Keywords are an important part of SEO-optimized content. But, how many keywords should you use? What is the maximum number of keywords you should place in a post? And what could be the result if search engines detect a significant amount of keywords in your blog or website?
In our ultimate guide to keyword density, we will discuss all the basics. After reading this post, you will understand what keyword density is, and how you can calculate it. We will also discuss some high-grade keyword density analyzers to check the density of keywords on your web pages.
What is keyword density?
The frequency or repetition of keywords against the total word count of an article is called keyword density. In simple words, it’s the number of a keyword appearing on a web page. The density is calculated as a ratio. High keyword density means the keyword is significantly available in the content.
What is the importance of keyword density?
Your marketing campaign cannot succeed without the proper usage of relevant keywords. These words and phrases boost your website’s ranking on search engines like Google. You can find top-searched keywords by doing research, which helps you to attract new visitors and increase total revenue.
Do you know how the keywords are helpful? Because they redirect online users to your links. When people search for a product or service, they use a keyword or combination of keywords to find relevant results on search engines. It’s where the keywords included on your e-commerce store or business page shows their value.
Here comes the bad news. You cannot use the keywords multiple times in the content. In other words, you cannot stuff the content with relevant keywords. It’s a black-hat SEO technique that’s penalized by almost all search engines. They can even remove your website from their search results.
What is keyword stuffing?
The practice of placing too many keywords within low-quality content is called keyword stuffing. It was used to manipulate search engines. However, this technique is no longer beneficial for your website.
In the initial days of search engines, a lot of organizations and SEO agencies used to overfill their low-grade content with relevant keywords. In addition, they would insert links to sites with keyword-stuffed posts. Hence, the search engines improved their approach to saving online users from unwanted frustration.
What is the formula for keyword density?
Calculation of keyword density is easy, divide the number of keywords by the total word count on a particular web page. For instance, if a page has 2000 words in total and its keyword count is 10, then the keyword density is 10/2000 = .002. Finally, multiply the outcome by 100. That’s 2% in this example.
Another formula to find out the keyword density is TF-IDF (term frequency-inverse document frequency). The method tells you the density of keywords on specific pages against the number of this term that appears on all the pages of your site.
You can measure IDF in either 0 or 1. If the result is 0, it means the word is frequent on all the pages. If the outcome is closer to 1, the keyword is significantly present on one page, but not on others. Do not get confused. It’s the inverse nature of the calculation. A lower value means a higher number of keywords. So, the result of TF-IDF should be close to 1. If it goes towards zero, rethink your marketing and keyword-placing strategy.
What is good keyword density?
None of the search engines has created a set of rules and regulations to decide the number of keywords. However, SEO experts use one or two keywords per 100 words. So, the keyword density varies between 1 to 2%.
The density of keywords depends on your content. So, you can stay well within the range of 1%. Keep in mind that most search engines, including Google keep you in their good books if your website has a keyword frequency of around 0.5%.
Here comes another practice we recommend you follow. Use words and phrases similar to your focus keyword. Do not place identical keywords all over your content. For instance, suppose you set up an online store to sell outdoor furniture. Placing this keyword frequently on the web pages reduces the overall SEO value of your store.
Therefore, it’s better to use variants of the keyword. Instead of outdoor furniture, you can put keywords like garden furniture, and patio furniture. Such practice not only saves you from keyword stuffing but also improves your ranking on search engine results.
If you are not sure how to find the keyword variants, then Google got your back. Search for a keyword, and scroll down at the bottom to see the section “searched related to”. The search engine puts a lot of hard work to find words and phrases similar to your focus keyword.
Keyword density analyzers
Now you know how to calculate the keyword density. However, using the formula is a time-consuming process, especially if your website has a lot of pages. The keyword density checkers could be helpful in this situation. It analyzes the presence of primary and secondary keywords in your content. If the keyword density crosses 2.5%, the application shows you a warning message.
Rank Math
The optimal keyword density should be between 1 to 1.5 percent, as per Rank Math. It analyzes the presence of primary and secondary keywords in your content. If the keyword density crosses 2.5 percent, the application shows you a warning message.
Rank Math has several icons to help you understand the score after checking a post. A green check mark means your article has passed the test and a red X shows it has failed. There are three other symbols to show you the keyword density.
