Keyword Density

Definition

Keyword density refers to how often a target keyword appears on a web page relative to the total number of words on that page. It is calculated as:

(Number of times the keyword appears / Total number of words on the page) x 100

Expressed as a percentage. For example, if a page has 300 words and the term “shoes” appears 6 times, the keyword density for “shoes” on that page is 2%.

Keyword Density Relevance For SEO

Keyword density used to be considered an important ranking factor in the early days of SEO, but is no longer a significant factor according to Google.

Trying to manipulate keyword density through “keyword stuffing” violates Google’s webmaster guidelines and can result in penalties.

Modern search engines analyze semantic search intent and overall content quality more than simple keyword frequency metrics.

Keyword Density Best Practices for SEO

• Use keywords naturally in a way that reads well for users, without over-optimizing or stuffing.
• Higher density for important keywords can be helpful, but avoid going over 5% density on any given page.
• Pay more attention to publishing high quality, relevant content that answers search queries than strictly chasing keyword density scores.
• Use keyword research to identify terms and questions to optimize around, then work them in naturally.