How Many Keywords Should I Use Per Page
Way too often I see new members ask, how many keywords should I use per page? And though the answer is simple, people seem to make it more complicated than it really needs to be.
EXAMPLE
Let us say that my target keyword is "Qualpay is to pay in a lawsuit"
How many times do you need to use your target keyword? Google only needs to see it twice.
First in the title of the page or post. Second in the first or second paragraph.
HERE IS HOW MY POST WOULD READ
Qualpay is to Pay in a Lawsuit - FTC vs MOBE
Known to much of the MLM and MMO entrepreneur community, the FTC shut down MOBE for being a scam. The lawsuit is going after many people and companies who had dealings with the MOBE scam.
MOBE had to use payment processor companies to handle credit card payments. Qualpay is one such company. Now Qualpay is to pay in a lawsuit money it is currently holding on MOBE's behalf. Breaking News below.
DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID?
I used my target keyword in my post title. TIP, the closer your keyword is to the beginning of your title, the better for your rankings. In my example above, the keyword is at the beginning of the title.
I then used my target keyword again within the second paragraph. I do not need to use that keyword again. Just write naturally in a conversational way. More than twice, has NO ranking benefit. Using four or more can harm rankings.
TIP, When you write your content naturally, you are typing out your conversation with your website readers. They want to read the information they are seeking that is relevant to their search query. Plus you will create other keywords that will rank.
You do not have to use your target keyword more than twice to rank for that one keyword. Your website readers, and Google, want to see content written in a conversational tone that provides information being searched.
If you would like some Google Tips, read about the 4 Tips here.
Want to know a simple writing technique that will increase your rankings? This is something that Google just loves us to do with our website content. You can learn about creating internal links to other content on your website.
The answer is simple. You only need to use your target keyword twice. - If you still have questions or comments, please leave them below. Thank you.
Recent Comments
105
I've always thought using the keyword 3 times is ideal, in the title, somewhere in the middle and towards the end. Thank you for this information Robert.
If you write long-form content of 1,500 and more words, then three times for your target keyword is fine. But Google just needs to see it in the title and once more.
You must remember, Google reads your entire content just like any other website visitor. And if your content is informational and answers the keyword query, you will get better rankings.
Thank you for the confirmation, I do struggle with this concept though. Here is my question.
If my keyword is "Riding a bike backwards" and I use it twice.
But my article uses the phrase "Practice makes perfect" five times.
Isn't my keyword "Practice makes perfect" now?
It is fine for me regarding using keyword twice.
It does not sound confusing with "Practice makes perfect".
Regardless I will replace "Practice makes perfect" with some other thing?
Having a phrase too many times in an article makes it boring to the reader.
No. Your target keyword is still "Riding a Bike Backwards" regardless of how many times you use the phrase "Practice makes perfect."
A keyword is not defined by how many times you use it.
A keyword is defined by the relevant information you are providing throughout your entire content.
This is why Google ranks you on your content as a whole and not just on your target keyword.
Look at it this way...
If your target keyword is "Riding a Bike Backwards" and the information you are writing is about how people can ride a bike backwards, why would "practice makes perfect" now be your target keyword?
Is your post telling your website readers how practice can make them perfect in whatever they are practicing? No. Your post is telling them how to ride a bike backwards.
Basically your keyword is the question a person types into Google and your entire content is the answer to that question.
Very well explained. And I understand the concept much better when presented in that way. I believed that Google searched for the words or phrases that appear most often in your content.
If Google understands the purpose of your content (likely via the title) then this all makes much more sense.
Thank you, Glenn
Google can easily understand the purpose of your content by looking at your title and then reading all that you have to say. This is also true for anyone who reads your content and as a writer you should think of Google as just another website reader.
This is the point many people seem to miss. When you write your website content, you are writing it to answer the questions of the person reading it after they have searched for your specific keyword.
Google will rank content highly when it is written for the "people" who are searching Google for information. All of your content gets indexed and when you write naturally, not being concerned about your target keyword, other natural keywords will emerge.
But when people start writing content and focus too much on getting rankings with keywords, then that content is no longer focused on the reader but rather on Google's ranking algorithm. When this happens Google will most times not highly rank you.
You are welcome Les. It is not a complicated technique and thus requires a simple to the point answer.
I was under the impression three was o target. Thanks for performing a Bitly correction, Robert!
As I was told by my friend at Google, Googlebot can figure out what our content is about by just looking at the title and first couple of paragraphs.
But if there is no specific target keyword, Googlebot can still figure things out by just reading all of our content just like any person can, target keywords are not always necessary.
I had a feeling that twice is enough…
But it is great to see why exactly and how exactly to use that KW.
Robert, Thank you for the reminder
You are welcome. Google is very smart and can tell what our content is about by just looking at our title and the first couple of paragraphs. There is no benefit to using your target keyword more than twice.
Perfect! I was just wondering about this as I am writing an article to post. Thank you Boomergp08!
You are welcome. You only need to use your target keyword twice in order to rank for that specific keyword. Using it more so will have no benefit.
You are welcome Norman. The use of your target keyword is a really simple thing to do. Doing any more will not yield better results.
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Boomer I was wondering how many times you have to use keywords in your post. Another question I have been wondering about should you put a post on a separate page or keep putting the posts on your home page? If you could send me your thoughts on my question I been wondering how you should do that.
You could do both but I personally put all of my posts on my home page. This way makes it show that the website is being updated on a regular basis.
If I had a static home page and a page called "BLOG" where all of my posts would go, then it is harder to know at first glance, how up to date the content is.
Thanks for the insight
Sruffey