Have you ever thought, why keyword is essential in SEO? Is keyword density a ranking factor? Will Google encourage quality content or content with keyword density? If so, what is considered low-quality content? What are the LSI keywords?
Leading SEO expert and the Founder of Backlinko Mr. Brian Dean says,
“Everything starts with a keyword with SEO”. “They just regurgitate what’s already out there and that’s not the type of content that’s going to rank as well on Google”
The keyword is the first factor that comes in SEO. It is an important SEO strategy. If the right keywords are used in the right place, that particular website has a high chance to rank higher on SERP. So, how many keywords can be used? If ‘keyword’ is still considered as one of the ranking factors, then how to use it correctly? As you know over usage leads to a ‘black hat’.
When keyword density comes in as a subject, relevant keywords must be used in the content to boost its visibility!
Why Keyword Density?
Keyword density is calculated based on how often the search term appears on the whole text. For example, if the keyword appears 3 times in a 100-word text, then the keyword density is 3%. More than 3% will pull the website down and it can’t rank high on the SERP. Eventually, it is considered as ‘keyword stuffing’. SEO experts’ advice ‘Never stuff your keywords’.
Google’s former head of web spam, Mr. Matt Cutts says,
“Once you start to mention it a whole lot it really doesn’t help that much more. There’s diminishing returns. It’s just an incremental benefit but it’s really not that large. And then what you’ll find is, if you continue to repeat stuff over and over again, then you’re in danger of getting into keyword stuffing or gibberish and those kinds of things.
So, the first one or two times you mention a word that might help with your rankings, absolutely. But just because you can say it seven or eight times, that doesn’t mean that it will necessarily help your rankings.”
Latent Semantic Indexing Keywords
LSI keywords are the relevant keywords that go similar to the main keyword. When ‘SEO’ is your main keyword, then search terms like keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, Meta tags, SERP, local SEO, etc. are considered as its LSI keywords.
Google’s Search Advocate, Mr. John Mueller suggests,
“Keyword density, in general, is something I wouldn’t focus on. Make sure your content is written in a natural way.”
Experts suggest naturally inserting your keywords by using the ‘latent semantic indexing’ method. This way your keywords are not stuffed, instead they are blended as a supporting factor increasing your content quality.
Today, Google is fully packed with AI technology. Their recent algorithms are updated and cooperate well with advanced technology. In fact, Ai and SEO are combined to work together. In this situation, Keyword density is no more a ranking factor. Google has stopped considering keyword density as a ranking factor, yet, it helps the website to rank well on SERP. It has become an indirect, supporting factor. Over usage of keywords will make you lose your position, whereas, properly well-written content that flows naturally helps to rank higher on SERP.
Some tips for using your keywords in your content is
- Use Keywords in key places
[Like in Title tag, H1, URL, and Meta description]
- Naturally written content!
[Focus on the topic rather than keywords, can use LSI keywords in content]
Apart from popular tools like Yoast SEO, SEMrush, and Ahrefs, potential AI tools for keyword research and Keyword density are
- Rytr
- CopyAI
- Copywritely
- Keyword Density Checker
Mr. John Mueller says,
“Humans, when they view your website, they’re not going to count the number of occurrences of each individual word.”
Yet, any website needs to be extra careful while writing content. ‘Keyword’ is one of the main factors in on-page optimization. Give space for keywords without over-stuffing your content. When keyword becomes time-tiring, it’s better to seek a white-label service for better optimization