Rank Math keyword density analyzer suggests that the keyword density is better if it’s low. Plus, a higher frequency of focus keywords might change the language of your post. The search engine might even let your website stay on the SERPs even if the keyword frequency is a bit high. However, your readers will easily notice it.
Semrush On page SEO checker
Semrush has one of the best keyword density checkers. It helps you to improve your keyword strategy and boost your ranking on search engines. Apart from providing data about your website’s keyword density, this application also compares your web page with other top competitors.
The comparison lets you know about all the potential issues. Moreover, Semrush’s on-page SEO checker provides content analysis, content ideas, backlink ideas, and more. The price of the Semrush SEO tool starts from $119.95. It also has a trial plan.
SEO Review Tools keyword density analyzer
Our second recommendation is a browser-based application by SEO Review Tools. Its usage is quick and easy. Enter the URL of your website in its domain space, and complete the captcha of I am not a robot to see the keyword density of your web pages. You can register on the SEO Reviews Tools site to avoid the captcha verification.
SEO Review Tools does not offer an in-depth analysis of keyword density. But, this keyword density tool free is perfect to know the overview of keyword frequency on your website. It has color preferences for keywords. So, you can easily understand which phrases and words are high in frequency. This application also gives you suggestions to remove certain keywords as per the breakdown of your content.
CheckSERP keyword density checker
CheckSERP has a free tool to find out the frequency of keywords on your content or website. It’s easy to use. You have to browse the website of this web-based application, put your website’s URL and press “Calculate Keyword Density” to know the frequency of the keywords.
The keyword density tool free also lets you copy and paste the content to find the keyword frequency. It generates the report within seconds. Apart from the keyword repetition calculator, CheckSERP also helps you to research and find top keywords under its paid plans.
SEOBook keyword density analyzer
SEOBook keyword frequency analyzer is free to use. However, you have to register on the SEOBook website to enjoy the features of its keyword density checker. Apart from calculating the keyword density, this web-based application lets you search for the target keyword in Google. Then, it collects the top 5 websites using the same keyword, analyzes them, and lets you know how your focus keyword can perform.
Tips to maintain good keyword density
Think like your readers
Who are your buyers? Focus on their interests while writing the content for your website. Do not think about search engines and their ranking while developing the posts for your blog.
What would you like to read? How do you feel while reading the text on your website? Change the content if you don’t find it useful. Once you are done with writing, try to add keywords naturally. You can also insert the keywords while writing the text. Make sure the placement of keywords does not look forced.
Place the keywords appropriately
Once you create the content, the next step is to add relevant keywords and maintain their density. Do not place the phrases randomly in between your text. Follow the given points to ensure the proper placement of keywords.
- In the headline: Try to place the keyword at the beginning of your post. The readers see relevant keywords in the beginning, which increases their interest in the post. Moreover, this practice also helps Google to understand the content better and boosts its search ranking.
- In the main body: It’s the place where you should maintain the keyword density. Place the keywords smartly and ensure they mix seamlessly in the content.
- In the URL: Google’s algorithm checks your website’s URL first. So, placing the keyword in the URL is a bright idea.
Stay away from keyword stuffing
Overuse of keywords can generate troubles for your website. So, use keyword variants instead of exact replication. The idea is to place words that appear similar to your focus keywords. You can also use synonyms. These steps prevent keyword stuffing and also boost your ranking on search engine results.
Search engine algorithms look for words that are related to each other. For instance, if you are writing about cheap smartphones, then use affordable or pocket-friendly instead of cheap. Both words have the same meaning, but they are different. Hence, keyword stuffing is not in the picture.
Produce high-quality content
None of the tips or tricks can work if you create poor-quality text. So, think about the content before considering the keywords and their stuffing. If the phrases fit the flow of your content, then add them while you write the content.
On the other hand, finish the post if you cannot add the keywords without breaking the flow. Read the edited article and see where you can place the phrases.
Bottomline
If you want to increase the amount of visitors to your website and improve its ranking on the search results, start with relevant keywords. It’s the key to online success. You can improve your SEO impact by checking the keyword density of existing and new pages. Take the help of the tools we recommended if you face any challenges.
