Exploding the SEO Article Writing Keyword Density Myths

Put away your calculator when you write articles!

As an article writer, I have spent a fair amount of time researching the use of keywords in SEO articles.  “Confessions of an Article Marketer” was born from some of that research.  It all started with the very annoying fact that many article writing guides and reports circulated by internet marketers are stating that articles should contain ten to fifteen percent keyword density.

Simple common sense should tell you that writing at fifteen percent density would be impossible to read comfortably.  It is obvious that when these reports are repackaged and republished, the marketer has not actually read and understood what they are distributing.

The keyword density percentage lie is a classic internet information problem.  Going viral may be great for internet marketing but it does cause some absolute garbage to become popular and stated as fact.

You know how it works.  You publish your ideas, your readers like it and repackage or rebrand and then republish.  Their readers like it, rebrand or rewrite with their take on the subject, then republish and on and on…

It is like Chinese whispers on steroids.  The original concept can be lost, veiled over or even deliberately corrupted at some point.

So what is Keyword Density?

Keyword density is simply a ratio of the number of times you have used a keyword or phrase in your copy to the actual word count.

For example, you have written a 300-word article about “shaggy dog shampoo”.  You use the phrase “shaggy dog shampoo” 6 times in the article body.  The keyword density as a percentage is 2%

KD = (6/300) x100 = 2%

Keyword density is not the same as keyword frequency.  In our “shaggy dog shampoo” article example, the frequency is 6.  If you re-write the article and it is now 600 words long, but you did not increase the use of your key phrase, the keyword frequency remains 6.  However, the keyword density drops to 1%.

KD= (6/600) x 100 = 1%

Now, before you dig out your calculator to write your articles, read the rest of this post.

You need to use keywords and phrases in your online content so that the search engines can find it.  However, cramming as many instances of the chosen phrase into your article as you can, will cause more harm than good.

Search engine algorithms are constantly being improved and advanced.  Google updated their algorithms over 500 times in 2009.  Their aim is to provide their users with relevant search results.

Keyword stuffing and using other “tricks” to outsmart the search engines is ultimately counter productive.  Using these techniques will result in your carefully crafted content viewed as spam.  You may fool the search engines today, but tomorrow they will catch up with you.

Is there a perfect keyword density to use when writing SEO articles?

The short answer is no.

Different search engines use different algorithms.  They are closely guarded formulas; no one can tell you exactly how each of the search engines find their results.

We can look at studies and research reports for some answers though.  It has been known for a long time that Google prefers lower keyword densities.

Google is the most advanced and popular search engine.  When customers request SEO articles, the aim is to rank in Google.  Therefore, it makes sense here to concentrate on the Big G when we discuss search engine rankings.

Way back in 2004, goRank.com published a keyword study examining the top 10 search results on Google for over 2000 single word keywords.  What they discovered, even back in 2004 when the craze of keyword stuffing was popular, was that the average content keyword density in the top 10 results was 2.1%

Perhaps even more surprising, over 40% of the results had a keyword density of 0.5 – 1.5% and a very sharp drop off after 5%

Looking back at the article writing reports that state 10-15% keyword density, you have to wonder where the authors and subsequent re-writers and publishers pulled these numbers from.  Various other reports and forums that advise writing SEO articles with a keyword density of 5% are also incorrect.

Even writing at 5% density can make your copy quite awkward for people to read, you are venturing into the realms of writing for robots.  It is people whom you need to write for.  Google bot has no use for the information it so lovingly crawls and indexes.

The keyword study is just as relevant today as it was in 2004.  Google does not require you to over-use keywords in your online content for ranking.  To put it plainly, the Big G is looking for good content not repetitive dirge.

The Google Gods will keep tweaking and polishing their mystical algorithms to provide the best search results for their users.  As article writers, the goal is to effectively use keywords and craft informative articles for readers to read and not just for spiders to eat.

To achieve that goal, you need to stop number crunching and counting while you write and concentrate on providing value and entertainment.  Do you agree?

Image credit – sanja gjenero

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