Keyword Density Checker

What Google actually says about keyword density

John Mueller, Google's own Search Advocate, put it plainly on Google's SEO Office Hours (31 January 2023): "Google does not have a notion of optimal keyword density." He's said versions of the same thing for close to a decade, including a one-word "no" when asked directly on Reddit in December 2021. Google's own on-page SEO guidance and its published Spam Policies define keyword stuffing — repeating a word or phrase so often it reads unnaturally — as something to avoid, not a percentage to hit. There's no more recent restatement because the position hasn't changed; Google treats the question as settled.

So why does a "keyword density checker" exist at all? Because the number it produces is still useful for a narrower job than SEO scoring: catching text that reads repetitively to an actual human, which happens more easily than most writers realise once a target keyword is on their mind while drafting.

How to use the number this tool gives you

1. Paste your draft and, if you have one, your target keyword or phrase.
2. Check the word/phrase frequency lists, not just the keyword density number — a phrase repeating unnaturally often is usually more obvious to a reader than a percentage.
3. If your target keyword's density looks unusually high (a rough gut-check, not a rule: past 2-3% is worth a re-read), read the paragraphs it appears in out loud. If it sounds repetitive to you, it will read that way to a person too — rewrite for variety.
4. Don't rewrite to hit a specific number. There isn't a target to hit. Write the sentence that reads best, then move on.

What actually helps instead of a density target

• Cover the topic completely. Related terms and sub-questions a reader would naturally ask matter more than repeating one exact phrase.
• Write it so a person enjoys reading it. If a sentence sounds like it was written for a bot, rewrite it — that's the real signal this tool can help you catch.
• Use your keyword where it matters most — the title, the opening paragraph, a subheading or two — rather than sprinkling it evenly throughout.
• Vary your phrasing. Synonyms and related phrases read more naturally than the exact same string every time, and Google's language models handle that variation fine.

If you want the meta-description and title side of on-page optimisation too, our how to write meta descriptions guide covers the piece this tool doesn't.