What is Keyword Density?

Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword appears compared with the total words on a page. It's an outdated metric — there is no ideal density, and forcing repetition can look like keyword stuffing.

Keyword Density — SEO Library

The formula#

Keyword density = (times keyword appears ÷ total words) × 100. A 1,000-word article using “wordpress security” ten times has 1% density.

Why it no longer matters#

Modern search engines understand language, synonyms and context. They don’t count exact repetitions to decide relevance. Google’s spam policies explicitly list keyword stuffing — filling a page with keywords in an unnatural way — as a practice that can hurt rankings.

What to do instead#

Use your focus keyword in the title, H1, intro, one subheading and URL.
Use natural variations and synonyms (“secure WordPress”, “WordPress hardening”).
Cover related subtopics people expect — that’s what signals depth.
Read your text aloud. If it sounds repetitive, it is.

Example#

Stuffed: “Our cheap web hosting is the best cheap web hosting. Buy cheap web hosting for cheap web hosting needs.”
Natural: “Our hosting plans start at an affordable price and include free SSL, daily backups and 24/7 support.”