Keyword density question.
-
For instance, if the keyword I'm targeting on a specific page is "New Orleans", the Keyword is everywhere it's supposed to be, title, meta, content, internal links, etc, ....
So when I check my most relative key words with different tools, it always breaks the word up like:
new - 12 times 2.3%
orleans - 12 times 2.3%
Should I try to fix this? or is this normal? and does google view this as 1 keyword when evaluating my site?
-
Thanks for the info!
I'll do my best to focus on phrases and quality of content.
-
I would agree more with Cody, Readability and User Experience should be the #1 focus - Focusing on using a term a certain amount of times is moot and you begin writing for the keyword as opposed to the content or reader.
If you are an expert in the field and writing an Article about New Orleans, then inherently the term will be there naturally and organically. And no matter the density with the algo updates going the way they are, I personally think that intent will weigh MUCH heavier than any kind of previous "density" rules.
-
You should always try and track the density of your target phrase, not individual words.
That being said, I second Cody in that you shouldn't worry to much about the density itself. Try to apply those rules :
-
use exact phrase at least twice in the content (more if you have a lot of content)
-
use a variation (plural, adverbial form...) of the phrase
-
put it in bold once or twice
For more details about on page optimisation, this old post is still a very good one :
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/perfecting-keyword-targeting-on-page-optimization
-
-
Depending on the tool you use, you should be able to see the density of phrases, as well as specific words. However, keyword density shouldn't be your main focus. You should consider the overall contextual relevance of your content, as well as the readability. By focusing purely on density you could find yourself getting over-optimized.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Subdomain Ranking Question
Hi All - Quick question that I think I know the answer to, but I feel like I've been going around in circles a bit. My client is launching a new product and wants us to build a microsite for it (product.clientname.com). My client really dislikes their brand website, and wants to use paid media to push their audience to this new microsite. However, they also said want it to rank well organically. I feel uneasy about this, because of the subdomain vs. subfolder argument. I believe that the product will also be listed/featured on their main brand website. What is the best way forward? Thanks!
Technical SEO | | AinsleyAgency0 -
Keyword variations on a single page
I have done the research and have compiled a list of a little over 100 keywords that are highly connected to our industry. I have used the metrics to rank those keywords and have given the top 50 of them a ranking. My intention is to use them on my site and make sure that all of my pages have a keyword focus. In doing this, I am running into some challenges. Any insight would be helpful. 1. There are numerous keywords that have simple variations in them. I am trying to figure out if each variation needs it's own page. I have read articles (here on moz) that say that one page can rank for several keywords, and other articles that say that a simple variation can need it's own page. Not sure what to do here. Below is an example of what I mean. (examples: "my long tail keyword" , "my long tail" , "my long" , "long tail" , "long tail keyword" , "keyword long tail") 2. Will it help to create a page for each one of the 50 or even the full 100? I have the opportunity to use blogs and FAQ's to assist with content creation. 3. Since my brand ranks well and is obviously tied highly into my site, do I worry about including brand terms in my keyword focus or should I just focus on those search terms?
Technical SEO | | Smart_Start0 -
Keyword Phrase in URL structure
Wondered the best URL structure, to include a major keyword phrase. Our clients' case is that their domain name is not the main keyword. So should we include the keyword phrase in the URL structure to list all their office locations: A - www.website.com/anxiety-treatment/denver/1001
Technical SEO | | ErnieB
or
B - www.website.com/denver/1001 Would this be considered keyword stuffing? We'd like "A" above to rank for keyword phrases related to "anxiety treatment denver", etc.0 -
Keyword domain usage
Hi I have a client who wants some advice on the following and I haven't come up with anything decent yet. So wanted to throw it out here. They own a domain like soccershoes.com which also houses their web site. They have now bought ussoccershoes.com because this US based search term is more popular than simply soccer shoes. How can they utilise this new domain effectively to drive traffic to their main web site? Thanks for any input.
Technical SEO | | yolkcreative0 -
Keyword place in page HTML code? Higher is better?
Hello, is it important to place keyword more higher in html code Our situation: item page. H1 and all text about this item with keyword mentioned three times is in the end of html code? Competitors pages with info about item, but higher keyword place and description in html code make better in SERPS. Could it be reason? Could we change place of text about item in html code ? Giedrius, Lithuania
Technical SEO | | Patogupirkti0 -
How many keywords should I target?
Hi there I'm looking for advice from the community on how many keywords to target. What are the pros and cons of: focussing on the 40 keywords that we rank for already, with specific attention paid to those where we are on pages 2-5. Spread our link building / onsite optimisation work a little further - and continue to target all 280 keywords on our list as and when they are appropriate to target. I'd love to hear what strategies people recommend. Thanks
Technical SEO | | HeatherBakerTopLine0 -
Rel Canonical question
Hi: I got a report indication 17 rel canonical notices. What does this mean in simple language and how do i go about fixing things?
Technical SEO | | Shaaps0 -
Is this dangerous (a content question)
Hi I am building a new shop with unique products but I also want to offer tips and articles on the same topic as the products (fishing). I think if was to add the articles and advice one piece at a time it would look very empty and give little reason to come back very often. The plan, therefore, is to launch the site pulling articles from a number of article websites - with the site's permission. Obviously this would be 100% duplicate content but it would make the user experience much better and offer added value to my site as people are likely to keep returning even when not in the mood to purchase anything; it also offers the potential for people to email links to friends etc. note: over time we will be adding more unique content and slowly turning off the pulled articled. Anyway, from an seo point of view I know the duplicate content would harm the site but if I was to tell google not to index the directory and block it from even crawling the directory would it still know there is duplicate content on the site and apply the penalty to the non duplicate pages? I'm guessing no but always worth a second opinion. Thanks Carl
Technical SEO | | Grumpy_Carl0