What is keyword density, and does it matter?

Keyword density is the percentage of times a target keyword appears on a page compared to the total word count, and while it mattered in early SEO, it’s now largely irrelevant as a ranking factor.

Keyword density became popular in early SEO days because search engines relied heavily on keyword frequency to determine relevance. Pages that repeated a keyword a certain percentage of the time often ranked higher.

Today, Google and other search engines use far more sophisticated algorithms and they don’t just use keywords to rank content—the content quality itself matters more.

Overusing keywords—known as keyword stuffing—can even hurt rankings and user experience.

Here’s what to focus on instead of keyword density:

• Match search intent. Make sure your content covers the information users are looking for.
• Use the target keyword naturally. Place your target keyword in title, headers, and body text where they make sense, but avoid forcing them unnaturally.
• Optimize for readability. Write content that flows well, engages readers, and provides value

Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant can help you create articles that are optimized for both search engines and users. Sign up on the platform to try the tool today.