The following is another article that is derived from my notes taken during Dave Taylor's session at BlogWorld 2008 entitled Ten Things You Need to Know About Search Engines & Find-ability.
"You are My Density...Keyword, that is!"
According to our trusty Wikipedia, "Keyword density is the measurement, in percentage, of the number of times a keyword or phrase appears, compared to the total number of words in a page." When you take Keyword Density to its extreme, it's called Keyword Stuffing, and it's considered an unethical SEO technique.
But the big debate, of course, is what percentage of Keyword Density is most optimum/effective? 5%, 8%, 25%?
Have you ever read something with a Keyword Density of 25%? YIKES! It may help you to rank more effectively, but your reader is going to quickly head off for the nearest exit!
Dave suggests simply reading your blog article to yourself 'out-loud.' Does it sound intelligible? Does your story come across clearly? Or do you sound more like Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to act?
A couple of really simple, but profound tips:
- Always make sure when you review your blog post draft before publishing, to replace the word 'It' with the actual subject/topic noun. For example, say you're writing an article about your new iPhone, and you state: "My new iPhone is really amazing! It is so easy to use." In this instance, you would say, "The iPhone is so easy to use."
- Many of us use 'teaser posts' or provide links within the body of our blog post. Typically, most people use something like, "To read more, GO HERE! or click HERE! Instead, you should use keywords/titles from the content you are linking too, such as, "Read more about My New iPhone!" or simply use the name of the site you are linking too.
What are the Key Search Terms that consumers are using today? There are several FREE on-line tools available to help you identify other popular search terms that are similar to your Keywords. Google KeyWord Tool is one. WordTracker is another.
For other articles in this series, check out the following:
"Start with Good Content" - The SEO of Blogging (Simple, Effective, and Overlooked)
"Tantalizing Titles are Tantamount!" - The SEO of Blogging (Simple, Effective, and Overlooked)
better way to densely stuff the bird this Thanksgiving…
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