Keyword density is a calculation of the number of times a particular keyword or phrase appears on a web page, measured in relation to the overall total word count of that page.
Keyword density quantifies how frequently a specific keyword is present on a web page. By comparing the total count of a keyword or phrase found on a page against the total number of words on that page, marketers can express this value as a percentage.
Search engines utilize complex algorithms to determine how relevant a web page is to a particular search query. Keyword density is one of the factors that can influence these algorithms.
In the past, a high keyword density was often strongly correlated with a boost in a page’s ranking in search engine results. However, because modern SEO crawlers are now engineered to detect and penalize keyword stuffing, pursuing an ‘optimal keyword density’ is considered a much more prudent keyword strategy.