Keyword Density Checker

A keyword density checker shows which words and phrases a page actually repeats most, so you can see whether its content matches the topic you want it to rank for. Our tool strips out navigation, headers, footers and forms, counts the words in the main content, then lists the top single words and two- and three-word phrases with their density. It also flags possible stuffing and checks whether the leading phrase appears in your title, H1 and meta description.

How to use the Keyword density

1. 1 Enter the page URLPaste the full address of the page you want to analyse, such as a service page or blog post, and run the check.
2. 2 Check the word countWe report how many words are in the main content. Under 300 words is flagged as thin; under 30 words and there is too little text to measure.
3. 3 Read the phrase tablesThree tables list up to 15 of the most repeated single words, two-word phrases and three-word phrases, each with its count, density and where it appears.
4. 4 Look at the stuffing and focus checksWe warn if any single word makes up more than 4% of the text, and show whether your top phrase appears in at least two of the title, H1 and meta description.
5. 5 Edit and re-checkAdjust the copy, title or headings so the page clearly reflects its intended topic without repetition, then run the keyword density checker again.

What keyword density means

Keyword density is the share of a page's words taken up by a particular word or phrase, expressed as a percentage. If a 1,000-word article uses the word plumber 15 times, the density of plumber is 1.5%. For a phrase, each occurrence counts for all of its words, so a two-word phrase used 10 times in 1,000 words has a density of 2%. That is the same method our tool uses.

The idea comes from early search engines, which leaned heavily on how often a term appeared. Modern search engines understand topics, synonyms and context, so the number itself has far less influence. What remains useful is the picture it gives you of what the page is really about.

Google's view on keyword density and keyword stuffing

Google has said for many years that there is no ideal keyword density and that it does not count words to a target. Its guidance is to write naturally for people. Its spam policies specifically name keyword stuffing, meaning filling a page with repeated keywords, lists of place names or blocks of text out of context, as a practice that can cause a page to rank lower or not at all.

That does not make density pointless. A keyword density analysis is a quick way to spot two opposite problems: a page that repeats a term so often it reads badly and risks looking manipulative, and a page whose main topic barely appears, perhaps because the copy drifts or uses vague wording. Both are easy to fix once you can see the numbers.

How to read keyword density results

Start with the word count, then look at the two-word phrases. They usually reveal the page's real focus better than single words, which are often generic terms such as service or business.

• Main content: the number of words we counted after removing menus, headers, footers and forms. A warning under 300 words means the page may be too thin to answer the searcher fully.
• Count and density: how many times each word or phrase appears and its percentage of the text. Only words and phrases used at least twice are listed.
• Title, H1 and description markers: whether each phrase appears in the title tag, the first H1 heading and the meta description.
• Possible keyword stuffing: any single word above about 4% of the text that appears at least eight times. This is a prompt to reread the copy, not an automatic penalty.
• Top phrase in the key places: the most repeated two-word phrase (or single word if there are no repeated phrases) and whether it appears in at least two of title, H1 and meta description.
• Common filler words such as the, and, with and your are ignored at the start and end of phrases so they do not crowd the results.

How to optimise a page using a keyword density tool

Treat the results as a reading aid. Ask whether the top phrases are the ones a searcher would type to find this page. If they are not, the page is sending a different signal from the one you intend.

• Decide the one main topic for the page and two or three closely related phrases before editing.
• If the main phrase is missing from the top of the list, use it naturally in the opening paragraph, at least one subheading and the conclusion.
• Put the main phrase in the title tag and H1, and in the meta description where it reads well. In WordPress, SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math let you edit the title and description per page; in Shopify, use the search engine listing section at the bottom of each page or product.
• If one word is flagged above 4%, replace some instances with synonyms, pronouns or more specific terms. Reading the copy aloud is the quickest way to hear repetition.
• Add genuinely useful detail rather than repeating terms: prices, process, locations served, examples and answers to common questions naturally bring in related vocabulary.
• Check that two different pages on your site do not lead with the same phrase, which can leave them competing for the same searches.

Keyword density for local and service pages

UK service businesses often fall into the trap of repeating a town name and a service in every sentence, such as emergency plumber Croydon written ten times on one page. It reads poorly and is exactly the pattern Google describes as stuffing. Mention the location where it is natural, such as in the title, the H1, a sentence about the areas you cover and your contact details, then let the rest of the page describe the work.

Location pages for several towns that share the same text with only the place name swapped are another risk. Each page should have something specific to that area, such as local projects, travel times or parking information, so the vocabulary differs naturally from page to page.

Running each location page through the checker side by side is a quick test. If every page shows the same top phrases at almost the same densities, the pages are likely too similar, and adding local detail will help both visitors and search engines tell them apart.

Best practice for keyword usage in content

Write for the reader first and check the numbers second. A page that fully answers the question behind a search will naturally use the main phrase and its variants a sensible number of times. Use the keyword density checker as a final review step, alongside reading the page as a visitor would.

Think in terms of topic coverage rather than a single phrase. A strong page about boiler servicing will naturally mention safety checks, Gas Safe registration, flue tests, annual servicing, warranties and costs. If those related terms appear in the phrase tables, the page is probably covering the subject well. If the tables are dominated by one phrase and little else, the content may be repetitive rather than thorough, and adding answers to the questions customers actually ask is usually the fix.

Remember that the tool reads the HTML your server sends. If the main content of a page is loaded by JavaScript after the page opens, it may report too little text. Search engines can render JavaScript, but content in the initial HTML is easier and quicker for them to process, so a low word count here is worth investigating.

Examples you can copy

<title>Boiler Servicing in Leeds | Gas Safe Engineers | Example Heating</title>
<meta name="description" content="Annual boiler servicing in Leeds from Gas Safe registered engineers. Fixed prices, evening appointments and a written report after every visit.">

<h1>Boiler servicing in Leeds</h1>

<!-- Stuffed: the same phrase in every sentence -->
<p>Our boiler servicing Leeds team offers boiler servicing Leeds homes trust.
Book boiler servicing Leeds today for the best boiler servicing Leeds price.</p>

<!-- Natural: the phrase once, related terms elsewhere -->
<p>We service gas boilers across Leeds and the surrounding area. Each visit
includes a safety check, flue test and written report, and most appointments
take about an hour.</p>

Common mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked questions