KEYWORD density EXPLAINED...

Keyword Density is a load of bollocks unless you are hiring a poor writer or writing yourself and going by Yoast.

I have never given instructions to my writers for the last couple of years and mentioned KW Density, as they know how to write for the reader and not just for seo purposes.

Same applies with wordcount, another pile of tosh. I can't believe people order a 500 word article, get a 499 or 501 word article delivered and add it to their site, to sit alongside the other 20 articles all of 500 words in length.

The days of having an article of 500 words and KW Density of 2-3% are so 2007, my writers now write to suit the topic, the article requirements and make sure it is excellent. It may be a 543 word article or it might naturally flow into an article of 1543 or 2543, but I know it is not stuffed with keywords, it is not stuffed with filler and it is an article that the reader will stay on the page to read and not skim the first 3 lines then move to a different site.


I haven't read Phpbuilt's thread, but will take time to do so.
 
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MisterF said:
Keyword Density is a load of bollocks unless you are hiring a poor writer or writing yourself and going by Yoast.

I have never given instructions to my writers for the last couple of years and mentioned KW Density, as they know how to write for the reader and not just for seo purposes.

Same applies with wordcount, another pile of tosh. I can't believe people order a 500 word article, get a 499 or 501 word article delivered and add it to their site, to sit alongside the other 20 articles all of 500 words in length.

The days of having an article of 500 words and KW Density of 2-3% are so 2007, my writers now write to suit the topic, the article requirements and make sure it is excellent. It may be a 543 word article or it might naturally flow into an article of 1543 or 2543, but I know it is not stuffed with keywords, it is not stuffed with filler and it is an article that the reader will stay on the page to read and not skim the first 3 lines then move to a different site.


I haven't read Phpbuilt's thread, but will take time to do so.
Click to expand...

Love the comment.

Have read his work and although he does say about keyword density he does also mention quite a lot that you should be writing for your readers without concerns about keyword density as if you are covering the topic properly then you will also be using the keyword automatically and most importantly, naturally.

It also stands to reason that of course writing for user first and foremost is what it is all about. After all search engines purpose is to serve search queries to the best of their abilities.

Thanks for your detailed input once again.
 
cplay said:
From what i can tell and have read through forums and relevant sites it appears being penalised for overoptimisation of keywords is very easy to achieve...

I have read 1% to 2% keyword density is around about where you want it (baring in mind everything on the page including all links widget etc add to the density if they contain keywords).

am i thinking on the right lines here?

your opinions are very much welcomed!!
Click to expand...

1) Search for your keyword on google

2) Check the keyword density for the top sites

3) Copy their density.

4) Profit.
 
bartosimpsonio said:
1) Search for your keyword on google

2) Check the keyword density for the top sites

3) Copy their density.

4) Profit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice!

Seems logical! Will give a try and report what i've found later.
 
bartosimpsonio said:
1) Search for your keyword on google

2) Check the keyword density for the top sites

3) Copy their density.

4) Profit.
Click to expand...

Many times you will want to target keywords that the top ranking sites are not targeting. They don't have the exact keyword in their content. What do you do?
 
MisterF said:
Keyword Density is a load of bollocks unless you are hiring a poor writer or writing yourself and going by Yoast.

I have never given instructions to my writers for the last couple of years and mentioned KW Density, as they know how to write for the reader and not just for seo purposes.

Same applies with wordcount, another pile of tosh. I can't believe people order a 500 word article, get a 499 or 501 word article delivered and add it to their site, to sit alongside the other 20 articles all of 500 words in length.

The days of having an article of 500 words and KW Density of 2-3% are so 2007, my writers now write to suit the topic, the article requirements and make sure it is excellent. It may be a 543 word article or it might naturally flow into an article of 1543 or 2543, but I know it is not stuffed with keywords, it is not stuffed with filler and it is an article that the reader will stay on the page to read and not skim the first 3 lines then move to a different site.


I haven't read Phpbuilt's thread, but will take time to do so.
Click to expand...

Yeah and that's why it takes you and 99% of all SEO-ers out there 10x more links to rank for keywords. Adjusting KD and on-page factors is free, building HQ links is not. If you've got unlimited money, sure go ahead. There is nothing wrong with writing "naturally" (whatever the fuck that means), the problem comes when your beloved WP theme fucks up your on-page by putting the KD through the roof with all the useless shit it injects in the template. That's why you need a lot more links to rank for a keyword. On-page goes hand-in-hand with off-page, in general, the more you fuck up your on-page, the more links you are going to need to rank and the opposite. Why do you think sites like Wikipedia, Amazon, etc.. rank for anything and don't obey KD rules? Because they have enough backlinks & authority to do so. Your new affiliate sites don't however and it's unlikely they will ever have that kind of power unless you own a multi-million $ company.
 
topakins said:
Many times you will want to target keywords that the top ranking sites are not targeting. They don't have the exact keyword in their content. What do you do?
Click to expand...

