We
can't emphasize enough the importance of including keyword-rich
content on your site to increase your ranking potential. Simply
put, keywords are the words and/or word phrases people use when
searching. As we've mentioned throughout the site, search engine
spiders love content. Therefore, the more keyword-rich content
you have, the better. When a search engine spider crawls your
site, it won't recognize pictures or images. So, if you have
limited amounts of text (or none at all) and you've got a lot
of beautiful pictures or Flash animation, the spider may deem
your site unworthy of listing.
What Is Keyword Density?
Keyword
density is the ratio of a keyword or key phrases to the total
number of words on that page. It is one of the most critical
aspects of successful search engine optimization. To improve
your search engine ranking potential, your keyword density must
be just right. To calculate your keyword density, divide the
total number of words on your page by the number of times your
primary keyword or key phrase appears. Keyword density is critical
when outlining the keyword portion of your search engine optimization
strategy.
Naturally,
there is a fine line between strategically scattering these
keywords throughout your content versus grouping them all together,
separated by commas. The latter is known as spamming and you
will get penalized for doing it. Don't think you can fool the
search engines -- they have the technology to figure out these
little tricks.
Using
Keyword Density To Improve Your Search Engine Ranking
The
best way to increase your search engine ranking potential is
to develop your keyword strategy by researching the most relevant
(and most searched for) keywords or keyword phrases before you
even begin building your site.
So,
you've already built your site? No worries -- you should still
consider reviewing the keywords you have selected and make any
necessary changes to your meta tags and site content. No matter
how nice your site looks, you won't get high search engine rankings
without the right keywords. And remember, if your site has a
lot of graphics or Flash animation with little content, we encourage
you to consider a redesign. We understand that most site owners
who fit into this category have spent a lot of money for these
beautiful sites, but what is the purpose if they aren't getting
the high rankings?
That being said, here are a few tips on using keyword density
to maximize your search engine ranking potential:
1.
Use our Search Term Suggestion
Tool (powered by Overture) to research your keywords. This
powerful tool will direct you to the most popular keywords for
your specific business based on how many times that keyword
or keyword phrase is searched for each month. You can then take
that information and develop your keyword strategy based on
those results.
2.
Incorporate these keywords or keyword phrases in your meta tags
as well as your site content. People often forget that search
engines will spider the heading meta tags first because they
preceed and stand out from your main site content.
3.
Write keyword-rich content that not only satisfies the search
engine algorithms but is equally informative for customers visiting
your site. This is the most difficult part of writing your content
- but also the most critical.
4.
Try to write at least 300 words for each page on your site.
Again, the more content you have the better chance you will
have to include those all-important keywords you diligently
researched and ultimately selected.
5.
Too often we see content saturated with too many keywords that,
as popular as they may be, just don't relate to the site itself.
Avoid doing this - it will only irritate potential customers.
6.
Web sites should be updated on a regular basis -- don't let
them go stale. Add new products/services, update users with
new information and tools, do what you can to change your content
(keyword-rich content, that is!) and keep users coming back
for more.

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