May 14, 2024
Keyword density is still an important factor in SEO! Many articles on the internet question its importance, however we at Seeders argue that it is still an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration when it comes to search engine rankings. To achieve top rankings, it is important to take into consideration the target keyword when creating any piece content.
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is the extent to which the keyword appears on the web page. For example, if your web page is focusing on the term “mortgage calculation,” it’s vital that this combination of words appears more often on the page. Google’s crawlers are constantly scanning web pages to ensure that users are given the right/relevant search results. It is important that for the relevant keywords you are trying to rank on, that your pages are focused on these keywords as well. So if your page is focused on the term mortgage calculation, it is a sign to the crawlers that a searcher looking for “mortgage calculations” can find what they are looking for on your webpage. In addition, the keywords in the heading tags also matter for keyword density. So it’s not just about the keywords in the main text, but also keywords in the headings.
The right keyword density
The rule of thumb when it comes with keyword density is aim for a density between 1 and 3%. Keyword density can be calculated by dividing the number of times the focus keyword appears by the total number of words on the page.
As an example, you focus the web page on the term “cavity wall insulation”. The term appears 25 times on the web page. The total number of words on the page is 636. The formula then is: 25/636 * 100% = 3.9%.
This means that the keyword density of the page is too high. It is important to stay away from keyword stuffing or over-optimizing. Yes, that is absolutely possible.
Keyword stuffing is the over-representation of the focus keyword in the overall text. It is essentially, when the same keyword or phrase appears on a page over and over again. Google penalizes this as it is detracting to the reader and has a negative impact on the readability and user experience. So it is important to pay attention to this factor when creating any piece of content for your website.. You have several ways to combat keyword stuffing. Consider:
- Minimizing the appearance focus keyword.
- Replacing the focus keyword with a synonym.
Tools for measuring keyword density
You can use several useful free tools to measure keyword density. SEOreviewtools is a tool that calculates keyword density for free. You simply enter the URL of the page and get an overview of its keyword density.
Keyword density tool
You can calculate keyword density yourself in a Word document. You do this by pasting the entire text of a web page and writing down the number of words. Next, you use the search function to search for the keyword you want to rank high on in Google. You also write down the number of times the keyword is used.
Finally, you apply the formula as discussed earlier, namely: focus keyword (part) / total text (whole) * 100%.
SEO Specialist
Tiemen de Jonge is an experienced SEO Specialist at Seeders Zwolle. With a sharp attention to detail and a love for enhancing online visibility, Tiemen assists clients in elevating their search engine rankings and increasing organic traffic to their websites. With extensive experience in the digital marketing field, Tiemen is committed to keeping abreast of the latest SEO trends and strategies in order to provide excellent results for Seeders' clients.
