The Keyword Density Problem
Keywords are a difficult area for anyone dealing with SEO, whether they are seasoned experts or start-up site owners. Search engines are not predictable machines. It can be difficult for a site owner to judge exactly how many keywords to include in the content of their pages so that a search engine can gauge what the page is about, but not be turned off by keyword stuffing and lack of readability.
The difficulty wouldn't exist if the search engines didn't draw such a fine line between too few keywords and too many. If your pages contain too few instances of your chosen keywords, you have less chance of the engines understanding the relevance and importance of that page in relation to your search term. If you have too many instances of a keyword, your content might trigger a search engine penalty and your page won't even make it to the results pages at all.
Happily, keyword density problems can be easily detected with a keyword density checker. Here at Searchengineoptimisation.com we've provided a handy and reliable keyword density tool for your use. It's free and it's easy – all you need is a valid URL. The resulting report will enable you to view exactly what keywords are on your pages, number of occurrences and the overall density within the content.
Why use a keyword density checker?
Keyword density checkers come in handy for a number of reasons. First of all, a keyword density tool is useful for its basic intended purpose, namely density checks. It's much easier and more reliable than manually reviewing the content of each of your pages, particularly if you use the handy tool above. A keyword density checker is also useful on a broader scale.
The keyword detection component of a keyword density checker brings a further benefit. It can show if your meta tags are appropriate. If you use the keyword density tool and the keywords you don't expect show in the results, this will be because your page meta tags are incorrect. Changing the metas and getting your page back onto the right SEO strategy will help your campaign to progress.
The many uses of a keyword density tool
A keyword density tool can be of a far broader use than just for checking your pages. Part of the struggle of search engine optimisation is in keeping up with your competitors. Many site owners find keyword density tools useful in looking in on their competition's SEO strategy. Another excellent use is when you're looking for alternative keywords in your industry.
Knowing the range of keywords your competitor is using on their website can come in very handy when you're reviewing your own optimisation plan. Often, SEO has a cumulative effect. If your competitor is able to compete on a broader range of keywords than you, you will have some work ahead of you. Luckily, with our keyword density tool, you are able to research the various keywords your competitors are using and consider them for your own campaign.
When these tools should be used
Using a keyword density tool is a basic tactic that you should implement at a number of stages in your campaign. SEO experts habitually use these tools at the very beginning of a campaign, when a site is being assessed in preparation for optimisation work. It can be a good idea for you as a site owner to check your pages when you're considering SEO, to see what sort of work your service provider will have to perform.
Keyword density checks can also take place after your initial optimisation. As you update your content, it can be a good idea to make periodic checks to ensure that your keyword use isn't getting out of hand or slipping below the minimum levels suggested by the experts.
As you can see, keyword density tools can be of use well beyond simply checking the occurrences of keywords on your pages. Creative use of a keyword density checker can assist your campaign heavily as time goes by.
What to do after using a keyword density tool
After you've accessed a keyword density checker, it might be necessary to adjust the number of keywords in your content. This is not a major problem, but it is one that needs to be fixed. Your excessive use of keywords could be endangering your search engine optimisation campaign. They need to be weeded out of your content. If your content has been created by a professional, it can be a good idea to approach another writer for help with keyword removal. This can help to ensure that your content retains its high level of quality. Your excess keywords should be able to be sorted out with a minimal amount of work.
Or if you discover that your keyword levels are too low, similar remedial work can be carried out to ensure you have an appropriate level of density which doesn't negatively impact the reader, but does give the search engines what they need.