Keyword Density
Definition
The percentage of times a keyword appears compared to the total word count on a page. Once important for SEO, it now matters far less than natural, helpful writing.
What is Keyword Density?
Keyword density is a simple calculation: how many times your target keyword appears divided by the total number of words on the page, expressed as a percentage.
For example, if a 500-word article mentions "plumber Exeter" five times, the keyword density is 1%.
Why Keyword Density Used to Matter
In the early days of SEO, search engines relied heavily on keyword frequency to understand what pages were about. Higher density often meant higher rankings.
This led to "keyword stuffing" where pages crammed keywords in unnaturally, creating terrible reading experiences.
Keyword Density Today
Modern search engines are far smarter. Google understands context, synonyms, and natural language. It can tell what a page is about without needing the exact phrase repeated constantly.
There's no magic percentage to aim for. Writing naturally and covering a topic thoroughly matters more than hitting a specific density.
Best Practice
Write for humans first. Include your target keyword in important places like the title, first paragraph, and headings. Then focus on comprehensively covering the topic.
If you find yourself awkwardly forcing keywords in, stop. Google rewards helpful content, not mathematical formulas.