What Is Keyword Density and Does It Still Matter for SEO?
Keyword density is the number of times a keyword appears in a page divided by the total number of words, shown as a percentage. If a phrase appears 10 times in a 1,000-word article, its density is 1%.
Is there an ideal keyword density?
No. Search engines do not reward a specific percentage, and Google has said for years that there is no magic number. Many writers use 1 to 2% as a rough comfort zone, because it tends to read naturally. Treat that as a loose guide, not a rule.
Why it still helps to check
- Spot stuffing. If a keyword makes up 4 or 5% of the text, it probably reads awkwardly and can look spammy.
- Spot gaps. If your main topic hardly appears, the page may not be clear about what it covers.
- Find overused words. The phrase tables show repeated two and three-word combinations that you can vary.
How to calculate it
Divide the number of times the keyword appears (multiplied by the number of words in the phrase) by the total word count, then multiply by 100. Or paste your text into our Keyword Density Checker and read the tables. You can also check the length of your copy with the Word Counter.
Better ways to improve rankings
- Use your main keyword in the title, the first paragraph and one or two headings.
- Use synonyms and related phrases, as people naturally do.
- Answer the questions a reader would ask next.
- Write a clear title tag and meta description with the Meta Tag Generator.
Write for people first, then use density as a proofreading check.