Determining Keyword Density
Jul 05, 2004

Search engine optimization requires an understanding of keyword density as well as an understanding of how keyword density works in the overall analysis of your website. Keep reading to learn more about keyword density and what it may mean for your site.

The Meaning of Keyword Density?

The property of keyword density takes the text on your site and analyzes in a mathematical rather than a meaning-oriented way. Keyword density is defined as the keyword or key phrase percentage on a given page, taking the whole text into account. You can perform the math yourself to find out what the keyword density on each of your site pages is or use an online tool to work out the answer. The formula is:

 Keyword Density = Keywords ÷ Total Words

So, if you have text content on one page of 500 words and 15 of those are key words, 5% would be your keyword density. This is easy to compute an the simplest hand-held calculator or a freebie calculator on your computer. You just enter the number of keywords, press the ÷ key, enter the total word count, and press the = key. Remember to switch from a decimal to a percentage by multiplying the answer by 100.

Using a Keyword Density Service

Because keyword density is considered an important factor in search engine optimization, you can find a number of free, online services to help you compute keyword density. There are at least two different styles:

• a window where you enter a textblock

• a window where you enter a URL

In addition, some just give you a straight percentage answer, while others allow you to include <meta> tag keywords or have the capacity to analyze multiple keywords on a single page simultaneously. You can search for <keyword density counter free> to locate options for this service.

How Is Keyword Defined?

It's important for search engine optimization to know that a keyword is a word or a short phrase that is searched on. The keyword density is one way of establishing the topical focus of this article has all rights reserved and is copyright by 100 Best text, and that's how Google sees it. But Google isn't the only game in town. Yahoo! has a different definition.
 And Google, for example, sticks to this definition. But, Google is not the only search engine in town. Yahoo! in particular includes both synonyms and inflected forms (plurals, adjectival forms and the verb –ing and –ed endings, etc.) in its keyword count. For example, in the following text:

If you like to read books during your summer vacation, but don't want to buy them, come visit the library! Reading can be done in a comfortable chair on our air-conditioned premises, or all manner of readable material can be checked out and enjoyed in the comfort of your own home, at the beach, or poolside. Besides improving your mind, perusing the latest best seller can give you some great conversation starters.

If the keyword is read, Google will count one instance—the fifth word in the first sentence. Yahoo! will count read, reading, readable, and the synonym perusing: four times as many words in the same passage.

So if you're optimizing for Yahoo!, keep this in mind, and especially take note when choosing a keyword density counter to make sure its taking these elements into account.

 

 

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