SEO Copywriting Essentials - Calculating Keyword Density
Topics: seo copywriting, seo, search engine optimization
When writing content for SEO copywriting, the very first thing you need to know before you ever open a blank Word document are which keywords the content will target. Beginning a marketing plan without keywords is like setting out on a road trip without a destination. You’ll get somewhere, but it may not be where you intended! In this article, we won’t talk about choosing keywords — that’s a science all of its own.
Instead, I’ll focus on how to calculate the keyword density of your articles, blog posts, and web pages. I’ll also cover some of the most common mistakes people make with calculating keyword density, as well as some little known SEO copywriting tips help you work in difficult keywords.
Calculating Keywords Density
Ideally, when doing SEO copywriting, your primary keyword phrase should be the most prominent phrase of its length on the page. I measure keyword saturation by calculating keyword density. When writing articles for distribution through article marketing, I strive for a keyword density of between 1.0% and 1.3%. This means that primary keyword or keyword phrase should appear about 1 time per every 100 words. With web content, I typically shoot for a keyword density of 2.0% to 3.0% - or 2 to 3 times per every 100 words.
Using Live Keyword Analysis
There’s an easier way to figure out your keyword density rather than counting your keywords by hand. A free service called ‘Live Keyword Analysis’ allows you to paste the body of your article into a field, type in your keywords, and instantly get a count of the density.
There are a few things you’ll need to know before using this SEO copywriting too in order to get an accurate reading:
Calculating Singular Keywords
It may seem that plurals and singular terms wouldn’t make that much of a difference in SEO copywriting — but they do. Take a look at how the search results for “real estate agent” (singular) differ from “real estate agents” (plural).
Live Keyword Analysis doesn’t recognize the end of a word - not knowing this could give you an inaccurate reading. For example, if you had 10 instances of the word “real estate agent” and 13 instance of the word “real estate agents” it will evaluate all 23 occurrences because it sees the singular term in the plural term.
Because of this, you’ll need to subtract the singular percentage from the plural percentage:
3.2 (singular)
- 0.9 (plural)
=
2.3 (actual singular density)
Calculating Two-Letter Keywords
I’m sure that the folks that created Live Keyword Analysis were trying to be helpful when they programmed the tool to ignore all two-letter keywords. But this can be really annoying when one part of your keyword phrase is a two-letter word.
For example, if your keyword phrase is “homes in California” and you enter this into live keyword analysis, you’ll get a ratio of 0%. In order to get around this, simply drop the two-letter word (in) form the keyword box so that it reads “homes California.”
This works well when the two-letter word was in the middle of the keyword phrase. However, oftentimes when the two-letter word is at the end of the keyword phrase, you may have to take a different approach.
If our keyword is “California DJ” we could simply remove the term “DJ” from the keyword box, but then Live Keyword Analysis will calculate the ratio of all of the instances of the term “California.”
In this case, I do a ‘find and replace’ in Word and replace all of the terms “DJ” with some 3-letter word such as “DJX.” Then I copy and paste the body of the article into Live Keyword Analysis and enter “California DJX” into the keyword box.
After calculating the density, I hit Control Z (or Undo) to undo the change.
Apostrophe’s Affect Search Results
If you type the term “children’s clothing” into Google you’ll get different search results than if you type “childrens clothing.” Though “children’s clothing” is grammatically accurate, some companies and/or SEO’s will want to optimize for the term without the apostrophe since many people will type the term into search engines without it. I usually try to optimize for the grammatically correct term and then add in a few within the page that are written the incorrect way. That way I am covering all of the bases.
Knowing the rules of calculating keyword density can make a big difference in your overall SEO copywriting strategies. Being able to properly account for plurals, two-letter words and punctuation means you will be better equipped to write effective content and therefore increase your page ranking.
Christine O’Kelly is co-owner of SEO Content Solutions (seocontentsolutions.com) a leading SEO copywriting firm. The company provides SEO press releases, articles, blog content and web content to resellers and end users alike (seocontentsolutions.com)
Previous Articles Highlighter:
7 Special Holiday Gifts For Writers (1)
The Amazon Kindle was listed as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2008. Your writer would enjoy the easy on the eyes electronic reader. Using cell phone technology one can download the books straight from the Amazon Kindle store after purchase.
SEO Copywriting: How To Choose Article Marketing Topics To Achieve Maximum Exposure (2)
One concern I hear from clients regularly is "why should I publish articles that don't promote ME specifically?" That's a logical question. It may seem counterproductive to expend energy writing generalized articles that aren't outright selling your product.
