Keyword Density Clarification, Please

[KempRugeLawGroup]

Does keyword density only account for the content-based text on the page or everything that can be crawled on the page?

To illustrate, I'll use this forum page and the keyword Moz. Here's my incredibly short blog post:

"Moz forum is very helpful, but I still can't figure out Moz analytics."

Now, in terms of keyword density, is "Moz" only being counted twice for the times I mentioned it in my post (what I'm calling content-based text) or is "Moz" being counted 40-50 times for all the places it appears on this page.

Thanks,

Ruben

[KempRugeLawGroup]

I'm not looking for a tool to tell me yes or no, and I have the scores I want...I've been pretty clear about that. Why is it you assume wanting to know information, means something nefarious? I inherited a site I didn't build, and I'm trying to fix it. I can't do that without knowing how things are measured. If you don't want to help, don't help. You don't need to accuse me or take things personally, because I'm a competitor.

[Laurean]

To simply answer your question, perform a Google Search for "Google's Amit Singhal keyword density".  Amit's research paper may prove useful to you on your quest.

Because your are in my client's competitive geo area, I do look at your site from time to time.  To guide your question, take a look at your boat accident page:

http://www.kempruge.com/personal-injury/boating-accidents/

This really does read as keyword stuffing.  You have way too many variations of "boat accident" on a page with very little content.  Which may partly explain why your page is buried on page 3 for "Tampa Boat Accident Attorney".    Your page is NOT written for the reader, it's obviously written for the search engine.  BIG MISTAKE.

You are looking for a tool to tell you yes or no, and the best tool for this is the Moz on-grade checker.  If you aren't getting the score you want there.... then I'd question your content.  You probably won't get much assistance in this forum if you are looking for advice on how to effectively keyword stuff under the radar.  The SEO professionals here probably won't engage to help you.

[KempRugeLawGroup]

I need to clarify, I do not care if keyword density is a good thing or a bad thing. All I want to know is how it is calculated. I'm not looking for advice, just the formula for how it determined. It's a curiosity I'd like answered. Does it take into consideration every single word on the page (including footers, sidebars, etc) or just what's "in the middle" so to speak?

[Laurean]

When you use the OnPage Grader, scroll down under the scores.  It will give you green checks and red x's and will indicate what is critical or optional.  You want as many as the critical items completed as possible.  Really, you want as many green checks as possible, but in some cases it's not always possible (like the URL).  If you are spamming on a page, it will tell you that too.

[KempRugeLawGroup]

I did use the OnPage Grader, and it says I'm fine. But, it doesn't tell me how it's calculated.

[Laurean]

Use the Moz OnPage Grader if you are that concerned about keyword stuffing... because chances are.. if you are concerned about it... you probably are!!!  The Grader will tell you.

[masdigitalmedia]

The word on keyword density was a factor back in the day.  Many years ago, the ratio was 3.7% to 4.2% of keyword usage compared to the remainder of copy.  They state this no longer applicable, but this I think this addresses your question more specifically.

[Travis_Bailey]

Avoid this: http://www.rankedhard.com/an-seo-birthday-card.php

[KempRugeLawGroup]

Maybe I should clarify. I'm not looking at keyword density as a way to boost my rankings. I'm trying to make sure I understand how it is determined, so I don't get any keyword stuffing penalties.

[RickyShockley]

Totally agree. Keyword density is really the last thing you should focus SEO efforts on (other than meta keywords :P).

From my understanding, the only important part of the page lies in the body frame. Sidebars, headers and footers that are constant throughout the site don't really factor.

-Ricky

[Travis_Bailey]

Keyword density is a myth. Though if you want a page to show better for the term 'something', at least as far as on-page is concerned, 'something' should show in:

• First in the title tag
• Within the first 50 to 100 words
• In heading(s)
• In the meta description (for CTR)
• Exact match and variants throughout (but only naturally)
• Close with 'something'

While The Googles will sometimes rewrite your titles & meta and include text from a banner or sidebar, they claim to value the part of the page below the banner and next to the sidebar the most. So I wouldn't worry too much about where 'something' is mentioned, unless it's really overdone.

Attorney City - Into INFINITY (or beyond what one may view as tasteful/helpful) - That would be bad.