Keyword Density Analyzer
Check how often your target keywords appear on a page or in a draft. See the count and density, whether each keyword sits in the title, H1, meta description and first 100 words, whether it looks stuffed, and the text with every keyword highlighted.
- Density and count per keyword
- Placement and stuffing checks
- Highlighted text view
Not sure which keywords to test? Find them with the Keyword Extractor or the Keyword Generator.
Frequency, placement and over-use in one report
Each target keyword gets its own card.
Density
The number of uses divided by the total words, with a gauge that shades the natural range for single words and for phrases.
Placement
Whether the keyword is in the title, meta description, H1, a subheading, the first 100 words, the URL and image alt text.
Stuffing
A verdict from Used lightly to Likely stuffing, plus a warning when a keyword fills several sentences in a row.
Highlighted text
Your text with every keyword marked in its own colour, so clusters and gaps are easy to see.
Top words and phrases
The most-used words and phrases on the page, in case the real focus isn't the one you planned.
Word endings
Count tool and tools, or rank and ranking, as one if you want.
What a keyword density number means
These are comfortable ranges, not rules. Google has said it doesn't use density as a target.
| Density | Single word | Phrase | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under the range | Under 0.5% | Under 0.2% | Fine if the keyword is in the title and H1. Add it where it fits. |
| Natural range | 0.5% to 3% | 0.2% to 1.5% | No action needed. Write for the reader. |
| A little high | 3% to 4.8% | 1.5% to 2.4% | Check each use reads naturally. Use variations. |
| Likely stuffing | Over 4.8% | Over 2.4% | Cut repeats and rewrite. Over-use can hurt rankings and readability. |
How to check keyword density
Three steps from a page to a verdict.
Add the page and your keywords
Enter a URL or paste text, and list the keywords you want to rank for, one per line.
Read each card
Check the density, the verdict and the placement chips, then look at the highlighted text.
Edit and re-check
Add a keyword where it is missing, trim where it is crowded, and run the check again.
Using keywords without over-doing it
Good keyword use is mostly about placement and variety.
Write for people first
If a sentence reads awkwardly because of a keyword, rewrite it.
Place it well
Title, H1, the opening paragraph and a subheading matter more than raw repeats.
Use variations
Synonyms, plurals and related phrases cover more searches than one phrase repeated.
Answer the question
Cover the topic fully. Depth beats repetition.
Don't chase a number
There is no ideal percentage. Use density to spot problems, not as a goal.
Re-check after edits
Run it again after rewriting to confirm you fixed the over-use without losing placement.
What keyword density is and what it is good for
Keyword density is a simple ratio: how many times a word or phrase appears, divided by the total number of words, shown as a percentage. If a phrase appears 10 times in 500 words, its density is 2 percent. A keyword density analyzer does that sum for each of your target keywords and shows where the keyword sits on the page.
It is worth being clear about what the number is not. Google's documentation describes no ideal density, and none of the ranking systems it lists are described in terms of keyword percentages. What Google does document is the opposite problem: keyword stuffing, which it describes as filling a page with keywords or repeating words and phrases so often that the text sounds unnatural. Its SEO starter guide also says that excessively repeating the same words, even in variations, is tiring for readers.
So density is a smoke alarm, not a target. It catches two real problems: a keyword your page barely mentions, and copy that repeats a phrase until it reads badly. The ranges on this page are comfortable guides, not rules. Use them to find sentences that need rewriting, check that the phrase is in the title, h1 and opening lines, and then stop. Depth, clear answers and natural wording will do more than any percentage.
When to check keyword density
Run it as a quick quality check on wording, not as a score to push upward.
Before publishing a draft
Paste the text with your target phrase. You will see at once whether the phrase is missing, crowded into one paragraph or spread evenly through the copy.
After heavy editing or rewriting
Edits, tool-assisted rewrites and several writers can leave a phrase repeated in every paragraph. A re-check shows whether the repetition crept in.
Auditing old pages
Older sites often carry copy written to a repeat-the-keyword rule. The stuffing verdict and highlighted text point to pages worth rewriting for readers.
Checking a service or location page
Pages built from a template can repeat a service and city name in every line. Highlighting shows the clusters, and you can swap some for natural variations.
Seeing what a page really leans on
Leave the keyword box empty and the tool measures the page's top phrases instead. Use that on your page or a competitor's to compare focus with intent.
