How keyword density is calculated
For a single word, density is the number of times it appears divided by the total number of words, multiplied by 100. If “compressor” appears 8 times in an 800-word article, its density is 8 ÷ 800 × 100 = 1%.
For phrases, tools usually count how many words the phrase occurrences cover. Either way, the number tells you how much of the text is taken up by that term.
Why there is no “perfect” density
Modern search engines understand topics, synonyms and context. They do not reward a page for hitting a percentage; they reward pages that answer the searcher’s question well. Google’s spam policies specifically mention keyword stuffing — repeating words unnaturally to manipulate rankings — as something that can hurt a page.
A useful way to think about it: use the main phrase where it naturally belongs (the title, the main heading, the first paragraph and a few subheadings), then write normally. Related words and phrases that a knowledgeable writer would naturally use do more for relevance than extra repetitions.
Check your text in three steps
- Copy only the main content of the page — not menus or footers — and paste it into the Keyword Density Checker.
- Enter your target keyword to see its exact count, density and every place it appears.
- Switch between single words, two-word and three-word phrases. Keep Ignore common words ticked so “the” and “and” do not crowd the list.
What to look for in the results
- One phrase far above all others. Read those passages aloud. If the repetition sounds forced to you, it will sound the same to readers — replace some instances with pronouns or synonyms.
- Your main topic missing from the top terms. If the article is about “image compression” but the top phrases are about something else, the text may have drifted off topic.
- Useful related terms absent. A guide to compressing images that never mentions “quality”, “file size” or “JPEG” is probably missing information readers want.
Better signals to work on
Instead of adjusting percentages, spend the time on things that make a page more useful: answer the question early, add a worked example, cover common follow-up questions, and link to related pages. Check that your title and description are clear with the SERP Snippet Preview Tool, and that the length suits the topic with the Word Counter.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1–2% keyword density good?
It is a common range for naturally written text, but it is a description, not a target. A well-written page can be below or above it.
Does the checker count “run” and “running” together?
No. Words are matched exactly after converting to lower case, so different forms are counted separately.
Can I check text in other languages?
Yes. Untick Ignore common words, because the common-word list is English, and ignore function words in the results.