By Jordan Hall
1st March 2010
Posted in Search Engine Optimisation
About Keyword Density
In the context of search engine optimisation, keyword density refers to amount of times a certain keyword or phrase appears in web page content relative to the total number of words present within the content being analysed. The keyword density is usually shown as a percentage indicating the number of times the keyword or phrase, in comparison to the total number of words, but can also be expressed as a ratio of the same data.
Significance of Keywords for SEO Purposes
Keyword density was first introduced as a search engine optimisation tool in the early 1990s when, at the time, keyword density was one of the major, and in some cases, only factor contributing to the way search engines ranked their results. Currently keyword density is still of great importance to search engine optimisation, but is no longer the sole factor in increasing ranking. Other important factors include good site structure, unique, high-quality and regular content updates and strong, numerous and consistent back links.
The Ideal Keyword Density
Most search engine optimisation experts recommend a value of between 1 and 3 percent keyword density for any particular targeted keyword or key phrase. This value can vary dependant on the nature or format of the content, and also can depend highly upon the subject matter of the content itself.However, it is important not to over use the technique of putting keywords into content, as this results in a very high keyword density and is known as ‘keyword stuffing’.
Although keyword stuffing may produce high rankings for a brief time on highly unique content, it is likely to be diminished very quickly, and is not a recommended strategy for search engine optimisation. Due to keyword stuffing being a technique for writing for search engines, rather than for humans, this breaches Google’s web master guidelines and thus could, in a worse case scenario, result in a indexing ban from Google and/or other search engine.
Keyword Density Advice
If you want advice on keyword density or any other aspect of search engine optimisation, feel free to contact us. Also, please ask us about how we can search engine optimise your website and what the best strategy for your unique niche might be.