Does keyword density still hold relevance in SEO?

The world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is in constant flux. In 2011, it was essential to add in Meta tags and keywords in the content.

It was one of the best ways to make sure that one of your web pages ranks for a chosen keyword. And it is precisely here, that the concept of "keyword density" came. And few sources went on to recommend that a keyword density of at least 2% or 3% is essential for a chosen page.

Google updates are always on the pipeline! Hence, there was the Panda update that occurred which made most people question if “keyword density” was still considered important. People wanted to know if it was a smart call to add-in a selected number of keywords or concentrate purely on generating a user-centric content.

Sill the questions are essential. However, things have become both evolved and complicated today. The advent of the Hummingbird update encouraged new research. It suggests that there might be a chance that the body-level keywords don't hold the same relevance as they used to. However, to get aptly guided on the same you need to reach out to an ace service provider. You can search based on your location. So, if you are in Adelaide, you can keep an eye for the best Adelaide SEO business and gradually reach out to them.

Authority and significance

It is essential to ponder on relevance and authority while deciding on the keyword density. Speaking abstractly, “relevance" determines the way your website is all set to address the online viewer and user needs. And authority refers to the trustworthiness of your site. You need to know, that keyword density has very less connection with authority. The content quality today has become an essential aspect of domain authority. However, keyword density and relevance are still connected. The ultimate objective of keyword density denoted proving to Google that a webpage was important for a word or phrase all through the content.

Importance of the Hummingbird update

Many people question the significance of the Hummingbird update. The truth is that this updated altered the way Google has been looking at relevance. Instead of searching for the precise-matching keywords, Google today attempted to have a clear understanding of the intent that shaped up a user query and also located a webpage that matched the same. And this indicated that the keyword addition that both keyword addition and writing about the correct subjects was essential. Also, natural language was used to address the rest.

The recent research updates

Based on the latest research from SEMrush, evaluating the ranking aspects in 2017 revealed that the precise keyword addition might not matter the same way as it did in the past. A section of this report concentrated on purely on the way the keywords got used in an article or blog post title, the content body of multiple pages, Meta descriptions, in comparison to the way such pages got ranked for the keyword queries.

Furthermore, the higher the search volume was for a chosen keyword, the better connected it was getting showcased on the ranking page. It suggested that the high-volume keywords had a chance to appear in titles, the body copy of the page, descriptions that used to rank for the questions. However, the percentage is said to differ significantly. For instance, approximately 75% of the web pages that ranked for increased keyword volume comprised of the same in their web page body. On the other hand, only 35% of the web pages have been ranking for the low-volume keywords that had the same in the body. The keyword addition in Meta descriptions and the titles of the same pages is considered lower.

Furthermore, it is apt noticing that almost 18% of the well ranked web pages, till date don’t carry the keyword that was used in the search anywhere in the webpage body. Hence, it's is suggestive of the fact that, it is possible to get a good rank for a keyword and not add to the content at all.

Are keywords important?

Keeping in mind all these discussions, should you not focus on the keywords? That is not the truth! However, it is decidedly less significant today than the way it used to be back in the past. Even though a good 18% of the highly ranked pages, usually don’t carry the keywords used to search, there are 82% of the web pages that still do have the relevant keywords.

Additionally, for the high-volume keywords, the majority if the web pages carried the keywords in their descriptions, titles, web page bodies or a combination of all three. The concept of keyword placement is essential as well. The more a keyword gets placed in a body copy, the more relevance it became to the Google search crawlers.

Even today, the concept of relevance is essential regarding a keyword query! However, the exact-match relevance is not very important. Hence, it's in your best interest to do research on the target keyword queries and create content that best addresses them, despite not going out of the way to add-in keywords to a chosen frequency in the content body.

Hence, one can say that keyword still matter. And it is equally important to carry out the keyword research to identify the essential search targets as well as find the apt topics to write on. Keyword placement is necessary as well. It is of utmost importance where your keyword gets placed. The keywords in the content body or the titles are essential than the keywords which get added at the end of content.

Furthermore, the high-volume keywords are considered more important. The web pages that rank for the high-volume queries usually carry more keywords than the ones that get ranked for the low volume queries. It indicates that the head keywords are essential to add in the long-tail keywords. Are you planning on your keyword density? If yes, then don't follow the standard rule. It is always better to research the way keywords are used today and then finalise your strategy.