How Many Keywords Is Too Many? Proper Use of Keyword Density (2024)

Howmany keywords are too many? The idealkeyword densitypreferred by both readers and search engines is around two to five percent. Even in longer pieces, the best practice is not to exceed 20 uses per webpage.

We know that optimizing for keywords will help our blog posts, Facebook updates,tweets, and site content show up in relevant searches. This presents a big opportunity, and it’s naturally tempting to try to fit as many keywords into your content online as possible. Why notreallyhammer in the point to make sure that Google gets it, right?

While this logic may seem sound in its reasoning, it doesn’t actually work thatwell. Youdoneed some keywords in your content to improve its rank in searches, but if you go too far in the other direction and rely onkeyword stuffing, you could actually face negative consequences that could hurt the impact of your campaigns.

In this post, we’re going to takea close look at the ideal ratios forkeyword densityand how this affects your content.

How Is It Possible to Have Too Many Keywords?

Using too many keywords is often referred to as“keyword stuffing,” which is the practice of just jamming as many keywords as possibleover and overinto a single post.

And if you think about it, I guarantee you can come up with a few exampleswhere keywords went wrong. We’ve all read content where we see different iterations of the same phrase repeated entirely too many times, often in ways that feel clunky or out of place. Ultimately, this will make the post less enjoyable to read, and it can actually strip the content of its value.

Think of it like you’re making a salad, which is your content, and your croutons are the keywords. Your salad is full of all sorts of healthy ingredients—spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. A few croutons will help enhance the flavor, but if you add too many, it ruins thesalad’s nutritional valueandthe meal goes from refreshing and light to tasting like stale bread.

That scenario is a good way to tellhow many keywords are too manyin a piece of content.

What Are the Consequences of Keyword Stuffing?

It can be temptingto use as many keywords as possible as many times as possible.The hope is toshow Google that your article or infographic or eBook isperfectfor thequeryand should definitely be ranked firstin the search results.

In reality, the opposite effect is likely to happen.

As we discussed above, users are likely to spotkeyword stuffingand be frustrated by it, even if they don’t consciously know exactly what you’re doing. The content will likely be difficult and clunky to read, and in many cases, comes off reading like a weird, high-pressuresales pitch.

All in all, not a good strategy. It doesn’t matter if users can find the content if it annoys them so much they won’t come back to read anymore.

Here’s the thing though:If you go aboutkeyword stuffingaggressively, your audience likelywon’tfind the content. It’s actually considered a “black-hat” strategy, and Google has learned to recognize it.

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Now, Google doesn’t want to see overly optimized sites that focus more on SEO tricks than on creating content users want to see.Thistrick can actually result in yourGooglerankingdecreasingas a result of using too many keywords,instead of seeing a boost.

What Counts as “Too Many Keywords?”

When it comes to how many keywords you should be targeting, it really depends on the length of the content. Trying to fit15keywords into a 400-word press release isn’t going to go over so well, but adding the same number to a 2,000–word blog postisfine.

To reiterate what we said at the beginning of this article—when you’re trying to decide whether your content is optimized enough or too much,keyword densitywill be the metric you want to watch. You never want yourkeyword densityto go abovefive percent, and keeping it in thetwo to four percentrangeis typically the sweet spot that Google and readers like to see.

To make it crystal clear, we’ve gone against all our instincts to craft a paragraph that uses a keyword-stuffing strategy for the phrase “keyword density.” Does it read naturally? Is it annoying? Do you feel betrayed?

Keyword densityis a way to rank high in Google for a specific query. It used to be common to use a highkeyword densitystrategy to earn a high spot on Google’s search results, but too muchkeyword densityis frowned upon because readers don’t like it. Google will now blacklist articles with a too-highkeyword density. Therefore, use no more than a five percentkeyword densityrate in your content.

For the record, that delightful bit of copy is about 14 percent solid keyword. Someone let Google know that it’sintentionalkeyword stuffing, okay?

How Many Keywords Is Too Many? Proper Use of Keyword Density (2024)

FAQs

How Many Keywords Is Too Many? Proper Use of Keyword Density? ›

You never want your keyword density to go above five percent, and keeping it in the two to four percent range is typically the sweet spot that Google and readers like to see.