Whatever Your Business, Printing Deserves Some Attention (3)
The second major consideration in business printing, and one that is often overlooked, is the use of fonts and the way text is displayed. A business in the field of rock music might want to use brash, bold fonts to convey excitement and energy while an insurance company will use something that is clear and straightforward so as to be read easily.
How To Write A Book That Pulls Readers In Like A Magnet (4)
You know the articles, speeches and reports already in your files. Expand one of your articles or speeches into a short book by adding short stories and some practical how-to steps.
Trash Your Newspaper! Real News Will Be Online (5)
You will want to live out the rest of your days on a beach off the coast of Wailea and Makena, ready to forget the stress of work and live the sunset of your life the way you want to - wearing nothing but a shirt and shorts, laying out on a beach chair relaxing in the sun, cut off from the outside world.
7 Profitable Things You Get To Do When You Write Your Book (6)
Topics: Book Writing Coach, How to Write Your Book, Book Writing Are you tired of waiting for your bottom line to change? Don't wait any longer; take your profit line into your own hands.
Binders For Your Reservation Books (7)
Such binders are strong and sturdy, easily able to withstand the constant handling that occurs with reservation books. Binders are available in a variety of materials including board, vinyl, fabric and leather, and could be color coordinated with your corporate colors.
Internet Marketing: Copywriting For A Client-Attracting "About" Page (8)
Let your actions and activities speak for you. They'll figure it out. And now I invite you to find out more by visiting www.makewebsiteprofits.com. Download my free report, 7 secrets of websites that really attract clients.
Where To Find Personalized Reservation Books? (9)
You will need to determine what is vital and what is not if you need to stay within a budget. But no matter what you needs and budget you will be able to find what you need with a little research.
Get Your 2009 Reservation Book Now! (10)
In addition, if you completely mess up a page due to changes and erasures, you can easily remove the page and insert a new one and the book will look as good as new.
What's Important When You Look For Quality Reservation Books (11)
There is a catering module that allows your manager to track the number of guests, the menu for the event, the staff that will be working the event etc., and all of this is separate from your day-to-day reservation book.
Setting Up Your Own Website (12)
Tip 2 Make sure that the content of your website are presentable, enjoyable and informative. Websites about love and romances are so extensive that you have to be certain that what everything you're offering to readers are fresh, informative and easy to understand tips and advices.
Article Marketing Essentials- How To Optimize An Article For Maximum Effectiveness (13)
In this article, I'll show you how to optimize an article with the topic of "article marketing" for maximum SEO benefit. Know Your Keywords Keywords are essentially the search term that your readers and/or customers use to find your website.
Surge Up In Search Engine Rankings Using The Author Resource Box Wisely (14)
Don't neglect that all important author resource box at the bottom of your article. Join Bob Sommers and other Article Marketing professionals at www.RecognizedExpert.com and view hundreds of videos on Internet Marketing for Professionals.
7 Self Publishing Mistakes That Block The Success Of A Self Publshed Author (15)
Topics: How to publish your book, self publishing mistakes, self published author And now I would like to offer you free access to my FREE Self Publishing eKit on book writing, publishing and marketing tips.
Thinking Of A Freelance Writing Career? (16)
Even though this dream can very well become true for some, for most freelancers it never will. The problem is that most freelance writers become slaves to themselves by taking on available work until they experience a mental breakdown.
The Honeymoon Is Over Once You Gain A Publisher For Your Business Book (17)
But the process was slow. We fell further behind. Finally, it became clear that we had two weeks to pull the project out. Robert came to live in a hotel near our offices while the two of us settled in to write night and day.
How To Write Headlines For Sales Letters (18)
Even in newspapers and magazines, headlines are used to pique the interest of readers. Headlines are all the more crucial in online writing since Web users are not very patient in reading sales copy.
How To Plan Your Sales Letter Theme (19)
When a visitor sees the time stamp, they feel that the product or service was released or updated that exact day or at least that someone is maintaining it on a daily basis.
Affiliate Marketing - Create Passive Income With Affiliate Products And Services (20)
I sent them one part, or lesson, every day for 7 days. At the end of each day's lesson I included one or two affiliate links to products and services that related to my e-course.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Article Marketing - Five Top Tips For Successful Article Marketing (1)
2. Quantity is all-important. To succeed in the article marketing game it's important to submit a high volume of articles - the more you write the more inbound links you will gain to your website.
Marketing In A Recession: Why You Won't Survive If You Stop! (2)
If no one is advertising, then all that advertising space is going empty. Every square inch of unsold advertising space in every paper and magazine going out costs the publisher money and brings in no revenue.
