Keyword Density Should Not Be Your Top Concern

In the earlier days of SEO, many firms and webmasters were taking advantage of the search engine algorithms of the time that took keyword density into account when determining ranking.  The spiders have evolved to incorporate many more forms of data and consider a number of factors that no longer pertain to the keywords in your actual content at all.

Should I Still Use Keywords?

Keywords still are, in fact, a factor in your site’s perceived relevance according to search engines.  It is absolutely essential to do keyword research and utilize specific terms and long tail phrases somewhere in your content.  However, the point here is that density is not a big deal.  What matters is how the keywords are used in conjunction with other language that naturally fits the topic of your site.

Keyword optimization becomes a bit more essential when it comes to title tags, Meta tags, etc.  Just keep in mind that the old adage of using a certain percentage of keywords in the body of your site is simply not necessary anymore, and could actually prove detrimental in some cases.  Black hat keyword density practices (“keyword stuffing”) have done real damage to some webmasters’ success rates.

Writing for the Reader

You are more likely to find success in your content creation if you provide solid, well-written, compelling and useful content.  “Write for the reader, not for search engines” is a mantra that is starting to catch on, and is a good guideline to help you articulate website’s message.  The fact still remains: if you build a great site, code and tag it properly, and promote it – the traffic will come.