KeyWord Density?
-
What is an acceptable density for a keyword? It's wise to push it as close to spam without sacrificing user experience, correct?
I read an article on SeoMoz (outdated I think) that mentioned 6%.
If it's a keyword phrase, do you have to make sure you don't go over the density level of a particular word in the phrase. If it's a three word phrase, do you have to not use any one word more than X% or just monitor the exact keyword.
-
In my understanding - Google is a machine that wants us to think that it is acting as a human being
In general - there is some human influence on their 'algos' but it's important to understand - it is still a machine! And most important is to clearly lied down - it is machine that constantly keeps upgraded and tweaked by humans.
I see where and why Joseph coming from and I see why he still is not satisfied with the answer. You know why? Because question is wrong for this community
Everyone here wants to do good for you Joseph! And that is why you are not getting direct answer regarding correct keyword density percentage. The truth is - this number is keeping changing constantly and whatever 'density' will you apply to your article it is - DANGEROUS! There is no exact magical number but there is a safe side that works for present moment.
And to answer you directly - do not cross 1.5 - 2.0 percentage at the moment. Think about this like that - If you will apply wrong keyword density to your article you will get fired from your job.
So, how to apply correct keyword density you are asking! - you see, you asking to guarantee you something that only Google can guarantee as there is no insight - what Google will implement next and how that will affect everyone here.
One golden rule applies for this though - keep constantly updating and changing your content! As far it is the best of the best of all ranking advices what I can give you because as far as it goes now - Whenever new content is published Google clearly and immediately recognizes, responds and communicates with you via changes of you ranking positions via what!? - via keyword density,placement,decoration,website structure, credibility,visibility and all this blah,blah,blah stuff You see - keywords are still there!
So, sorry, but there is no magical and precise pill for this! That is why question was a bit wrong.
all the best,
Jungles
-
Google is placing less and less importance on keyword density.
As a general rule always have the keyword/phrase in the Title, summary and opening paragraph and enbedded in any images/videos attached. And include some variations of the key term throughout the content eg. using synonyms.
I would recommend sticking at around 3% anything more than that definitely looks spammy
A little bit 'old school' but a tool you can use is http://www.visiblepr.com
You just enter in your top 3 keywords/phases and copy and paste the text into the box and it will tell you the density.
As mentioned through Google will probably appreciate the synonyms throughout the content over high density keywords.
-
Keyword density is passe. Just make sure you have used the targeted keywords in the title and a couples of times in the body content. But no need to use them as it is. For say if you are writing on Web design NY, you do not need to use the phrase as it.
-
I believe the tools are focused on a minimum number of instances of the phrase and not the %. Keyword density as an important ranking factor is a myth.
Here are two great links that will help shine some light on the subject for you:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-myths-that-scare-seos-but-shouldnt-whiteboard-friday http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo/myths-and-misconceptions-about-search-engines
-
This is a common sense approach. There is an optimal %.
I can write endless content that has high value. My site targets local real estate. I could write a hundred pages with a high value to customers. I need to know the %. I could write 300 words at 6% phrase. I could write 1,000 words at 3% etc... No matter how much content I add, it will be high quality.
I appreciate the link to the tool; however, even the tool has to target a specific %. It has to have an objective concept in which it weighs by. I am certain it has a %.
A blog on SEOMOZ once said 6%. A local SEO told me that is high level spam.
-
You should always write content for users and not search engines. Trying to achieve a specific percentage of keyword density could do more harm than good if it messes up the natural flow of your content. Instead you should use the on-page optimization tool to make sure your following best practices. It will of course let you know if you should try and include a few more instances of your targeted keyword. Adding additional content sections to the page can sometimes help you find better places to work in your keywords, try adding testimonials, lists, pull out quotes or excerpts of the main content, etc. There's also data that suggests partial match and related terms can help influence your on page relevancy so be sure you're working in these types of terms as well.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How to NOT keyword stuff in long form content
My homepage has an authoritative guide with long form content. As a result, my main keyword is mentioned 40+ times. It's not forced, but natural, and the frequency of it is a function of the length of the article. Is that okay? Any suggestions or advise?
On-Page Optimization | | ntaparia171 -
Titles - Should they be short or long and descriptiive with keywords?
