Keyword Density Checker

Keyword density is how often a word or phrase appears in a text, expressed as a percentage of the text's length. The classic formula is:

keyword density (%) = (times the keyword appears / total words) x 100

Example: "running shoes" appears 9 times in a 1,200-word article
9 / 1,200 x 100 = 0.75%

This keyword density checker uses exactly that formula, for single words and for two- and three-word phrases alike: the number of times the term appears, divided by the total number of words in the text. Common stop words such as "the", "and" and "is" are left out of the results list, but they still count toward the total, so the percentages match what you would work out by hand. The total is shown above the table and under the text box.

There is no optimum keyword density that Google rewards. Google has said repeatedly that it has no target percentage, and pages rank well with very different figures.

What can be said is descriptive rather than prescriptive: when someone writes naturally about a topic, the main term typically lands somewhere around 0.5% to 2% of total words. That range is a sanity check, not a goal. A page at 0.4% is not under-optimized, and pushing a page from 1% to 2% will not improve its ranking.

A more useful way to use the number:

• Very low or zero: check that the page actually uses the words people search for, at least in the title and opening.
• In the normal range: leave it alone and spend the time on content quality.
• Clearly high: read the text aloud. If the repetition is noticeable, rewrite.

1-word results

Single words show what the page is about at a glance. The top five to ten should be clearly related to your topic. If generic words dominate, add them under Custom Exclusions; the table updates straight away. You can also exclude a whole phrase.

2-word and 3-word phrases

Most real searches are phrases, so these views are usually more informative. Look for your target phrase and close variants near the top of the list. Phrases are kept when at least one of their words is meaningful, so entries like "of the best" can appear and can be ignored.

Phrase percentages use the same total word count as single words, and any single phrase repeats far less often than a single word. A two-word phrase above 3% therefore deserves a closer look than a single word at the same figure. Phrases are only counted inside a sentence or clause: words separated by a full stop, a comma or a line break are not joined into a phrase.

On short texts every percentage is inflated: in a 100-word paragraph, three mentions already look heavy. Density is most meaningful on full pages of a few hundred words or more. The table shows the top 100 terms, and the CSV export lets you compare drafts.

Keyword stuffing means repeating a term so often that the text reads unnaturally. It is covered by Google's spam policies, and it puts readers off well before any algorithm gets involved. The tool flags terms above 3% as a prompt to check, not as a verdict.

1. Find the flagged term in your text and read each sentence that contains it.
2. Replace some mentions with pronouns ("it", "they") where the meaning is clear.
3. Use synonyms and more specific words: "trainers", "the pair", a model name.
4. Merge or delete sentences that only exist to repeat the phrase.
5. Check lists, image alt text and footers, where repeated phrases tend to pile up.

After editing, run the text through the readability analyzer to confirm it still reads smoothly.

Where a keyword appears tells search engines and readers more than how many times it appears. A page that mentions its main phrase a handful of times in the right places is in better shape than one that repeats it thirty times in the body.

• Title tag: include the main phrase, ideally near the start.
• H1: one clear heading that states the topic.
• First paragraph: confirm the topic within the first few sentences.
• Subheadings: use variants and related questions where they fit.
• URL and image alt text: short and descriptive, not repeated phrases.

This tool analyzes the text you paste and does not see your title tag or headings separately, so check those by hand. To track overall length while you edit, use the word counter.

TF-IDF (term frequency-inverse document frequency) weighs how often a term appears on a page against how common it is across many documents, so distinctive words count for more than everyday ones. Modern search engines go further and interpret meaning, synonyms and related concepts. The practical takeaway is the same in both cases: cover the topic thoroughly, using the vocabulary a knowledgeable writer would naturally use, instead of repeating one phrase. This checker reports frequency only and does not calculate TF-IDF.