Keyword Density - What Percentage is too High?

[wfernley]

I recently did some updates to my homepage and my keyword density for my main keyword is now 7.10%. The keyword is repeated 36 times. Considering there is a lot of text on my homepage all those repeats only come to 7%.

Is this too much? What percentage is too much?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wes

[caveman]

Could be too high. Or not. I'd have a look at other pages I like and that are doing well. ;-)

[Jemado]

Hi wfernley, i've read a few posts about this, but to me it seems that there isn't a real standard fot this. Some say it has to be around 2-4 and others say is had to be around 10-15% which is very different.
I also think it's best to look at some pages with the same keyword that score well, and then try yourself what's betbest to choose.

[wfernley]

Thank you for your replies.

I'm finding most of the sites have a very low density (around 0.5%). The top site however has just over 5%.

I guess I will see what happens to my rankings over the next couple of weeks with the higher density.

Will it only take a couple weeks to see the effects?

[caveman]

I could tell you the answer to that question (as we see it), but instead, how about this: Keep a detailed record of what you've done, and what changes you see, and when those changes occur. Over time, you'll be much smarter and better off for it than relying on others for that sort of information. And be prepared for changes down as well as up, and be aware of the need to sort out/filter out other factors that may be changing at the same time, so you minimize the risk of drawing false conclusions. ;-)

BTW the general answer to your question is between days and months, but it depends greatly on the SE, and when, relateive to the cycle of each SE's updates, that you make the changes.

[walkman]

for Google, IGNORE it: Just make sure it's mentioned at least a few times, and that's all you need in terms of keyword density.

[wfernley]

Thank you for the suggestion.

I will have to keep a record of what updates I make so I can see what changes make my ranking go up and down.

[caveman]

wfernley, great. It will pay dividends.

walkman, I hope you are one of my competitors. ;-)

[CainIV]

What Percentage is too High?

When it sounds ridiculous to the visitor reading it. :)

Within reason, it is next to impossible to guestimate keyword densities for each site as each page layout, site and genre is different. In the end if the copy sounds silly the visitor will just leave.

However, what I will say is do place some keywords early on the page.

[walkman]

>> walkman, I hope you are one of my competitors. ;-)

it has NOTHING to do with google, guaranteed. I have tried it. An old domain, with 8-9 year old links, trumps all. In this case, I only have the word combo mentioned twice in the page

[caveman]

The fact that greater factors count more than lesser factors does not mean that lesser factors don't count. And the more competitive the category, the more every element matters. There are ways of approaching this issue that are more effective than other ways. Not understanding them can make more of a difference than some think. I'll keep saying it. It's not just about links. Right now, links are just about the only thing most people think about and/or talk about. Think about that. Know what happens when taxi drivers in NYC start talking about hot stocks to buy? Hehe.

BTW, there are very few things in life that I know, or am willing to guarantee. But I know that I don't follow SEO advice just because someone guarantees it. ;-)

[Robert Charlton]

I'm with caveman in observing that onpage factors can matter quite a bit. It's not just about density, though. It's about where your words are on the page... where they are in relation to each other... and what's in between them. If you get your head around it right, you can start picking up a lot of long tail searches too.

It's definitely not just about links. Guaranteed. ;)

[larryhatch]

My best guess is to write as naturally about the topic as you can, without thinking of KW density.
A site about dogs is going to have lots of dogs in it. Nothing wrong with that.

Granted, some KW stuffers are high in the SERPs. I try to ignore this, yes that's not easy.
I mentioned one flagrant example in such a way that the search engines could find it
if they really wanted to. Nothing happened. I presume that's not high on their list for now.

Eventually, Google and others may improve their algos to a point where the KW stuffers are penalized.
IF that ever happens, naturally written pages should benefit as a result.
Meanwhile, I work on other factors. -Larry