Keyword density is one of the key factors content creators think of most. Keywords are basically the terms people type into the search bar to get search results and web content writers often think that the more number of times they can mention keywords in a copy the higher their web pages will rank. This may have been true in the earlier days of Google search where a lot of websites used keyword stuffing to successfully raise their ranks. However, current search engine algorithms and the Penguin and Panda updates have ensured that content and not the keyword density matters most for the ranking of webpages.
The big myth that more the times the keywords are placed in a webpage the higher the rank of the website still exists among content marketers and writers. Matt Cutts, the head of the Webspam group at Google, busts this myth in the video below. According to Matt, we need to stop obsessing about keywords. Concentrate on creating original content that reads well instead.
The myth busted! There is no hard and fast rule to keyword density
Many people believe that there is a fixed density of keywords like 5% of an article, which will guarantee high rankings if they follow it. Matt assures that there is no such hard and fast rule. As explained by Matt – the first time a keyword is mentioned, it could get noticed by most search engines nowadays and this may help improve web rankings. The second time the keyword is mentioned, it may help the website a little bit further. However, as you continue to place keywords in an article there will be no difference. In fact once you start entering the keyword stuffing territory, search engines could lower the ranking of those pages.
So what do you so?
Just because you can mention a keyword ten times in a web article doesn’t mean you should. According to Matt, figure out the keywords that you would like to have in your copy and make sure your copy is long enough to incorporate the keywords naturally. After you have finished writing the piece of content, read it aloud to yourself or your friend and check if the inclusion of keywords does not make the whole article sound forced, fake or unnatural in any way. If the copy reads well and it does not annoy anyone reading it, then it is ready to be published. Most readers on the web can identify, in online content, the desperate attempts of some writers to place keywords as many times as possible in a copy – so rewrite anything that sounds fake.
Watch the video to see Matt Cutts talk about keyword density.