What is too much keyword density? ›

Using too many keywords is often referred to as “keyword stuffing”—the practice of just jamming as many keywords as possible in a single piece of content. We've all read content where we see different iterations of the same phrase repeated entirely too many times, often in ways that feel clunky or out of place.

How much keyword density is allowed? ›

What is good keyword density? While there are no hard and fast rules for keyword density beyond always-relevant "don't keyword stuff" advice, many SEOs recommend using approximately 1-2 keyword for every 100 words of copy. That factors in to about 1-2% keyword density.

How many times should a keyword be used? ›

This means that for every 100 words in an article, or on a page, the keyword should be used 1-2 times. You want to show the vistitor, and search engines, what the page is about without spamming a specific word on the page.

What keyword density is good for 500 words? ›

As a general rule, a keyword density of 1-3% is considered a good range for SEO purposes. This means that if you have a webpage with 500 words, you should aim to include your target keyword or phrase 5-15 times.

How many keywords are too many? ›

How many keywords are too many? The ideal keyword density preferred by both readers and search engines is around two to five percent. Even in longer pieces, the best practice is not to exceed 20 uses per webpage.

What is a keyword density example? ›

For example, if you use your target keyword 10 times in a 1000-word blog post, you'll have a keyword density of 1%. If you use it 20 times, you'll have a keyword density of 2%.

How much keyword stuffing is too much? ›

Experts suggest that 2-5% is a safe range to stay within, but to rank higher in search results, you'll find that the recommended keyword density varies depending on your niche and the level of competition in it.

Which ratio is best for keyword density? ›

If you research optimal keyword density, you'll get a lot of answers. Some experts will tell you between 0.5% and 0.8%. Other sites will say anywhere between 0.5% and 2.5% is acceptable. If you want to hit your ideal keyword density, it will take some trial and error.

Does keyword density still matter? ›

While keyword density still plays a role, it is not the sole determinant of search engine rankings. Emphasizing content quality, relevance, and a positive user experience will contribute more significantly to your website's success in 2024.

What is the maximum number of keywords for SEO? ›

There is no maximum or minimum number of keywords that will be ideal for the site as a whole. Instead, you want to make sure each page on your site focuses on a unique topic and that you have a clear understanding of any keywords you are targeting on that page.

Is it good to have a lot of keywords? ›

Short answer: Yes, using too many keywords makes you counter-productive and makes it harder to optimise the account. In the other hand, with proper match types, you can achieve great results and easily analyse & optimise your campaign.

How many keywords should you focus on? ›

Since the content on any page is supposed to reflect the Page Title of that page (and vice versa), using 3 or 4 keywords on your home page makes sense. An recent article by Quora says you should use one or two keywords per page, depending on the page.

How many keywords should I use for 1000 words? ›

For a 1,000-word blog article, you'd use your primary keyword about 10-20 times. I usually stick to the lower end of that range. Keyword density includes your content, alt texts, meta title, etc. For help deciding how many times to use your primary keyword, you can Google the keyword phrase you're targeting.

What is a good volume for keywords? ›

A good keyword search volume could be just 100 searches per month. Or it could be millions of searches per month. It's all going to depend on your business, your digital marketing needs and goals, and various related factors.

How does Google handle keyword density? ›

While Google has no hard or fast rules about keyword use, one common recommendation is to keep your keyword density around 1%. That means using a particular keyword no more than once in a 200-word block of text. Along with using your primary keyword, it's a good idea to mix in variants of it throughout the text.

What is considered high keyword difficulty? ›

Keyword Difficulty Above 70% - High Difficulty Keywords

These are high difficulty keywords that have very high competition. If you intend to target these keywords, then you will need to invest in extensive SEO and link-building over a period of time.

How much volume is good for a keyword? ›

If you twisted our arm for a definitive answer, a good keyword search volume is 100 – 1000 searches a month, as this would likely provide good levels of organic traffic. However, a 'good' keyword volume depends on a variety of factors, including search intent, industry, seasonality, and competition to name a few.

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