Briefing writers and editors
Use the highlighted view to show a writer where a phrase is overused or absent, and agree on placement and variations instead of a number.
Keyword density mistakes and how to fix them
Almost every density problem comes from treating a diagnostic as a goal.
Chasing a magic percentage
What goes wrong: Many guides quote an ideal density, such as 1 or 2 percent. Google documents no such figure, and editing a page to hit one makes the text worse for readers.
The fix: Use the ranges only to spot extremes. If a keyword reads naturally and sits in the title, h1 and opening text, you are done.
Counting only the exact phrase
What goes wrong: Counting "seo tool" but not "seo tools" or "tool for SEO" understates how much the page uses the topic, and pushes writers to repeat the exact words.
The fix: Leave the word-endings option on so plurals count together, and write with synonyms and related phrases, since people search in many forms.
Stuffing lists of places or numbers
What goes wrong: A block of city names or phone numbers added to a footer or service page just to rank is a pattern Google's spam policies call out as keyword stuffing.
The fix: Remove the block. If you serve several places, give each real location its own page with useful, specific content, or describe the service area in a sentence.
Counting menus and footers
What goes wrong: Navigation and footer text repeats on every page. If it is included, a keyword that appears in the menu looks more frequent on the page than it is in the real content.
The fix: Keep the main-content option on so the percentage reflects what a reader actually sees in the body of the page.
Ignoring placement
What goes wrong: A low density does not matter if the keyword is in the title and h1, but a high density does not help if it is missing from both. Counting alone hides this.
The fix: Read the placement chips on each card. Fix a missing title, heading or first-paragraph mention before adding more mentions in the body.
Judging very short text
What goes wrong: On a 150-word page, one extra use of a phrase moves the percentage a lot, so the verdict swings between light use and stuffing for no real reason.
The fix: Check the whole page or article, and use the highlighted text to judge by eye. Short product blurbs need a read-through, not a percentage.
Keyword density terms explained
- Keyword density
- The number of times a keyword appears divided by the total words analysed, times 100. It is a measure of repetition, not of quality, relevance or ranking strength.
- Keyword stuffing
- Filling a page with keywords or repeating them so often that the text sounds unnatural. Google lists it in its spam policies, and it makes copy hard to read.
- Phrase density
- Density for a group of words counted together. A phrase is counted once for each time the whole phrase appears, so its percentage is naturally lower than a single word's.
- Placement
- The places a keyword appears: title, meta description,
h1, subheadings, the first 100 words, the URL and image alt text. Placement tells readers and crawlers the topic even at low density. - Keyword variation
- A different form of the same idea, such as a plural, a synonym or a related phrase. Using variations lets a page cover more searches without repeating one exact phrase.
- Word endings
- The option to count forms such as tool and tools, or rank and ranking, as one keyword. Turn it off to count exact matches only.
- Main content
- The body text of a page without menus, headers, footers and sidebars. Measuring only this keeps repeated site-wide text from distorting the density of a keyword.
- Highlighted text
- The page text with every keyword marked in its own colour. It shows clusters, empty stretches and awkward repetition faster than a percentage does.
Related tools, guides and services
Density covers one slice of on-page SEO. These cover the rest.
Keyword Extractor
Find the keywords and phrases a page really uses, and where each appears in the title, headings and URL.
ToolOn-Page SEO Checker
Get a full on-page score that covers titles, meta tags, headings, content and links.
ToolReadability Score Checker
Check that the text still reads clearly after you cut repeated phrases.
ToolWebsite Word Counter
See how many words the main content has and where they sit under each heading.
GuideHow to learn SEO in Nepal
See why outdated tactics such as keyword density targets slow beginners down, and what to practise instead.
ServiceOn-page SEO service
Get titles, headings, copy and internal links reviewed so each page has a clear topic.
Built by
Madhav Kushwaha
SEO, AEO, GEO & Digital Marketing Consultant in Kathmandu, Nepal, and trainer at ODcrU Academy and TechAxis Institute. There is no magic keyword density, and I say so to every client. But checking it still catches two real problems: a target keyword the page barely uses, and copy that repeats a phrase until it reads badly. This tool finds both and shows where.
Keyword Density Analyzer: Frequently Asked Questions
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