With the right keyword density checker, you can find out just how many keywords you have in your content and if you have enough to meet the standards needed for SEO. But what are these standards and what role does density play in SEO? In this article, we’re going to answer those questions and more.
What is a keyword?
Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is a keyword? A keyword is a word or a phrase that is used to define the purpose of your content in the eyes of a search engine. These are the words that a user will type into the search bar before reaching your site. When you have the right keyword density, you send a strong signal to the search engine that your content is relevant to that user’s query.
How important is keyword density for SEO?
Keyword density has a long history as a metric in SEO. Marketers would try to raise their ranking on Google by using a key phrase as many times as possible in their content, a practice known as keyword stuffing. However, this keyphrase density technique does not work anymore.
Since then, search engines have gone through several updates to their algorithm, with keyword density, while still important, playing a less major role in ranking. Currently, Google takes other factors into account, with some weighing more heavily than others, and these factors include UX, page loading speed, mobile design, and others.
How do you calculate the keyword density of a page?
Keyword density is very easy to calculate manually. You first need to take into account the keyword or keyphrase and the word count of the page. You then divide the total number of times the keyword appears within the content by the total number of words on the page. Finally, multiply the result by 100. It’s a simple percentage calculation. If a page has a word count of 1000 and the keyphrase appears 15 times, the keyphrase density is 1.5%. However, if you have a lot of content to go through, you can use a keyword density checker. We have a free keyword density checker tool on our website, or you can use other tools such as the ones from smallseotools.com or seocentro.com.
What is the right keyphrase density for SEO purposes?
There are several schools of thought out there when it comes to keyphrase density, but the ideal range seems to be somewhere between 0.5%-2.5%. It is important to avoid over-optimization, where you have too high of a volume of your target keyword. This can affect your SEO score and even lead to a penalty from search engines.
Keywords have the most impact when they are placed in the title and the content of the page/article. Other areas that benefit from keyword placement are the headings, url, meta description and the alt image tags.
How to choose the right keywords for an article or page?
There is a strategy to picking the right keywords for search engine optimization, and it relies on a balance between using high-volume keywords and long-tail keywords. High volume keywords are keywords that draw in the most traffic, and they are correlated with a higher ranking on Google. Long-tail keywords target highly specific queries that your users may have, and when they are placed in your content, they drive the most conversions.
So, if you want to have a page that draws in a lot of traffic, but are not looking to make a hard sell right away, you can use high-volume keywords. For landing pages, or for pages that are further down the sales funnel, you want to use long tail keywords.
How to write around keywords?
When you write with keyphrase density in mind, it’s important for your content to still read naturally. If it seems forced, the algorithm may pick up on it, and your content will not rank as well. Try to focus on the intent of the search, rather than on the mechanics of keyphrase density. Of course, you still want to have the right density, but it should be a close second priority to writing the best content possible.
Are you interested in boosting the ranking of your website?
If you are currently looking to improve the SEO of your site, there are plenty of keyword tools out there that can help you figure out the keyphrase density of your content. We can also help you out with search engine optimization and website creation. If you would like to find out more, contact us today.