Google and Keywords - Is less more?

[dcaul]

Hi Members.

I've heard conflicting information regarding the correct number of keywords (from a variety of sources and forums). Some say to place up to 50 words and phrases in your metatags, while others are saying that each page should focus on two or three words/phrases, and that these w/p should be well-used in your text (i.e. producing a high "keyword density").

Originally, I had placed 50 words and phrases on each page. Then, I changed this to three or four per page, which are words that have sufficient keyword density throughout the respective page on which they are listed (eg, see www.e-ca.ca). Consequently, I still have the 50 or so original keywords, but now they are spread out over 30 different pages. Am I doing something wrong???

Please keep in mind that I am (almost exclusively) focused upon Google, as this search engine is the one most often used by my target market. So, while other engines may place greater weight on keyword metatags than Google does, I am willing to lose positioning with them as long as I score well with Google.

Your thoughts and feedback on this is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Dennis Caul
e-canada
dcaul@e-ca.ca

P.S. I'm sure this question has been asked before, and I apologize for not finding it here... feel free to direct me to the latest posting, if applicable.

[rlrouse]

For the best ranking, you should optimize each page for two, maybe three keywords/phrases max. When you use more than that you dilute their effectiveness. It's much better to create more pages, each targeting two or three search terms max.

20 pages of quality content each targeting two search terms will pull a lot more traffic than 1 page targeting 40 search terms. The 20 pages option gives you the potential for 40 well-optimized search terms and 20 "roads" to your site from the search engines.

[dcaul]

Thanks.