Keyword Density

[therapists]

Keyword Density, I know is a very sore point here on WebProWorld.

I have written some marketing pages with a keyword density of around 4-5. However, once I add the footer onto the page, I suddenly have keyword densities of a 9-10%.

I use the keyword cloud checker on webconfs (Keyword Density Checker - Keyword Cloud). They take out 2 letter words and removes stop words.

I expect contrasting opinions here, but what keyword density should I be looking for - should it matter that the density flies up when I add the footer (the site is built in asp), and what keyword density tools does anybody else use??

Thanks!!

[wige]

The first concern I have, going by the numbers you posted, is how much content is on the page vs how much content is in the footer. If the footer is adding that much to the keyword density it seems to me that the page either contains only a few paragraphs, or the footer has a lot of links that are being added. If this is the case, that the footer is so heavy it overpowers your content that may introduce problems of its own.

[suzstephens]

I've been watching a site that ranks #1 for real estate in a major U.S. market for a year or more. It contains about 80 repetitions of variations on the primary keyphrase for that area. Here's how it measures up for the primary keywords:

atlanta 60 13.86%
homes 35 8.08%
real 26 6%
estate 14 3.23%

[stuart888]

Once you get to the point of spending time worrying about keyword density, you are at the point Google warns you about. "Would you do it if search engines did not exist?" You are much better off using your valuable time focusing on your customers and making them happier, so they will self promote your web site's value.

Quality content is worth spending time on, keyword density is not.

[craigmn3]

The common thought that keyword density should be 3%-5% and your word count should be considerable. Keyword density should only really be considered as part of your "anti-spam" portion of SEO....you don't want to find yourself suddenly in the spam closet because you didn't check your density.
Another reason not to get to concerned with keyword density is simply there is not one tool that measures it the same. I use 4 -5 different tools (From Web CEO, Submit Express, SEO Tool Box and others) and never get the same answer. Just keep the keyword percentage out of the attic and concetrate on writting good copy.

The reason the search engines consider this, is that in good natural writting your topic keywords fall in about the three- five percentile range
-------------------------------

There are apx 127 words in the above post and the word (keyword) appears 5 times.
that's about a 4% keyword density

[williemanillie]

I don't know if this has too much weight to it, but most the articles I have read state around 4% to play it safe. Although I am not a SEO pro by trade, my site does rank on the first page.

[GoogleRankings]

Umm where did Dan Theis and my posts go? Don't tell me they were moderated

[DanThies]

That'll teach me for spending time here... and although they don't want me to link to a detailed explanation, there's still no such thing as keyword density.

[bj]

I know I'm gonna get beat up for this, but worrying about keyword density is the wrong thing to focus on.

I check my stats periodically and see what natural keyphrases are being searched repeatedly and just blog using those as topics. Great way to get blogposts and to nail your keyphrases in a more natural way. Another thing I do using that keyphrase list in my stats is to keep it in mind while I blog, and after writing any article I'll simply look through and compare what I wrote to my keyphrase list. Then I'll change a few things based on that-- like "site design" to "website design". I never worry much about frequency. I just write naturally, and then tweak just a bit. It's worked well for me. Google says to write for your visitors. That's what I do (with just a BIT of SEO tweak to help things along!)

[DanThies]

BJ, that's exactly the right approach. Your copy has to work as copy - any SEO "problems" that creates (unlikely) can be fixed without stuffing keywords.

[GoogleRankings]

Originally Posted by DanThies

That'll teach me for spending time here... and although they don't want me to link to a detailed explanation, there's still no such thing as keyword density.

Majority rules, right or wrong means nothing in that kind of situation. I have a feeling many of these members sit on the forums so long they don't notice Google has changed quite a bit since the began...


I don't know about you guys but on the forums I moderate when we remove posts we either alert the member, PM or warn them. I received none of the above.
No worries I won't spend anymore time here - That saves you a heck of a lot of time deleting my posts

[sanver]

It is better to focus on delivering right communication to your target customers than getting into things like keyword density.

I am not a "SEO Professionsal", hence I may sound simplistic.

