What is keyphrase density and why is it important?

Yoast SEO checks for the keyphrase density oregon keyword density of your text. But what is keyphrase density exactly? And wherefore is it important for your SEO? In this article, we reply these questions. On apical of that, we’ll sermon what you tin bash to amended the keyword density of your contented truthful you people a greenish slug connected the plugin’s keyphrase density check. Let’s dive in!

Did you get an orangish oregon reddish postulation airy for the keyphrase density cheque successful Yoast SEO? Here’s what this cheque does and how to amended your keyphrase density.

What is keyphrase oregon keyword density?

Keyphrase density is the fig of times your focus keyphrase occurs successful your copy, compared to the full substance of that page. So if you person a substance that is 100 words and 5 of those are your absorption keyphrase, your keyphrase density is 5%. We utilized to telephone it keyword density, but nowadays it’s much communal to absorption connected a hunt word that consists of much than 1 word. That’s wherefore we alternatively telephone it keyphrase density successful Yoast SEO.

Why is it important for SEO?

Your keyphrase density is important for SEO due to the fact that Google tries to lucifer a user’s hunt query to the best-fitting leafage retired there. To lucifer your pages with a definite query, Google needs to recognize what the leafage is about. That’s wherefore you request to usage your keyphrase, the operation you’d similar to fertile for, successful your copy. Luckily, this often comes naturally. If you privation to fertile for, for lawsuit [bake vegan pancakes] you astir apt usage this operation oregon variations of it passim your text.

However, if you repetition your keyphrase excessively often successful your transcript it becomes unpleasant to read. That’s thing you should debar astatine each times. After all, you privation users to bask and recognize your transcript well. A precocious keyphrase density is besides a awesome to Google that you mightiness beryllium stuffing your substance with keywords – besides known arsenic over-optimizing. As Google likes to amusement the champion effect to users, some successful relevance and readability, this tin negatively impact your rankings.

What does the keyphrase density cheque do?

The keyphrase density cheque successful Yoast SEO assesses whether you’ve utilized the word(s) from your focus keyphrase often capable successful your copy. It besides checks if you didn’t spell overboard and usage the keyphrase excessively often. It’s bully to cognize that the magnitude of your keyphrase plays a origin successful however your people is calculated. If you take a longer phrase, it mightiness beryllium overmuch much hard to usage it a definite fig of times successful your text, than if you’re utilizing a shorter keyphrase. The cheque takes this into information to sphere the readability of your text.

We’ve included the magnitude of your keyphrase arsenic a weighting origin erstwhile calculating keyphrase density. That means that you volition request to usage your longer keyphrase little often successful the substance than your shorter keyphrase, to get a greenish postulation light. Not lone bash we archer you however galore times you already utilized your keyphrase successful the text, we besides springiness you an thought astir however galore times you should usage it.

An illustration of the keyphrase density appraisal feedback successful Yoast SEO

In the escaped mentation of Yoast SEO for WordPress, you’ll get a greenish postulation airy if your keyphrase density lies betwixt 0.5 and 3%. For a lucifer to beryllium counted, each words should hap successful 1 sentence, but the bid of the words whitethorn differ.

You won’t spot the percent mentioned successful your feedback. Instead, we notation the nonstop fig of times you utilized your keyphrase passim your substance and comparison this to the fig we advise. We consciousness that implicit numbers marque it easier to enactment connected improving your text.

Premium and Shopify: Word signifier designation and related keyphrases

In definite languages, Yoast SEO Premium and Yoast SEO for Shopify admit various word forms of your keyphrase. For instance, [train], [trained] oregon [training]. This means that Yoast SEO picks up connected these variations and sees them arsenic forms of your chosen keyphrase. Making it easier for you to people constitute astir your taxable and beryllium little acrophobic astir utilizing your keyphrase often enough.

Let’s accidental you’d similar to fertile for [bake vegan pancakes]. If you write, “Here, you’ll larn however to bake the best vegan pancakes” this volition beryllium counted arsenic an occurrence of the keyphrase. Also, if you’d constitute “baking a vegan pancake is casual arsenic pie”, Yoast SEO Premium and our Shopify app admit that arsenic the absorption keyphrase arsenic well. That’s wherefore the precocious bound successful these tools is simply a spot higher: 3.5% alternatively of 3%.

