How to use the Keyword Density Checker
- Choose whether to analyze a live URL or paste text, such as a draft article.
- Enter the URL or paste the text, then run the check.
- Review the total word count and the lists of top single words, 2-word phrases and 3-word phrases.
- For a URL, look at the placement results to see whether your top phrases appear in the title, meta description and H1.
- Rewrite any passage where one term is repeated so often that it reads unnaturally, then check again.
Understanding your results
Total words. The number of words counted in the page text or in the text you pasted.
Top words and phrases. We list the most frequent single words, 2-word phrases and 3-word phrases, each with a count and a density percentage. Common English stop words, such as "the", "and" and "of", are left out of the single-word list, and phrases that begin or end with a stop word are left out too. That keeps the lists focused on meaningful terms, so "keyword research" can appear but "the keyword" will not.
Density. Density is the number of occurrences multiplied by the number of words in the phrase, divided by the total word count, multiplied by 100. Counting every word in a phrase keeps 2- and 3-word phrases comparable with single words. For example, a 2-word phrase that appears 5 times in a 1,000-word text covers 10 of the 1,000 words, which is a density of 1%.
Placement (URLs only). For each top phrase, we show whether it appears in the title tag, the meta description and the H1. This is a quick way to see whether the words your page uses most match the words it tells search engines it is about.
A practical note on reading the numbers: there is no target density. Google has said keyword density is not a ranking factor, and repeating a term to reach a percentage can make a page worse. Google's spam policies describe keyword stuffing, meaning filling a page with keywords to manipulate rankings, as spam. Use the results to look for two things instead:
- Accidental over-repetition. If one phrase dominates the list far more than a person would naturally use it, rewrite with pronouns, synonyms and more specific terms.
- Topic coverage. If the phrases you expect for your topic barely appear, the page may not cover the subject as fully as you think.
How this tool works
For a URL, we fetch the page and extract its text. For pasted text, we analyze the text exactly as you entered it. We split the text into words, count every single word and every sequence of two and three consecutive words, remove stop words and phrases with a stop word at either end, and sort the results by frequency. For URLs, we also read the title, meta description and H1, and check whether each top phrase appears in them.
Because the counts depend on exactly which text is included, your results may differ slightly from other tools that treat navigation, footers or image text differently. If a page loads its main content with JavaScript, the fetched HTML may contain little text. In that case, paste the text directly for an accurate count.
Tips
- Write for the reader first, then run the check to catch repetition you missed.
- Look at 2- and 3-word phrases, not only single words. Repetitive phrasing often shows up there first.
- Compare your top phrases with your title and H1. If they do not overlap at all, either the page drifted from its topic or the title does not describe it.
- Paste drafts before publishing, so you can fix repetition while you are still editing.
- Do not chase a density percentage from an old SEO guide. There is no number that Google rewards.
- Check the length of your title and description with the Meta Tag Checker.
- For a wider review of the page, run the SEO Checker.
- Read why density targets are outdated in the keyword density myth.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good keyword density?
There is no good or ideal keyword density. Google has said keyword density is not a ranking factor. Write naturally, cover the topic thoroughly and use this tool to catch terms repeated more often than a reader would expect.
Is keyword density a Google ranking factor?
No. Google has said it does not use keyword density as a ranking factor. Its spam policies do treat keyword stuffing, meaning repeating keywords to manipulate rankings, as spam.
How is keyword density calculated?
Occurrences multiplied by the number of words in the phrase, divided by the total number of words, multiplied by 100. For example, a single word that appears 10 times in 500 words has a density of 2%.
Why are words like "the" and "and" missing?
They are common English stop words. We leave them out of the single-word list and remove phrases that begin or end with them, so the results show the terms that actually describe your content.
Can I analyze text that is not published yet?
Yes. Paste the text into the text box instead of entering a URL. The placement checks for the title, description and H1 need a live page, so they only appear when you check a URL.
Why do my results differ from another density tool?
Tools count text differently. Some include navigation, footers or image alt text, and some use different stop word lists or a different density formula. Compare pages using the same tool so the results are consistent.