Keyword density: why there is no ideal percentage

Where the myth comes from

In the early years of search engines, programs really did count words. That gave rise to the idea that a term had to make up two or three per cent of a text. Today Google understands context, synonyms and topics. A fixed quota plays no role.

What matters instead

• The main topic appears in the title, in the main heading and early in the text.
• Related terms occur naturally, because they belong to the topic.
• The search intent is met: the question gets answered.
• Readability: the text reads smoothly, without forced repetition.

How to spot overdoing it

If a sentence is only there because of the search term, or the same term appears in every second sentence, the text is over-optimised. It reads unnaturally and convinces neither visitors nor search engines.

A practical tip

Write the text for the reader first. Then check that the title, heading and introduction name the topic clearly. You need nothing more than that. For more depth, see our article on keyword research.