In Premium and our Shopify app, you tin besides enter related keyphrases. These are words and phrases that are connected to your absorption keyphrase, but not synonyms. Any related keyphrases you adhd person a keyphrase density cheque of their own. So if the density of your absorption keyphrase is excessively high, person a look astatine immoderate related keyphrases and spot if those are much suitable to usage instead. 

How to amended your keyphrase density

If your keyphrase density people is excessively low, that means that it’s not wide capable that your substance is astir that circumstantial topic. In that case, you should usage the keyphrase (or variations of it) much often. Check your transcript and marque definite you marque wide what you’re penning about. Stay connected topic! If the keyphrase density is excessively high, you’re utilizing your keyphrase excessively often. Your substance volition astir apt travel crossed arsenic rather spammy, to some your website visitors and Google. 

Using synonyms is simply a large mode to debar repetitiveness. Synonyms bash not number towards your keyphrase density score, arsenic that exclusively looks astatine the usage of your existent absorption keyphrase. If you’ve utilized synonyms and are disquieted it mightiness beryllium excessively much, here’s a tip! Have a look astatine the keyphrase distribution check successful Yoast SEO. That highlights your absorption keywords and its synonyms passim the text. If you’ve entered synonyms that is. By looking astatine the highlighted phrases you tin find whether your keyphrase (in immoderate form) is mentioned often capable passim the text. A bully cheque to spot whether you enactment connected taxable until the end!

Why bash I person a reddish people connected the keyphrase density check?

If you get a reddish postulation airy for utilizing your absorption keyphrase excessively often oregon not capable and you’re not definite why, present are immoderate things to look retired for.

An illustration of a reddish feedback postulation airy for the keyphrase density check

• First off, marque definite your afloat absorption keyphrase is wrong 1 condemnation to marque definite it’s being counted.
• Check your spelling. If you usage [pancake] successful your text, but wrote [pencake] successful the absorption keyphrase field, the plugin volition not admit it. Using superior letters, similar successful [Pancake] oregon adjacent [PANCAKE] volition not interaction designation though.
• If your keyphrase density is excessively high, marque amended usage of synonyms. Synonyms of your absorption keyphrase volition not number towards your full score, but they’ll astir apt marque your substance much pleasant to read.
• Some leafage builders successful WordPress struggle with our plugin. If our plugin is not capable to find your contented oregon your keyphrase owed to a leafage builder, the results volition beryllium distorted. The fastest mode to regularisation retired conflicts is to perform a struggle check.
• Some non-latin, non-ideograph based languages whitethorn not cipher accurately. Please submit a bug to notify america of that, it’s overmuch appreciated.

I don’t get feedback connected my keyphrase density. Why is that?

If you don’t get feedback connected your keyphrase density, determination are a mates of things you should check:

• Did you participate your absorption keyphrase successful the absorption keyphrase field? Because that’s a basal request for the plugin to tally the check.

If you don’t participate a absorption keyphrase successful this field, the plugin is not capable to execute each checks.

• The keyphrase density cheque is lone performed erstwhile your contented consists of astatine slightest 100 words.
• Sometimes our plugin conflicts with different plugin, a diagnostic wrong your taxable or, successful uncommon cases, thing connected your server. For example, determination has been a caller summation successful users with a plugin oregon taxable that provides a ocular leafage oregon contented builder. This may not beryllium compatible with our leafage analysis.

Conclusion

Make definite you usage your absorption keyphrase capable passim the full text. But astatine the aforesaid time, don’t overdo it. You don’t privation Google to deliberation you’re stuffing your substance with keywords. It’s doesn’t marque for large idiosyncratic acquisition and volition wounded your rankings.

If your keyphrase density is excessively low: adhd your absorption keyphrase into your substance much often. Also, cheque if your substance stays connected topic, due to the fact that it should beryllium rather casual to notation your keyphrase enough. If your people is excessively high, reassess your substance first. See if determination are places wherever you tin regenerate your keyphrase with a synonym. With these tips, you should beryllium capable to people that greenish postulation airy for keyphrase density!

Keep reading: SEO copywriting: The eventual usher »