What is keyword density?
Keyword density, a component of search engine optimisation (SEO), represents how often your focus keyword appears in web content presented as a percentage or ratio.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: How do you calculate the keyword density of your content?
The formula to calculate the keyword density of your content is: frequency of focus keyword / total number x 100 of words in your article.
For example, if your blog has a total of 100 words and you only mentioned your focus keyword once, you would calculate your keyword density as 1/100 x 100 = 1%.
There is no need to worry, though. You do not need to do these calculations manually. Content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress have helpful plugins that do it for you. In fact, some even factor in the number of times you mention latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords in your content—in addition to evaluating the readability and engine-friendliness of your content.
Question #2: What is the ideal keyword density?
There are no clearly defined rules as to what the ideal keyword density is, but experts believe that the best ratio falls somewhere between .01 and 1%. At this level, there is very little chance that Google would penalise you for keyword stuffing (i.e., just adding your focus keywords as many times as you can without regard for the overall quality of your content).
Question #3: Why is hitting the right keyword density important?
Hitting the right keyword density is important because it lets you tell Google that your content is relevant to the keywords you are trying to rank for without appearing as if you are doing keyword stuffing.
Question #4: How do I avoid keyword stuffing while achieving a healthy keyword density?
In addition to your primary focus keyword, experts are stressing the importance of using latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords throughout your content. These are secondary keywords that are also related to your focus keywords.
Incorporating LSI keywords into your content allows you to provide Google with more context as to what it is about without having to keep using your focus keywords, which, in turn, makes it easier for you to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) without having to sacrifice the readability of your content.
For example, if you own a brand that sells coffee makers, you might choose ‘coffee maker’ as your focus keyword and use the following as your LSI keywords:
- Single cup coffee makers
- Types of coffee maker
- Coffee grinder
- Best espresso machine
If, on the other hand, you sell protein powders, ‘protein powders’ could be your focus keywords and the following could be your LSI keywords:
- Best protein powder brands
- Types of protein powders
- Bulk protein powders
- Cheap protein powder
- Flavoured protein powders
Question #5: Does hitting the ideal keyword density guarantee a lot of traffic?
No, hitting the ideal keyword density does not necessarily guarantee a lot of traffic. There are just too many other factors at play when it comes to SEO, including:
- Competition in your industry
- The quality of your articles
- The readability of your content
- The speed at which your website loads
- Your use of alt text
- Whether you have other media (eg. videos, music, photos) in your content
- The strength of your introduction and meta description
- The relevance of your content to the search terms used
This is why if you have the budget, it is also a good idea to explore paid channels such as Google Ads and Facebook for Business as well, especially if you are looking to see results quickly. These advertising platforms have super powerful targeting tools that allow you to easily get your content in front of the exact people you want to target as soon as you launch your digital advertising campaign.