Source : Seopulse.com

Probably one of the most debatable topics in search engine optimization is keyword density, defined as the ‘relative amount frequency of a particular keyword or phrase to the total number of words in a web page.’ So heated have the contentions been that even people considered to be SEO experts can’t seem to get down to a consensus about its use. In this article we explore the different standpoints about keyword density and give you ideas on implementing your own keyword density campaign.

Defining keyword density
Keyword density refers to how often certain keywords appear in a page (as a percentage of the total text). To get a page’s keyword density, simply divide the number of times a keyword by the total number of words on that page. Back in the days when search engines were not yet as smart as they are today, some websites listed literally thousands of unrelated keywords and phrases either on hidden pages or at the very bottom of the layout to boost their search engine rankings. But this was later circumvented by technology – search engines soon considered these sites to be ‘spammers’ and stopped reading them. Web owners seeking to increase traffic now rely on actual content for keyword density. But this new trend has spawned differing opinions, especially on the matter of keyword ratio.

Keyword density: How much is too much?
Keyword density is still, by far, one of the greatest mysteries of SEO. Different SEO experts have so far not arrived on a consensus regarding the optimum keyword density percentage. The opinions are so diverse – some say that the ideal keyword density is definitely lower than 2 percent, but some argue that articles should go as far as 20 percent! The story seems to be different for different people. While it is said that the technology of modern search engines enable them to shun high-density content that is obviously written solely to boost rankings, some webmasters still claim that 50% keyword density still works. For most sensible website owners, though, the answer is simple common sense. When people go online, they are looking for useful information – and they most likely to leave sites with keyword densities too high that the articles cease to make sense. That is why many website owners are now less concerned about keyword density – they instead focus on relevance and quality. You yourself can be a judge of whether your keyword content is too high. Try to read the text out loud and see if it sounds too repetitive – if the text annoys you, it will most likely annoy the reader, too. At the end of the day, quality is still key – keep your content sensible and relevant, so that readers keep coming back and you build a good reputation. The rankings will follow.

Spread the word: related/bookmark it/readit