Paste your content and see your top 8 keywords as a bar chart with density percentages. Anything over 4% is flagged so you can adjust before publishing.
Paste text above, then click Analyse
Keyword density is the percentage of times a specific word appears in your text relative to the total word count. The formula is straightforward: (keyword count ÷ total words) × 100. Search engines use keyword frequency as one of many signals to understand what a page is about. However, frequency has diminishing returns — use a keyword too often and you cross a penalty threshold where algorithms interpret it as manipulation rather than relevance.
1–3% is the sweet spot for most content. At this density, the keyword appears often enough to signal topical relevance but not so often that it disrupts natural reading flow. 3–5% is acceptable for highly focused technical content where a specific term is genuinely needed frequently. Above 5% is the risk zone — modern algorithms including Google's SpamBrain system can interpret this as keyword stuffing, which may result in ranking penalties.
The checker flags anything above 4% with a warning symbol so you can review and adjust before publishing. Note that the checker analyses individual words, not multi-word phrases. If your target keyword is a phrase like "content marketing strategy", the individual words "content", "marketing", and "strategy" will each appear in the density chart separately.
Some SEO guides claim that keyword density is outdated and no longer matters. This is partially true — Google no longer uses simple keyword frequency as a primary ranking factor the way it did in the early 2000s. However, keyword density still matters for two reasons.
First, if your target keyword does not appear in your content at all, or appears only once in a 2,000-word article, search engines may not recognise the page as relevant to that query. There is still a minimum threshold of keyword presence needed to signal topical relevance.
Second, excessive keyword density is actively penalised. Google's helpful content system and SpamBrain specifically look for patterns of unnatural keyword repetition. A page with a keyword density above 5% is more likely to be flagged for manual review or algorithmic demotion than a page with natural density of 1–2%.
The chart shows your top 8 most frequent words (excluding common stop words like "the", "and", "is", "to") as horizontal bars. Each bar shows the word, a visual representation of its frequency, and the exact percentage. Words highlighted in green are within normal range. Words highlighted in red with a warning symbol are above 4% and worth reviewing.
A high density for a word that is genuinely central to your topic (like "keyword" in an article about keyword research) may be acceptable. A high density for a generic word suggests either repetitive writing or thin content that needs expansion. The context matters — use the chart as a diagnostic tool, not a strict rule.
If the checker flags a word above 4%, try these techniques. Replace some instances with a synonym or pronoun — "it", "this approach", "the method" can stand in for a repeated noun. Expand the content with related subtopics, which naturally dilutes the density of any single word. Remove sentences that repeat the same point with different wording — this is a common source of unnatural density.
Use the Word Reducer alongside the keyword density checker. Wordy phrases inflate word count without adding new keywords, which can paradoxically lower the density of your target keyword while raising the density of filler words. Tightening your prose often improves keyword ratios naturally.
Modern SEO is less about exact keyword repetition and more about semantic relevance — whether your content comprehensively covers the topic that a keyword represents. An article about "how to train a puppy" that mentions "housebreaking", "crate training", "positive reinforcement", and "socialisation" signals deeper topical authority than one that simply repeats "puppy training" twenty times.
The keyword density checker is one tool in a larger toolkit. Use it to catch obvious over-repetition, then combine it with the SEO Readiness checker for a fuller picture of your content's search readiness.
Does keyword density still matter for SEO in 2026? Yes, but not as a primary ranking factor. Modern search engines use semantic relevance, topic clustering, and user engagement signals more heavily than simple keyword frequency. However, keyword density still matters at the extremes: if your target keyword appears zero times in a 2,000-word article, search engines may not recognise the page as relevant. If it appears in more than 5% of your total words, algorithmic systems like SpamBrain may flag the content as keyword-stuffed. The checker helps you stay within the natural range.
What is a good keyword density percentage? For most content, 1–3% is the sweet spot. This means your target keyword appears once or twice per 100 words — frequent enough to signal relevance without disrupting readability. For short content under 300 words, slightly higher density is expected because there are fewer words to distribute the keyword across. The checker flags anything above 4% for review.
Why does my keyword not appear in the chart? The checker excludes common stop words (the, and, is, to, of, etc.) and only shows words of three or more characters. If your target keyword is a short word like "SEO" or "AI", it will appear. If it is a common word like "write", it may blend into the top 8 results. The chart shows the eight most frequent content words in your text — if your keyword is not there, it means other content words appear more often.
Should I worry about stop words affecting my density? No. The chart filters out stop words because they are grammatically necessary and their frequency is determined by sentence structure rather than keyword intent. A high density of "the" or "and" does not signal keyword stuffing — it just means you wrote in complete English sentences. The checker focuses on content words that carry topical meaning.
For a detailed walkthrough with more examples, see our guide Keyword Density: What It Is and How to Get It Right.