Sanjay Verma
<snip links CD>
Mumbai, India

[DanThies]

That's a very professional attitude, Sanjay. You've solved one of the great mysteries of SEO without even trying.

[incrediblehelp]

Ignore "keyword density" and write for you visitors and your topic.

[Webnauts]

I think Jill wrote something nice about the whole issue. Worth to check it out: Revisited: The Art of SEO » HRA - Jill Whalen

[therapists]

The content I have written is around 4%. However, the site is for overseas property and within the side navs and footer are links to property categories and different properties, all with Property in Bulgaria, Property in Germany etc..

After I get the content into the page, the % density of the word property shoots from around 4% to up to 12%!

The content reads well, and is not stuffed - but will all the navigation on the page make it look like spam?

[Traffic Master]

You all say keyword density is not important and should be ignored. What if your content is so filled with your keyword that the Search Engines suspect you of spamming. I believe that ideally it should be between 3 - 8%.

[live_Tech1]

I have to agree with Stuart888. After proofing the site pages for my organization, I found that my web developer focused more on keyword repetition, than on content. The wording on the site was incoherent and I had to basically tweak the english to make it readable.

In the great quest for optimization, we often lose sight of the purpose, to present our respective organizations as a viable option for potential visitors.

It's seeing the forest through the trees.

Live_Tech 1
Live Online Tech Support

[jtracking]

Originally Posted by therapists

Keyword Density, I know is a very sore point here on WebProWorld.

I have written some marketing pages with a keyword density of around 4-5. However, once I add the footer onto the page, I suddenly have keyword densities of a 9-10%.

I use the keyword cloud checker on webconfs (Keyword Density Checker - Keyword Cloud). They take out 2 letter words and removes stop words.

I expect contrasting opinions here, but what keyword density should I be looking for - should it matter that the density flies up when I add the footer (the site is built in asp), and what keyword density tools does anybody else use??

Thanks!!

Just make regular sounding sentences and regaular sounding/looking paragraphs with your keywords in them. maybe add a few more keywords here and there in those sentence/paragraphs but that normalicy should do you well...

you're not going to get much higher in the serps if you stray too far from this concept. It's just normal speak for the visitors and combine that with good links to your site and again, you should do well...

my take...

[jtracking]

Originally Posted by Traffic Master

You all say keyword density is not important and should be ignored. What if your content is so filled with your keyword that the Search Engines suspect you of spamming. I believe that ideally it should be between 3 - 8%.

I hear ya there but that assuming that you want to use tools to help you spam "properly" or "safely" but if you make normal sentences and normal paragraphs with normal copy with your keywords in them then you shouldn't have to use those fricken tools.

those tools help you fine line your copy but who wants to fine line when you can just offer honest text? not me!

anyways,

do a search for mississauga maid service

there is a doman (not the first one) but about #8 down the list...its totalhomecarecleaning .com - select their whole page (CTRL A) and notice the spammy keywords on the right...they've got a HUGE list of "same color as background text" and not only did they copy my site but they also are still getting ranked and displayed on the first page with yahoo and google (NOT MSN) even though they've been reported to both engines...

does it matter? spam all you want spammers...

[wige]

After reading through the comments here, I went back and took a look at some of the pages on my primary site, checking for the first time the keyword densities of some of my more common entry pages, and saw that I had keyword densities of 45-60%. These pages appear in the first page of the Google SERPS, and consist of about five paragraphs of text, with the keyword in question distributed throughout (probably 4-7% in those parts of the page) combined with a giant table that repeats the keyword 500 times, along with other data on each line (please keep flames about how unwise that decision was to a minimum, my users like the tables). Every keyword density tool I have used has shown differing densities: some include the table, some ignore it, some look at the meta tags, others don't, etc. All I know is that I am not arguing with top 5 placement for these pages. I haven't a clue what the limit is, or what would trip the spam filters, all I can report are my own personal experiences.

[GoogleRankings]

Originally Posted by wige

After reading through the comments here, I went back and took a look at some of the pages on my primary site, checking for the first time the keyword densities of some of my more common entry pages, and saw that I had keyword densities of 45-60%. These pages appear in the f