jbtooloo
    You have to think for both the SE and the user. The search engines love content, more the merrier really.

    I'd go for 8%-10% ideally.
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  • Profile picture of the author refinancepro
    The only part of keyword density that I have seen tried, tested and true is the maximum percentage. Anything over 8% will negatively effect your rankings but once cut down to below 4% you should not see a negative effect however I do not know if there is a benefit either.

    It is hard to track the benefit side of this, but I have seen clients with too many keywords padded in their site gain ranking both on places and nationwide Google SERPs once the density dropped.
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  • Profile picture of the author logoonlinepros1
    Well, i think 7% may be harmful for your site's health. I think it should be 3 to 5%. Because i have experienced.
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    • Profile picture of the author JamieCW777
      Keyword density is something that people get far too hung up on, often to the detriment of getting the information out there in a clear and concise way.

      If you have any extremely generic keyword, then the chance are you are going to use it quite a lot. For example, if your keyword is "car" and you are writing an articles on cars, you won't be able to help using "car" a large number of times. As long as it is relevant then Google should not penalise you for this.

      If you have a more obscure keyword though, such as "car exhausts for 1987 Fords" then the chances are there won't be that many opportunities to naturally insert it into the text. This means you should only insert it where possible and keep the KW density down.

      Essentially, write naturally, don't force the keywords too much and you should be fine. Having a density of just 1% is better than getting penalized by Google, is it not?
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      • Profile picture of the author LeeLee
        Originally Posted by JamieCW777 View Post

        Keyword density is something that people get far too hung up on, often to the detriment of getting the information out there in a clear and concise way.

        If you have any extremely generic keyword, then the chance are you are going to use it quite a lot. For example, if your keyword is "car" and you are writing an articles on cars, you won't be able to help using "car" a large number of times. As long as it is relevant then Google should not penalise you for this.

        If you have a more obscure keyword though, such as "car exhausts for 1987 Fords" then the chances are there won't be that many opportunities to naturally insert it into the text. This means you should only insert it where possible and keep the KW density down.

        Essentially, write naturally, don't force the keywords too much and you should be fine. Having a density of just 1% is better than getting penalized by Google, is it not?
        If you are not penalized today, the day is coming. Google is a pain but there is so much c**p they have to shovel off the internet. I predict there is going to be a drop in k/w density in one of Google's future algorithm cleansing. Then we shall hear wailing and gnashing of teeth about how unfair it is of Google to remove garbage from their searches. If you are not producing content to benefit the user, your days are numbered.
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