The importance of Keyword Density

 Keyword Density

This is given far greater importance in both Yahoo and MSN – in fact, their keyword density tolerance is slightly higher than that of Google. The trick here is not to over-do the keyword density (lest you get punished by Google or even MSN for keyword spamming).

A good benchmark is to keep your keyword density at 3%. More can possibly help, but it's not necessary, and generally a range of 2% to 4% is fair enough. Contrary to some experts, keyword density in itself is only as important as the other on-page factors, namely the title tag and the Meta tags (keywords and description both).

 When trying to optimize your content, ensure that you follow this pattern:

• Include your keyword phrase in the first sentence of the paragraph for each header (the paragraph after each major heading).
• In your final paragraph (for each header), use your primary keyword phrase again. Preferably twice.
• In between, use combinations of your primary key phrase by splitting it up and using individual words, and throw in semantic uses to vary the nature of the content.
• Avoid using the keyword phrase too much – some SEO experts say that your keyword phrase should be used once in every paragraph and twice in your first and last paragraphs.

 As always, these are guidelines that have come about after experience with several
 websites. Your own experiences may differ. The key is to understand the general
 principle.

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