Keyword density: How many keywords are too much?
We focus on keyword saturation a lot within our SEO team. However, we never actually measure the keyword density of any page. So how much saturation is too much? Is there a magic number for keyword density?
Our general consensus is this – saturate the keyword as much as possible without compromising usability. In other words, we try not to over saturate to the point where the copy becomes monotonous. I’m going to go check five random pages that I’ve saturated to see what kind of keyword density each has.
“high pressure die casting” 10.28 %
“multi media filters” 3.41 %
“robotic welding” 10.88 %
“electro polishing’ 6.26%
“patty stacker” 2.07%
So the average is 6.58%. What do you think? Is this too high, too low? Do you try to stick to a certain keyword density? If not, why? What keyword density percentage do you use? Do you believe there is a magic number that Google, Yahoo, or MSN prefer?
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My understanding about keywords is that they are generally included as meta tags in the heading of a document on the internet. The density of keywords concept implies that the keywords are also used in the body. Is that a correct assumption? As I create my website, I’m listing many keywords (meta tags) in the heading. We also include these same keywords in the body. Is this a good practice? Where does the saturation occur, usually, in the heading or the body?
Comment by Bob Worth — July 28, 2008 @ 10:16 am
Hi, Bob. You’re doing it right, you want to saturate in both the meta data and the copy in the body of your web page. Don’t forget to link out at least once to another page (either internal or external) using the keyword, too. Google loves to see keywords in the links.
Comment by Tracy — August 4, 2008 @ 3:45 pm
I’ve been optimizing my window cleaning and power washing website and the term window cleaning appear 6.5 % and it does much better on msn than it does on yahoo and google. In fact, I think google likes lower concentrations because they assume its more natural. I think Google is spamming me for window cleaning but not window washing because is only 3.5%
Comment by window cleaner riverside — August 12, 2008 @ 1:42 pm
I love reading about SEO and what else I can do better for my website. Nice post!
Comment by Denver window washing — October 30, 2011 @ 8:49 pm