subject: Getting A Grip With Keyword Density And Keeping It Under Control [print this page] Getting A Grip With Keyword Density And Keeping It Under Control
Ever wondered what keyword density is? In essence, a keyword is the expression used by people to type into the search engine search box when they are undertaking a search. It is essential to understand that the term "keyword" may not just be one word, but can be a phrase or assembly of words. Therefore, when a website page is under construction, the keyword for that page has to be decided upon. It should be noted that I am referring to a specific web page and not the whole site, as each page can have its very own keyword, with the site having a variety of keywords. In technical terms, the keyword is located within the html coding in what is called a meta tag and then used in the content of a particular page of the site. So this is the fundamental definition of what a keyword is.
Moving on to keyword density, this is calculated as a percentage of the total number of words on a particular page of a site. To clarify, if you elect to have a keyword that appears 25 times on a page with 800 words, the density would be 3.125% (25/800*100). It should be noted that the word count is the actual content of the web page and does not take into account the html. It is a straightforward calculation to make. Place the content of your site page into an editor such as Microsoft Word, then click on Tools and Word Count to find the total amount of words. Then count the number of occasions the keyword has been used and divide that by the total number of words. Then multiply by 100.
You need to ensure that your keyword density does not exceed 5% and you also need to bear in mind that the search engines will expect the keyword to be used appropriately, which means in normal language and not randomly scattered on the page. You need to remember that when each of your pages within the site has its own keyword, you will need to calculate the density for each page.
You are probably wondering why keywords play such an important role. It means that the search engines will reveal your website when somebody types your keyword into the search box of their search engine. You may also be asking yourself why you should not place your keyword numerous times within your page content. The search engines grade web pages based upon the content they find on the page, so if you place them too many times, this is called stuffing and your site will be penalised for doing this, resulting in your site not showing in the search results, so you will have effectively done yourself more harm than good!
If you are in any confusion, try finding yourself an affordable website designer. Cheap web desiners should be able to not only produce relatively cheap web design, but also be able to make the most of keyword placement on your pages.
