Keyword density: what it is and does it still matter?

What is keyword density?

Keyword density is how often a word or phrase appears in a piece of text, shown as a percentage of the total number of words.

If a 500-word page uses the phrase "boiler service" 5 times, its keyword density for that phrase is 1%. The number is a simple way to describe how much of a text is spent on one term. It says nothing about whether the text is useful, accurate or easy to read.

Keyword density became popular in the early days of search, when engines leaned heavily on the words on a page to decide what it was about. Some writers still aim for a fixed percentage. Today it is better used as a quick check for two problems: a page that hardly mentions its topic, and a page that repeats one phrase so often it reads as written for search engines.

The keyword density formula

Keyword density = (number of times the phrase appears / total number of words) x 100.

A worked example: a blog post has 800 words, and the phrase "keyword research" appears 6 times.

1. Count the phrase: 6.
2. Count all words in the text: 800.
3. Divide: 6 / 800 = 0.0075.
4. Multiply by 100: 0.75%.

Tools differ in the details. Some count only the body text, some include headings and menus, and some divide multi-word phrases differently. That is why two checkers can give slightly different numbers for the same page. MrKeyword's checker divides the count by every word in the text you paste, stop words included, so a two-word phrase used 6 times in 800 words is 0.75%.

Does Google use keyword density?

Google does not publish a target keyword density, and it does not say density is a ranking factor. It does say that stuffing keywords into a page is spam.

Google's spam policies describe keyword stuffing as filling a page with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate rankings, often in lists or out of context. Their examples include lists of phone numbers without real value, blocks of text listing cities a page is trying to rank for, and repeating the same words so often the text sounds unnatural. Pages that do this can rank lower or be removed from results.

Google's SEO Starter Guide gives the positive version of the same advice: think about the words people would use to look for your content and use them naturally, in prominent places such as the title and main heading. Words matter; a set percentage does not.

Why there is no ideal keyword density

Any fixed rule, such as "1 to 3%", is folklore, not something a search engine has published. The same percentage means different things on different pages:

• Length changes the number. Three mentions in a 100-word product blurb is 3%; three mentions in a 2,000-word guide is 0.15%. Both can be perfectly natural.
• Phrase length changes the number. A one-word keyword like "boilers" will naturally appear more often than a five-word phrase like "how to bleed a radiator".
• Synonyms are not counted. A page that says "car", "vehicle" and "your model" covers the topic well, but a density tool only counts the exact phrase you typed.
• Search engines read meaning. Modern search matches pages to what a query means, not to an exact word count, so a lower density on a page that answers the question can beat a higher one that does not.

Instead of a target, use density as a warning light. If your main keyword is close to zero, the page may not clearly say what it is about. If one phrase is far ahead of everything else and the text sounds repetitive when read aloud, cut repeats.

Where the main keyword should go

Where the keyword appears matters more than how often. Use it once, plainly, in the places readers and search engines look first:

• Title tag. Near the start, within a title that fits in the results. See title tag and meta description length.
• H1. One main heading that says what the page is about.
• First paragraph. Confirm early that the reader is on the right page.
• URL. A short, readable slug.
• A subheading or two, where it fits the section.
• Meta description and image alt text, only when it describes the content honestly.

The full list is in our on-page SEO checklist.

Use synonyms and related terms

A page that covers a topic well uses many related words, not one phrase over and over.

Someone searching "keyword density" also expects to read about the formula, keyword stuffing, word counts and where to place keywords. Covering those naturally makes the page more complete and easier to match to related searches. Start from what the searcher wants to do: a guide, a tool, a price or a comparison. The search intent guide explains the four main types.

Longer, more specific variations are worth using too, both in the text and as their own sections. Phrases like "keyword density formula" or "ideal keyword density" are good examples. See long-tail keywords for how to find them.

How to check keyword density, step by step

Use the free keyword density checker. It runs in your browser, so your text is never sent anywhere.

1. Paste your text

   Copy the title, headings and body of your page or draft and paste them in. The checker counts only what you paste, so leave out menus and footers if you want to see the main content alone.

2. Add your target keyword

   Type the phrase the page should rank for. The checker shows its exact count and density.

3. Read the 1-, 2- and 3-word tables

   The tables list the most used phrases, with stop words such as "the" and "and" left out. Your topic should be near the top. If a different phrase leads, the page may answer a different search.

4. Fix what you find

   If the target is missing, add it to the title, H1 and first paragraph. If it is repeated in every sentence, replace some uses with natural variations or remove them. Then paste the text again to compare.

Questions and answers