What is keyword?
Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page. In the context of search engine optimization keyword density can be used as a factor in determining whether a web page is relevant to a specified keyword or keyword phrase. Keyword density is an important factor in how a page was ranked. However, as webmasters discovered this and the implementation of optimum keyword density became widespread, it became a minor factor in the rankings. Search engines began giving priority to other factors that are beyond the direct control of webmasters. Today, the overuse of keywords, a practice called keyword stuffing, will cause a web page to be penalized.
When calculating the density of a keyword phrase, the formula would be (Nkr * Nwp / Tkn) * 100, where Nwp is the number of words in the phrase. So, for example, for a page about search engine optimization where that phrase is used four times and there are four hundred words on the page, the keyword phrase density is (4*3/400)*100 or 3 percent.
However, from a purely mathematical viewpoint, one cannot ignore the fact that the original concept of keyword density refers to the frequency (Nkr) of appearance of a particular keyword in a dissertation. Thus, a “keyword” consisting of multiple terms, e.g. “blue suede shoes” should be considered an entity in itself. It is the frequency of the phrase “blue suede shoes” within a dissertation that drives the key(phrase) density. Thus it is “more” mathematically correct for a “keyphrase” to be calculated just like the original calculation, but considering the word group, “blue suede shoes,” as a single appearance, not three. Thus:
Density = ( Nkr / Tkn ) * 100.
Furthermore, under closer inspection, one can see that these ‘keywords’ (kr) that actually consist of several words, artificially inflate the total word count of the dissertation. Therefore, it could be argued that the purest mathematical representation should adjust the total word count (Tkn) lower by removing the excess key(phrase) word counts from the total. Thus:
Density = ( Nkr / ( Tkn -( Nkr * ( Nwp-1 ) ) ) ) * 100. where Nwp = the number of terms in the keyphrase.
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is a combination of the number of times a keyword or a keyword phrase, in proportion with other words, appears on a Web page. The more times the keyword appears in relation to the total number of on page words, the greater the overall keyword density. The more times that other words appear, the lower the proportion of keywords, resulting in a lighter keyword density.
Does keyword density make a difference?
The various search engines, including Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search consider keyword density as part of their search algorithm. Each search engine has a different mathematical equation regarding the density of keywords that is rewarded with higher search ranking placement. There is also a different level of tolerance between the different search engines as to the degree of density permitted before a penalty is imposed.
What are keywords anyway?
Keywords are the terms that searchers enter into the search engine’s search interface when seeking information, products, or services. The keyword is entered into the search engine algorithm as a mathematical calculation, to determine relevance of the many billions of Internet pages to that particular search. The pages the algorithm deems most relevant to the search for those keywords are ranked accordingly.
How are keywords different from keyword phrases?
A keyword can be one single word or a phrase including that word. Searchers use both types of entries when seeking information. As a general rule, the longer the phrase, the more specific the returned information will be from the search engine index
Keyword Prominence
Keyword prominence refers to how prominent keywords are within a web page.
The general recommendation is to place important keywords at, or near, the start of a web page, sentence, TITLE or META tag.
Keyword Proximity
Keyword proximity refers to the closeness between two or more keywords. In general, the closer the keywords are the better.
For example:
How Keyword Density Affects Search Engine Rankings
How Keyword Density Affects Rankings In Search Engine
Using the example above, if someone searched for “search engine rankings,” a web page containing the first sentence is more likely to rank higher than the second.