Keyword Density

[compar]

I have started this thread to dicuss a question asked in another thread. The question was:

We have a very new site and I started with 2 to 3% density + title + description + H1. After the pages are indexed, what is your opinion. Should I start checks going up or rather down with the density?

I'll give my answer to the question in a following post.

[compar]

There have always been a number of theories on keyword density. The first thing we have to acknowledge is that keyword density assumes that the SEs read the page and index it in the SERPs based on content.

This may be true for unsual of seldom used search terms. Put any really unique expression on your web site and wait a month or so and then search on it. Google will return your page.

But put a common, frequently searched for, expression on your page 20 times and it will never get you into the SERPs.

So having said that, is keyword density important at all?

It was also suggested by a lot of people after Florida that Google may have penalized pages that were too highly optimized. It was discussed on a lot of forums and the suggest arose that keyword density and particularly the repeated use of exact keyword phrases should be reduced.

The theory arose that you might be better to sprinkle your keywords -- individual words -- around the page rather than continue to force your full and exact keyword phrases into the text.

I believe there was or is some validity to this. I know that immediately after Florida there were a lot of sites in the top ten that did not look content optimized by pre Florida standards.

So I would put my top one or two Keyword phrases in my title and in headings using <h> tags. Apart from that I would write as naturally as possible and not worry if my keyword phrases got broken up in the content.

Having done all that I would then devote myself to gathering backlinks using my prime keyword phrase, or phrases, as anchor text.

Hope that helps.

[thebuisnessman]

My average keyword density is 5% and I think it works great!
By the way whoever previously said that I would get banned from google for going this all I have to say is HAHAHAHA. Sorry but ip cloaking is very safe now because faking ip adresses is very hard. The only way they could check if you used ip cloaking is to bring 2 ip adresses at the same time one named googlebot the other just anonomouse and compare the results. But once people caught on people would add that ip adress to.

[scisoft]

Compar, thank you for your replay.

We are new in SEO, but I have already read most of the content versus backlinks discussions. And I decided to go for both for now and for links from content related pages later. I have asked on keywords density to save time with content optimisation.

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that keyword density assumes that the SEs read the page and index it in the SERPs based on content.
.......
But put a common, frequently searched for, expression on your page 20 times and it will never get you into the SERPs.

This may not necessary mean that Google does not index your page for this popular term. Perhaps, it is too deep in the index to be shown.
This is an important problem. Studies aimed on testing Google behaviour use rare keywords. They would be useless, if Google treats popular and rare terms in a different way.

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by thebuisnessman

The only way they could check if you used ip cloaking is to bring 2 ip adresses at the same time one named googlebot the other just anonomouse and compare the results. But once people caught on people would add that ip adress to.

That's exactly how Google and co successfully catch the cloakers. They don't even need to spoof IPs - just use an open proxy. That's a very easy thing to do.

Btw - it would be very nice if we could keep this thread on the topic of Keyword density - at least, for the moment, thank you.

[Mel]

The original google paper indicates that Google give less and less credit for keyword hits on a page as the number increases so that over a certain amount it really makes no difference at all what your density is google is not counting it. This also makes me think that KW density is not all that important.

[glengara]

As usual with G, on the one hand results for "SEO" would indicate a high KW density works, (all those Japanese pages) on the other hand, it seems Semantics will render KW density redundant.

If and when those Japanese pages fall out of the SERPs.......

[ATLien]

I have to agree with compar, I run http://www.linkinparkforums.com, and I have some pretty heavy keyword text and links. What I have found, is that "Linkin Park" appears on my index page like around 25 times, but I can not seem to get a rank under "Linkin Park" in the search engines. I have turned my ways from heavy keyword text, to more backlinks. I found that the more backlinks, the more google spiders my site, and the more they look at my text, so I am hoping that soon I will get ranked for "Linkin Park". Nice thread, I had always woundered about keyword density.

[Emancipator]

Originally Posted by Mel

The original google paper indicates that Google give less and less credit for keyword hits on a page as the number increases so that over a certain amount it really makes no difference at all what your density is google is not counting it. This also makes me think that KW density is not all that important.

Good post Mel. Lots0 has also proven time and time again how little onpage factors relate back to ranking in the bigger picture.

[sem4u]

AT - you need to collect more links to increase your PR. I am still waiting for a PR update on a new site of mine though.

[ATLien]

I have collected tons of links since my last PR update, this next one of mine should be pretty high I think.

[mbfloyd.com]

backlinks are very important in Google.

But how does one obtain backlinks?

I have also noticed that the better content one has, sentence structure, in line internal and external links, the better one's ranking will be.

mike

[John Scott]

Originally Posted by mbfloyd.com

backlinks are very important in Google.

But how does one obtain backlinks?

Here's a pretty long thread on that topic in the private SEO forum:

http://www.internet-marketing-resear...topic4174.html

[awall19]

hi mike
welcome to the forums

a backlink is a link into a page.

how do you get links? tons of ways
register at directories http://www.bluefind.com
submit press releases
write article and submit them to other sites
trade links with related sites
ask for links from related sites
write glowing testimonials for stuff you like

there are tons and tons of ways to get free links.

[hajamie]

I just found a list of *free* directories, that get spidered, etc.

http://www.seo-lab.com/directory-art...irectories.php

[John Scott]

http://www.isedb.com/html/Web_Direct...l_Directories/