If you search any keywords, someone will be there at the top 10, so you always can test for their density.

Now if they don't have the exact keywords on their text, then you've got to determine why they ranked. They have to have either they kw's or LSI terms that made Google match that page.

If they don't match anything at all and are totally unrelated to the search then it's an interesting SEO case to look at for anomalies you can use in your favor ;)
 
topakins said:
Many times you will want to target keywords that the top ranking sites are not targeting. They don't have the exact keyword in their content. What do you do?
Click to expand...

Those keywords are golden. Build a site, target those exact keywords, stay within the guidelines mentioned in phpbuilt's thread and watch the money roll in. Also, many times Google will rank the same sites for keywords that are synonyms of each other, so in that case you need to treat those keywords as one and the same. My personal keyword research process involves finding such keywords and building sites around them.
 
THUNDERELVI said:
Yeah and that's why it takes you and 99% of all SEO-ers out there 10x more links to rank for keywords. Adjusting KD and on-page factors is free, building HQ links is not. If you've got unlimited money, sure go ahead. There is nothing wrong with writing "naturally" (whatever the fuck that means), the problem comes when your beloved WP theme fucks up your on-page by putting the KD through the roof with all the useless shit it injects in the template. That's why you need a lot more links to rank for a keyword. On-page goes hand-in-hand with off-page, in general, the more you fuck up your on-page, the more links you are going to need to rank and the opposite. Why do you think sites like Wikipedia, Amazon, etc.. rank for anything and don't obey KD rules? Because they have enough backlinks & authority to do so. Your new affiliate sites don't however and it's unlikely they will ever have that kind of power unless you own a multi-million $ company.
Click to expand...

explained the same principle with silo today for a client.. "blast x amount ofr links and money, or do it the right way". he agreed.

some other client, I tried to explain him how to do proper content optimisation and he complained about my wish to alter his external links to one article. (cause he did not wnt to fix his fkn keyword injecting menues... ), left my no other way.
client is done for me. I cant work with dumb people.

one day, when I am lazy (or work in a cubicle again to complain about office slave live), I will write a report how to defuck your WP themes..
 
THUNDERELVI said:
Those keywords are golden. Build a site, target those exact keywords, stay within the guidelines mentioned in phpbuilt's thread and watch the money roll in. Also, many times Google will rank the same sites for keywords that are synonyms of each other, so in that case you need to treat those keywords as one and the same. My personal keyword research process involves finding such keywords and building sites around them.
Click to expand...

When you say "treat those keywords as one and the same", are you saying I should not bother to go after a keyword if some authority sites are targeting the synonym of that keyword? For example, if I want to go after "top pc shops in la" but some authority sites are targeting and ranking for "top computer shops in la", is it worthwhile?

I'm not sure my analogy is on point.
 
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I would say Keyword Density is one of those important factors, which closely dealt with Ranking. It's more important to ensure that your target keywords appear in key places. like..
Page title
H1
H2
H3
Main body text
Internal and external pointing to your page
Image alt tags etc..

The same time, you will also have to be careful that, Keyword stuffing is not happening there, which may affect your Content or Ranking negatively.
 
bartosimpsonio said:
If you search any keywords, someone will be there at the top 10, so you always can test for their density.

Now if they don't have the exact keywords on their text, then you've got to determine why they ranked. They have to have either they kw's or LSI terms that made Google match that page.

If they don't match anything at all and are totally unrelated to the search then it's an interesting SEO case to look at for anomalies you can use in your favor ;)
Click to expand...

Anchor text is the most important factor by far, if you create a page about "best 2017 perfumes in EUA" and send a anchor text from a strong link called: "best 2017 racing games" you are going to see strong movements for "best 2017 racing games" and barely any movement for "best 2017 perfumes in EUA".

If a page is ranking without mentioning the keyword on the (Domain, Title, InnerURL, Meta Description or content) I'm 100% sure they created a perfect match anchor for the keyword.

If someone is trying to rank for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia" and they do that:

Title: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia
Meta description: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia
Content: 2% Density for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia"
And also an anchor LINK CALLED: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia

You are done, you are not going to rank for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia".
 
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alexzeto said:
Anchor text is the most important factor by far, if you create a page about "best 2017 perfumes in EUA" and send a anchor text from a strong link called: "best 2017 racing games" you are going to see strong movements for "best 2017 racing games" and barely any movement for "best 2017 perfumes in EUA".

If a page is ranking without mentioning the keyword on the (Domain, Title, InnerURL, Meta Description or content) I'm 100% sure they created a perfect match anchor for the keyword.

If someone is trying to rank for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia" and they do that:

Title: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia
Meta description: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia
Content: 2% Density for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia"
And also an anchor LINK CALLED: what is the best monkey in Philadelphia

You are done, you are not going to rank for "what is the best monkey in Philadelphia".
Click to expand...

