by Alyssa Ast
There are many SEO myths roaming around, one of which includes the common notion that a high keyword density is needed in order to produce benefits. But in fact, a high keyword density will actually harm your ranking and possibly get you flagged for spamming.
The keyword density is the number of times a keyword/phrase appears within your text. You might think it would be better for ranking to use more keywords, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The more times a keyword is used, the lower your content will index on a search engine. It makes your content flow unnaturally, which often makes it read as though the content is forced and over stuffed with unnecessary words.
When search engines find content that's packed with keywords, they rank it low because it's considered to be irrelevant content. If this occurs too often, they will consider the content you post as spam, which can lead to penalties and banishment from the search engine.
Although there's much debate over the correct density level to use, it's generally considered to be safe to use a density level ranging from 4% to 7%; however, some people prefer density levels as low as 2%, while others prefer their density level to be as high as 8%. Basically, it all boils down to personal preference and what density level you feel works well for you.
Do you have SEO myths you would like to see busted? Email alyssa_ast@yahoo.com!
