If you go for a search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy, you should know that keywords are a vital part of your campaigns. However, as you add keywords on your page, it is very important to keep track of keyword density to make sure that you are not overusing your keywords. Keyword density plays a major role in helping your webpages rank on the search engines properly.
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is an element of keyword optimisation. It refers to the number of times you use a target keyword on a webpage. It is a percentage representing the frequency of the target keyword appearing compared to the total number of words on the page. Keyword density is a signal used by search engines to decide whether a piece of content is relevant to a specific keyword or not.
Why is keyword density important for SEO?
Keyword density is important for SEO because Google attempts to match the search query of a user to the best fitting webpages. If you want your webpages to match with a certain query, you must make Google understand what your webpage is about. This is why you must use your keyword, the phrase you want to rank, in your webpage. It often comes naturally. When you want your product to rank, you end up using the phrase throughout your text sometimes.
However, if the keyword is used in your text very often, it becomes unpleasant for your visitors to read. So, you must avoid overusing keyword at all costs. After all, your main objective should be to make your text more interesting and engaging. A high keyword density is also a signal to Google that your text is stuffed with keywords, which is known as over-optimising. Since Google shows the best results to users based on relevance and readability, a high keyword density can affect your rankings negatively.
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http://indianseowriter.com/your-strengths-as-a-content-writer-do-you-have-these-in-you/
What is the ideal keyword density?
There is no set rule when it comes to keyword density. You cannot say for sure how many times a keyword should appear on a page. Search engines do not publicise any percentage of a target keyword density, so you should use discretion and best practices to guide you. Many SEO experts believe that the ideal keyword density should range from 1% to 2%. It means that the target keyword should not appear more than once or twice for every 100 words. At this rate, the keyword appears enough times so the search engines know what the page is about without keyword stuffing.
Strategies for good keyword density
You may approach keyword density in your content by following these strategies:
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Focus on readers more than keyword usage
Keep in mind that your content is created for readers first. So, write naturally, and use keyword organically in your content. The content created must be of high quality, valuable, and compelling. Once you have completed creating your content, you can see if there is space to add more keywords to reach the right keyword density.
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Add variations of the target keyword by using keyword stemming
Keyword stemming is the ability of a search engine to recognise and associate similar word forms that are connected to the target keyword. Generally, keyword stemming uses a prefix, suffix, or pluralisation to the target keyword. For example, if your target keyword is “Project manager”, stemming for it can be “Project managers” or “Project managing”. Since these words are recognised and associated by search engines, you can use them in your content to add textual variety to your copy and support your target keyword.
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Use semantic keywords to provide context and support to the target keyword
Semantic keywords refer to terms that are variations, synonyms, or contextually related to the target keyword. They are related not because of what the words are but because of their meaning. Semantic keywords for the target keyword “Project manager” can be “Project management” or “Managing projects”. Search engines use semantic SEO to understand webpages and rank them. So, you can find related keywords and use them in your text to support your SEO strategy.
Now that you understand the importance of keyword density, make sure to check it before you publish content online.
Must Read:
How To Use Keywords In Content Writing – Know the Types of Keywords