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Keyword density is the ratio of how many times your targeted keyword appears within the text of a webpage to the total number of words on the page. It has a powerful role in web articles because keywords, how and where they are used, determine the quality of articles and how well they will rank in search engine results.
Keyword density myth debunked
As an SEO copywriter, you probably have heard that using your target keyword or phrase a ridiculous number of times on a single webpage will greatly improve your chances of getting on the first page of search results. This is far from the truth, however, and this practice will cause more harm than good. Consider Google, for instance. It has a keyword density requirement, and if you want to dominate the first page of search results for your target keyword(s), abiding by its conditions will make a huge difference in how well you rank.
Stay away from keyword stuffing
Search engine optimizers may sometimes feel tempted to use the same keyword over and over in an attempt to rank number one for their target keywords. This black-hat method is known as “keyword stuffing,” where the writer overloads the content and meta tags of the web page with every possible keyword or phrase related to the site in multiple ways. Clearly, the keyword density that results from this method is far from balanced. The content you produce will likely be viewed as spam, not just by readers, but by search engine algorithms. When the search engine crawls around to examine your site, its algorithm can quickly and easily determine whether a keyword or phrase is being used an unreasonable number of times, hence the term “keyword stuffing.” The results of keyword stuffing could involve a severe drop in web ranking or a complete removal of your website from the search engine index.
How much is too much
Say you wrote an article 300 to 400 words long. Your target keyword or phrase should appear no more than eight times. Try not to use the same keyword in every other sentence or in the same paragraph. Google permits no more than 2 percent of the entire text to contain targeted keywords or phrases. So if you are writing a 500-word article, you can include your target keyword 10 times, maximum.
Depending on the search engine, permitted keyword density varies. Yahoo and MSN, for instance, might allow up to 5 percent, so it’s important to do your homework. There are many free keyword density tools available online that can help you determine the right keyword density for your webpage.
