How we know when we are using the right number of keywords on a page?

Started by Roy Milson, 12-01-2016, 23:27:29

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Roy MilsonTopic starter

How we know when we are using the right number of keywords on a page?


JohnVilson

Sadly, I can't let you know a correct number that is the "right" number of keywords on a page, for the most part since that is the wrong approach to consider keyword optimization.

There's no keyword density you ought to go for - indeed, utilizing a keyword too many times can result in penalization due to "keyword stuffing." Just remember the user in mind, and just utilize keywords when you have to. You'll discover enough common chances to incorporate keywords that you won't need to worry about reaching an arbitrary number.


pablohunt2812

The short answer to this is, in my experience, there is no IDEAL %, and the video above, published many years later after I first collected these opinions (2008), would go to confirm many of the opinions on this page.
There is no one-size-fits-all optimal 'keyword density' percentage anybody has ever demonstrated had direct positive ranking improvement in a public arena.
I certainly do not believe there is a particular percent of keywords in words of text to get a page to number 1 in Google. While the key to success in many niches is often simple SEO, search engines are not that easy to fool in 2016.
There may not be a perfect % for you to aim for – but I do think you run the risk of tripping keyword penalty filters if you, for instance, were to keyword stuff a page and every element on it with your focus terms.
I write natural page copy which is always focused on the key phrases and related key phrases. I never calculate density in order to identify the best % – there are way too many other things to work on. I have looked at this, a long time ago.
If it looks natural, it's ok with me. Normally I will try and get related terms in the page, and if I have 5 paragraphs, I might have the keywords I am focused on in just a few elements and on the page text.
I think an optimal % is a bit of a myth although there are some who disagree.  I do think if you can pick up page level penalties for keyword stuffing, there must be an amount or ratio that is used to penalise the page, so i can see how it causes confusion.
What Is The Ideal '%'?
Some time ago, I asked some of the world's top Google SEO people and bloggers what they thought about keyword density (KD) in SEO after talking privately about the subject with Tedster, of Webmasterworld (RIP). The discussion revolved around the question of 'is there an ideal, a perfect or safe amount to aim for to improve rankings?'
Definition:
Keyword density (SEO) is the percentage  (%) of times a keyword or key phrase appears on a web page in comparison with the total number of words on the page. ...
Discussing keyword density with Ted Ulle (Tedster) WebmasterworldTedster (RIP)
Hi Shaun, Did you catch my little provocation in the SEOmoz interview? My point of view may not be the majority opinion among webmasters, but I came to it by studying data from the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) (there's quite a wide variation in KD) and by reading the search engine patents of recent years. That especially includes Google's six phrase-based indexing patents, as we discussed on WebmasterWorld
And now for some history. In the 90s this idea caught fire that there was a movable "sweet spot" in the ranking algorithms for KD. The idea was that the dial would get turned all the time, especially at AltaVista – which was the "do or die" place to rank in those days. Some early SEO software attempted to reverse engineer the various theoretical sweet spots in the algorithms on a monthly basis – for density, prominence, occurrence and other factors.
That was the 90s, with search engine algorithms that were dumb as a doorpost. Whether any of them really used KD as a direct metric I can't say with certainty – but I even doubt that. At any rate, today's algorithms handle keyword stuffing abuses almost as a side effect of the many elements they are processing. They don't even NEED to take a direct measurement.
This doesn't mean that a density tool can't give a Webmaster some useful feedback. It can alert you when you go way overboard and don't realize it. Likewise, you'll get a wake-up call if you overlook having even a single use of your target keyword in text.
With so many tools online to attract eyeballs, this idea seems to be a myth that will not die. Many Webmasters swear by it and just assume that density is somehow a sophisticated SEO tool that they must use to succeed online.
But among professional SEOs, you won't usually hear such talk. For example, Rand Fishkin and I see eye to eye on this. Check out his article on Moz, where he surveyed 37 prominent SEOs about search engine ranking factors. The word "density" is not even on the page!

Bhuwan

 It is very important to select the correct keyword mapping technique for all the pages on your web site. Each page, whether it is the homepage, micro/blog page or a getting page, has a different approach to the number of keywords.
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