Keyword Density, What Formula for SEO? (Search Engine Optimization)

Keyword Density: What’s the Formula for SEO?

You might hear talk about “keyword density” in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). So, what’s the formula? It’s used to figure out how often a specific keyword pops up in a piece of text compared to the total word count. The basic formula looks like this:

How to Calculate It

Here’s the step-by-step:

1. Count up all the words in your text.
2. Count how many times your target keyword appears.
3. Divide the keyword count by the total word count.
4. Multiply that result by 100 to get the percentage.

Example: Say you’ve got a 1000-word article and the keyword “SEO” shows up 25 times.

This means “SEO” makes up 2.5% of the words in that text.

But Does Density Still Matter for SEO Today?

If you’re writing copy for the web here in NZ and keen on SEO, understanding keywords is crucial. But while knowing the *concept* of keyword density is handy, fixating on a specific percentage isn’t the name of the game anymore. Modern SEO has moved beyond simply counting keywords.

Search engines like Google are much smarter now. They focus on understanding the *meaning* and *context* of your content (often called semantic search) and whether it genuinely answers the user’s query. Simply stuffing keywords in unnaturally (keyword stuffing) can actually harm your rankings and make your content hard to read. While the term ‘keyword density’ exists, it’s not a direct ranking factor Google uses today. The focus should be on natural language and comprehensive topic coverage.

Content is King: Why Does Unique Content Matter to Google?

So, if it’s not just about keywords, what *is* important? You’ve probably heard the saying: “Content is KING.” But why, and how does this relate to your keywords and niche?

Solomon’s Wisdom & Google’s Database

Wise old King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done will be done again; there is NOTHING new under the sun.”

Taken broadly, he was saying that human nature and core experiences don’t change much. In the vast sea of online content, Google’s mission seems similar – to catalogue the world’s information. Its index contains hundreds of billions of documents, and it’s growing constantly.

What Gets Google’s Attention?

With all that existing content, what makes Google’s AI crawlers (like Googlebot) sit up and take notice? You guessed it: *new*, unique content. Something genuinely original, a perspective or piece of information not already heavily duplicated across the web.

If you create something truly unique and valuable, Google is more likely to crawl it, index it, and potentially rank it highly for relevant terms, especially if those terms themselves are unique.

The “RANKLISHOUS” Experiment: Ranking Unique Terms

To illustrate this idea of ranking unique content, consider this conceptual experiment (don’t try this expecting instant results, Google Ads Managers!).

The Concept

Let’s invent a completely new word: RANKLISHOUS. As of writing this concept, assume this word doesn’t exist in Google’s index.

If we were to create a quality webpage focused on this term, do the necessary technical SEO steps to get it crawled and indexed quickly, what would happen? In theory, because there’s zero competition, searching for “RANKLISHOUS” should eventually bring up our page right at the top, maybe even as the #1 result.

(Note: Actually achieving #1 depends on many factors beyond just uniqueness, including site authority and technical execution. This is a thought experiment about competition.)

Implications: Competition vs. Uniqueness

What does this experiment teach us about content? For “RANKLISHOUS,” the competition is zero. But what happens when competition is fierce, like for keywords that could make your business millions if ranked #1 in valuable markets?

Why might you *not* rank #1 even with great content? Understanding the dynamics of content quality, relevance, authority, user experience, *and* how comprehensively related concepts are covered (not just keyword repetition) is key to aiming for those top spots.

Conclusion: Content Dynamics Matter

While the old-school calculation for keyword density exists, modern SEO success hinges on creating high-quality, unique, and comprehensive content that truly serves user intent. Understanding how Google perceives content and the competitive landscape is crucial.

If you want to learn more about crafting effective content strategies and applying these ideas to your specific keywords and niche here in NZ, follow our blog and feel free to share!