Keyword density refers to the percentage at which keywords appear within a web page. There is a theory that prioritizing keyword density is essential when considering SEO strategies. However, with advancements in search engine technology, the priority of keyword density has decreased. To rank content higher, the quality of the content itself has become more important than external SEO efforts.

Although the importance of keyword density in SEO has decreased, it is still undeniable that keyword density plays a role in enhancing the quality of content. This article will discuss the relationship between keyword density and SEO, key points for incorporating keywords, and how to use keyword density check tools.

The Relationship Between Keyword Density and SEO

As of 2022, there is no direct correlation between keyword density and SEO ranking. However, keyword density played a crucial role in SEO strategies during the early 1990s.

In the early 1990s, Google’s search engine was less sophisticated, and SEO strategies often involved stuffing as many keywords as possible into content. Even if the language became unnatural or just a list of keywords, having more keywords led search engines to recognize them as important, thus often improving the website’s search ranking.

More than 30 years later, Google’s crawlers (robots that collect data from sites to determine search rankings) have evolved, and keyword density is no longer a priority. However, it would be a mistake to completely disregard keyword density when creating a website.

Understanding Keyword Density

Keyword density refers to the proportion of words within a web page that are targeted keywords.

In past SEO strategies, there was a belief that both too high and too low keyword density could be detrimental, and there was an appropriate range to aim for. The concept of keyword density has evolved over time, and today, having a high density does not necessarily improve search rankings, nor does completely ignoring it.

Guidelines for Keyword Density

Consider keyword density as a guideline for balancing keywords: not too much, not too little.

Considering keyword density for SEO is not effective today. However, sites without any strategy might be difficult to read for visitors, necessitating a review.

The Risks of Excessive Keyword Density

With the advancement of crawlers, websites packed with keywords are not favorably evaluated by Google. A website with excessively high keyword density might receive a penalty from Google, which could lower its search ranking or remove it from search results altogether.

Google has announced the necessity of creating websites with the reader in mind. Understanding Google’s perspective and creating websites accordingly is crucial for SEO.

Google’s official statement is as follows.

” Keyword stuffing refers to the practice of filling a web page with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate rankings in Google Search results. Often these keywords appear in a list or group, unnaturally, or out of context, which tends to detract from the user experience and could negatively impact the site’s ranking. Focus on creating informative and useful content with appropriately used keywords that fit the context. 

Source: Irrelevant Keywords and Keyword Stuffing | Google Search Central |

Creating Content Beneficial to Readers

Using keywords unnaturally is recognized by crawlers as not optimal for readers.

The emphasis on keyword density as an SEO strategy is a thing of the past. Today, Google values whether the content is beneficial to readers, not the frequency of keyword appearance.

Google’s criteria for site evaluation focus on the quality, comprehensiveness, and originality of the website. Merely adding or removing keywords does not alter the site’s evaluation. Adjusting the number of keywords in the text is meaningless.

Focusing solely on the number of keywords can result in hard-to-read content and lower site evaluations by Google. Creating a website with high originality is not only beneficial for Google but also for readers, aiming for higher search rankings.

Google’s stance on site evaluation is as follows.

“The most crucial aspect in improving a site’s ranking in Google search results is to enrich the information and include relevant keywords that demonstrate the theme of the content. However, some site owners try to attract users’ attention by creating pages with a lot of words but little or no original content, for the sole purpose of boosting page rankings. Google takes measures against domains that try to rank with pages that are duplicated without permission or have little to no value to users, significantly impacting user experience.”

Quote: The impact of low-quality content on site rankings | Google Search Central |

Inserting Keywords

When inserting keywords in the text, it is crucial to include them naturally within the content and to set appropriate tags for usage. Here’s how you can create a website that is highly rated by Google

• Naturally incorporate keywords into the main text.
• Include keywords in heading tags.

These two points are significant when creating a website.

Naturally Incorporate Keywords into the Text

Stuffing too many keywords into the text or not using them at all can make the writing seem unnatural. Unnatural writing is difficult to read and does not consider the reader, so care must be taken.

Writing with the reader in mind naturally leads to incorporating keywords seamlessly into the article. The best way to avoid unnatural keyword insertion is to prioritize the reader in your writing.

Include Keywords in Heading Tags

For SEO, using main keywords in proper tags is more effective than focusing on keyword density. Here are some of the tags you can include keywords.

• title tag
• h (heading) tags
• table tags

Each tag has a role in accurately conveying the content of the article to search engines. Especially, including main keywords in title tags or heading tags helps search engines recognize the relevance of the page content to the keywords. Recognizing this relevance leads to better SEO evaluations.

Particularly, the title tag has a significant impact on SEO. If aiming for high search rankings, it is crucial to create content beneficial to readers and set tags appropriately to communicate the page’s content accurately to search engines.

Using Keyword Density Check Tools

While keyword density is not critical for SEO, it holds significance when considered from the perspective of creating readable content for readers. Among the tools for checking keyword density, Funky Rating is an easy-to-understand, free tool that I will use to explain how to utilize such tools.

Funky Rating is a free tool for SEO purposes that checks the keyword density of websites or text. It can be used to check text before publication and adjust specified keyword densities.

To use it, simply choose either ‘Enter URL’ or ‘Enter Text’, specify the content for which you want to check keyword density, and click the ‘Check’ button.

Checking Your Own Site 

Incorrect use of keywords can prevent content from ranking high in search results. In such cases, it’s useful to check the keyword density of your own site. This can reveal whether the keyword density is too low or too high.

If the keyword density is excessively high, it may be necessary to revise the text. Conversely, if there are too few keywords, making the text difficult to understand, consider how you might naturally incorporate more keywords.

Checking Competitor Sites 

By checking the keyword density of competitor sites, you can compare them with your own site. Sites that are well optimized for SEO tend to rank higher. Comparing the number of keywords between your site and competitors is not a futile exercise.

Sites that rank higher are likely satisfying search needs and providing the information that users are looking for. By analyzing competitor sites, you can identify keywords that are lacking on your own site.

If a competitor’s site ranks higher, it may be because their content better aligns with users’ search intents and offers greater satisfaction.

If there are keywords where the density significantly differs between your site and a competitor’s, it might indicate that the competitor’s site better meets the search intentions of users. Keywords used by competitors can provide insights for revising your own site’s keywords.

However, simply copying keywords from competitor sites won’t necessarily improve the ranking of your content. Keep competitor checks as a reference only. The most important aspect is the quality of your content. Rather than mimicking competitors’ keyword strategies, focus on enriching your own content.

Checks When Rewriting Content

By comparing with competitor articles and adding missing keywords to your own content, you can improve your search rankings. Rewriting existing articles is an effective way to enhance search rankings.

If a competitor’s article has a higher keyword density compared to your own, it may indicate that your content lacks sufficient information. However, the idea of just adding keywords to increase keyword density is mistaken. Google values content that primarily considers the reader.

When trying to understand why your content is not ranking higher, consider whether you have appropriately set keywords in the title tags and h (heading) tags and whether the article prioritizes the reader.

When rewriting, the top priority should be making the article flow naturally and be easy to read.

Summary 

Having too high or too low keyword density is not advisable; keywords should be used moderately within the article. In current SEO practices, keyword density is no longer a critical focus. However, it should not be completely ignored either.

There are two key points to consider when aiming to improve your site’s ranking

• Whether keywords are appropriately set in tags.
• Whether the article is easy to read for the reader.

By keeping these two points in mind and using keyword density as a reference during rewriting, you can create articles that are beneficial for readers and cover search needs. Properly utilizing keyword density can help produce high-quality content that is valued by Google, potentially leading to higher search rankings.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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