I just asked a question about ALT tags and then this got me to wondering....I have 300 products, so coming up with titles is not the easiest at times. Some have my keywords and some do not. Should they all have my keywords, despite making the title and the URL longer? It seems like you would want the keyword in the title, but then again the category itself it long. Here is an example: www.site.com/sea-glass-jewelry/by-the-sea (not too long) www.site.com/sea-glass-jewelry/blue-sea-glass-necklace (longer...I have some even longer than this) Thoughts?
On-Page Optimization | | tiffany11030 -
I am optimizing title tags and was wondering if it makes a difference if I use "commas" in between keywords that are synonyms or should I use "and" instead?
For example: "pants, trousers at pants.com" or "pants and trousers at pants.com".
On-Page Optimization | | EcomLkwd0 -
One Page Website vs. Multipage Site, if you want to target one specific Keyword only.
Hello! suppose I want to start a website about, let's say spray adhesives. My aim is to rank on the first page for the keyword "spray adhesive". I don't care about my ranking on more specific keywords like "Tesa spray adhesive" or "3M spray adhesive". My ranking for more general keywords like "glue" is unimportant, too. So I thought about creating a single-page website, that writes about spray adhesives, the pros & cons of every manufacturer, and shows the best discounts for spray adhesives. Each section can be accessed through a top-navigation, that links via anchors to the individual sections. The page will be updated every day On the other hand, i could create a blog and write an article for every specific spray adhesive. So I would have a home page that lists the latest articles for every product, with titles like "3M spray adhesive CreativeMount", "3M spray adhesive SprayMount", "Tesa Spray adhesive" ... I will write one article every day What do you think would be the better strategy? Is there a risk to create competing articles for the keyword "spray adhesive" and thus rank lower if I go with the blog strategy? On the other hand, does google rate singe-page websites lower, because google thinks those websites are less valuable than websites with many pages for the same topic? Thank you ver much for you help in advance!
On-Page Optimization | | MGMT0 -
Spammy link for each keyword
Some people believe that having a link for each keyword and a page of content for each keyword (300+ words) can help ranking for those keywords. However, the old approach of having "restaurant New York", "restaurant Buffalo", "restaurant Newark" approach has become seen as a terrible SEO practice. I don't know whether this was because it's spammy or because people usually combined it with thin content that was 95% duplicate. Which brings us to; http://hungryhouse.co.uk/ Why does such a major company have the following on the site (see the footer); Aberdeen Takeaway Birmingham Takeaway Brighton Takeaway Bristol Takeaway Cambridge Takeaway Canterbury Takeaway Cardiff Takeaway Coventry Takeaway Edinburgh Takeaway Glasgow Takeaway Leeds Takeaway Leicester Takeaway Liverpool Takeaway London Takeaway Manchester Takeaway Newcastle Takeaway Nottingham Takeaway Sheffield Takeaway Southampton Takeaway York Takeaway Indian Takeaway Chinese Takeaway Thai Takeaway Italian Takeaway Cantonese Takeaway Pizza Delivery Sushi Takeaway Kebab Takeaway Fish and Chips Sandwiches Do they know something I don't? [unnecessary links removed by staff]
On-Page Optimization | | JamesFx0 -
Does the keyword meta tag not matter anymore?
In the SeoMoz report generated, it recommended removing the meta keywords tag as it was no long relevant? why is google no longer considering this?
On-Page Optimization | | mancmusicman0 -
Keyword domains
Hello, I am the proprietor of RacquetSource.com, Is there any merit to using keyword domains and have them redirect to the site, or a specific page on the site? For Example, the keyword term, Squash Racquets, if I were to purchase a domain name, squash-racquets.com and have it redirect to http://www.racquetsource.com/squash-racquets-s/95.htm will this effect positively to my search ranking of the keyword term Squash Racquets? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Geoff
On-Page Optimization | | GeoffBatterham0 -
Title Keyword Question
I'm writing up keywords for new pages on a website. There are a number of variations on the way we can say what we're looking for, and I don't want to post the specific keywords but I'll give an example using fruits. Let's say I want to optimize for Granny Smith apples, McIntosh apples, Jonathan apples, etc. Could my title be Apples - Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jonathan and my page will come up when someone searchs "Granny Smith apples" or "McIntosh apples" etc. or do the words have to be repeated in order. Obviously I will also be repeating these in the description and on the page I'm optimizing. Thanks!
On-Page Optimization | | crlana0