Copywriting Tip: Do Your Client A Favor And Ask For The Order (3)
What they should do is include some Calls to Action, such a 'Buy now,' 'Don't delay,' or 'Every day you wait, you are losing money.' I argue, "When you create a strong Call to Action, you are actually helping your buyers." Here's why: (1) We are all distracted.
Article Submissions - Learn Some Tips On Getting Your Article Submitted To The World (4)
Check with the sites you will submit to for word count requirements. 3. Proofread the article. There is nothing worse than an article with typos and grammatical errors.
5 Ways To Brain Storm Non-Fiction Book Title Ideas For Your Book (5)
For example, "A Happy Pocket Full of Money" by David Cameron tells a story of happiness and money. From the title you know this book is going to be about getting more money in your pocket.
3 Ways To Keep MS Word From Killing Your SEO Strategy (6)
1. Go the "Tools" menu and select "Auto Correct" 2. Select the "Format as You Type" Tab. 3. Under the "Replace As You Type" heading uncheck: "Straight Quotes" with "Smart Quotes" and "Symbol Characters (--) with symbols" Style Formatting The style formatting toolbar looks innocent enough - but choosing certain settings here can cause hours of additional work over time for the person who is converting your text to the web.
Ensuring Your Article Submission Strategy Evolves (7)
Topics: article writing, article Marketing, article submission For those that have been involved in internet marketing and specifically article submission for a while you would have noticed how things have changed over the years with the increase in article directories, article writers and internet users.
5 Irresistible Reasons To Write A Short Book First (8)
I know there are lots of discouraging reasons to just throw in the towel. A friend of mine told me a few days ago that she probably wouldn't write her book now because people are reading less and less.
Increase Sales With An Easy-To-Navigate Web Site (9)
In addition, add a "Go Back to Top" button at the end of long pages. 3. Provide navigation links to your home page, main sections, order page, contact page, and product pages on every page.
How To Use Effective Communication Skills To Get What You Want (10)
People do not just listen to a good communicator; they are ready to bend or unbend to the person's needs. Effective Communication is a two way process; both the sending and receiving of messages.
Is Your Article A Winner Or Not (11)
Your following points must then follow in a structured and organized manner, addressing each and every point you intend raising in your article. Structure should follow smoothly and your article writing style should encourage the reader to be able to easily read your content, without making it a belaboring task to work through the information.
Learn The German Language (12)
Like I said it is a difficult language but a beautiful language too. If you want to learn german language then check out my blog and discover what will help you to learn german right now learnthegermanlanguage.blogspot.com
Mastering The Art Of Article Writing (13)
It drags your content out and slows the readers progress; often causing them to leave. You will usually find the passive voice around verbs that end in "ing." For Pete's sake, use a word processor to write on that uses a good spell/grammar checker.
Article Submission And Related Services (14)
This is the point of you writing the article in the first place, allowing you this chance of being viewed and possibly leading to greater things. As stated earlier, you will be required to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations specific to your article directory.
To Attract A Larger Audience And Sell More Books, Consider Becoming An Online Book Reviewer (15)
Some of our more enthusiastic supporters also began to write reviews of other peoples' books and mention our book. Sales climbed even faster. Soon we hit the top 200 list and kept climbing until we were a best seller on the online sites.
The Article Directory Explained (16)
This in turn has gone a long way in helping someone else and was merely conducted by submitting an article to an article directory. Author Chris Kennelly writes for Talkinmince.com, to find more resources go to www.talkinmince.com
The Role Of A Proper Press Release In Your SEO Services (17)
With your interesting and appealing press release writing, you could attract visitors from the PR directories to your website. Social Media Press Releases, another Techniques Of SEO Services The ongoing trend of social media press releases is becoming more effective for SEO campaign with the strategic press release writing techniques.
Take Time To Submit An Article (18)
Unfortunately if you have answers to a limited number of issues, you business will most likely not take off and you would have been better off providing the help and information via the article directory.
How To Use Ebooks To Start A Viral Marketing Campaign (19)
Present a particular problem to your readers and then show them how to solve the problem. This shouldn't take more than five to ten pages. One way to show your readers how to solve their problems is through the use of your products.
Writing An Article Aligned With Your Passion (20)
The fact that you are working within your area of passion, as well as providing a product or service via the internet, makes article writing or writing many articles an attractive marketing exercise for you.
Permalink to SEO Copywriting Essentials - Calculating Keyword Density