Anchor text is actually becoming one of the least important factors with every Penguin update.

The reason why some sites rank without mentioning th exact keyword is, because Google understands perfectly fine what the website is about and can connect the dots. Can it be optimized better? Oh yes. Can you profit from it? Oh yes you can.

You are right about the rest though.

Bottom line is, the keyword density matters. Yes, your content should flow and should be full of various synonyms and LSIs, however, there still are perfect densities. Those who do not believe should create a new site, let it rest for a month or two and then edit densities. Within 48 - 72 hours, with every density shift, the rankings will change as well. And it's very interesting that ever since Phpbuilt released his first guide a couple of years ago, this principle has not changed in the slightest. You can save a lot on offsite SEO if you have your densities spot on.
 
Nargil said:
Anchor text is actually becoming one of the least important factors with every Penguin update.

The reason why some sites rank without mentioning th exact keyword is, because Google understands perfectly fine what the website is about and can connect the dots. Can it be optimized better? Oh yes. Can you profit from it? Oh yes you can.

You are right about the rest though.

Bottom line is, the keyword density matters. Yes, your content should flow and should be full of various synonyms and LSIs, however, there still are perfect densities. Those who do not believe should create a new site, let it rest for a month or two and then edit densities. Within 48 - 72 hours, with every density shift, the rankings will change as well. And it's very interesting that ever since Phpbuilt released his first guide a couple of years ago, this principle has not changed in the slightest. You can save a lot on offsite SEO if you have your densities spot on.
Click to expand...

If you have 20 brand/naked URL anchors pointing to your page from let's say web2.0 with the keyword on their title (title of the WEB2.0) you are going to see some movements on the SERP's no matter what, if you create just 1 link with the perfect match anchor you are going to lose rankings for about 2 or 3 weeks and come back usually on the first page, I've being doing that for a while and never fails unless the onpage is wrong:

http://imgur.com/Da5MxdS

Links are taking way longer to kick in, maybe this is why it gives the impression that google isn't using anchor as much as before.
 
alexzeto said:
If you have 20 brand/naked URL anchors pointing to your page from let's say web2.0 with the keyword on their title (title of the WEB2.0) you are going to see some movements on the SERP's no matter what, if you create just 1 link with the perfect match anchor you are going to lose rankings for about 2 or 3 weeks and come back usually on the first page, I've being doing that for a while and never fails unless the onpage is wrong:

http://imgur.com/Da5MxdS

Links are taking way longer to kick in, maybe this is why it gives the impression that google isn't using anchor as much as before.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean that anchors are completely useless, but with every Penguin update, the ideal (as a rule of thumb, no spam niches and other exceptions etc) densities for exact match anchors are dropping and threshold for overoptimization is lower and lower.

If you have a bigger site ranking #1 for "best car seats", it will most likely rank there for almost all variations of the word and all of its longtails. Those are thousands of keywords, some with super low search volume. Yet, those keywords surely aren't exactly mentioned on the website, nor the site has them in anchors.
 
alexzeto said:
If you have 20 brand/naked URL anchors pointing to your page from let's say web2.0 with the keyword on their title (title of the WEB2.0) you are going to see some movements on the SERP's no matter what, if you create just 1 link with the perfect match anchor you are going to lose rankings for about 2 or 3 weeks and come back usually on the first page, I've being doing that for a while and never fails unless the onpage is wrong:

http://imgur.com/Da5MxdS

Links are taking way longer to kick in, maybe this is why it gives the impression that google isn't using anchor as much as before.
Click to expand...

The problem with anchor vs. on-page kw's was the google bomb.

The George Bush page did not contain the phrase "miserable failure", but with enough anchor links he ranked #1 for that offensive term.

So Google implemented this defensive algorithm: if a page does not contain *something* related to the anchor texts, they get discarded. That's the anti-google-bomb algorithm.

Thus my earlier reply: because of George W. Bush you need something, anything, on the page that is LSI or direct kw linked to the anchors or it will NOT rank. This based on experience, not on seat of the pants.
 
MisterF said:
Keyword Density is a load of bollocks unless you are hiring a poor writer or writing yourself and going by Yoast.
Click to expand...

I can attest that Yoast be it free or pro for SEO is full of sh$%. I mean a huge pile of sh%^. Although I can afford it I so regret switching to pro. Once my subscription is up for renewal I'll be switching back to free. Only to keep my sitemap as is for google. The guy has lost touch with reality and is talking out of his a$%. If any of you is planning to buy the pro, forget about it. You'll be better off spending the money on beer or whatever ...
 
This is the age of AI and voice search, so keyword placement and the rules governing density has changed. Now you must look into semantics, long tails, and main keywords--- and forget about keyword density ( I would never recommend more than 1% to anyone because with the other factors mentioned above missing, you'll be a loser in the long run)
 
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