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Keyword Density Checker

See how often keywords and phrases appear in your content.

When to use it

Use this tool to see which words and phrases you repeat most in a piece of writing, and how often you use a target keyword. It helps bloggers, marketers and students check that a page is clearly about its topic without overusing the same words.

How to use it

  1. Paste your text into Your content. Mark headings by starting the line with #.
  2. Optionally, type a Target keyword or phrase, such as compress pdf.
  3. Read the density and how many times it is used, plus advice on whether it is too low or too high.
  4. Check the list: In the first paragraph, In a heading, Near the end and Not overused.
  5. Look at the tables of Single words, 2-word phrases and 3-word phrases to spot repetition.

Worked example

A 47-word product blurb about compressing PDFs uses the phrase “compress pdf” twice. Because it is a two-word phrase, its density is 2 × 2 ÷ 47, or 8.51%. The tool says that is high. In such a short text, every use of a two-word phrase adds more than 4% to the density.

The single-word table shows pdf 4 times, compress 3 times and files 3 times. The checks show the phrase is in the first paragraph but not in a heading or near the end. A better version would add a heading such as ”## How to compress a PDF”, swap one repeat for “make your PDF smaller”, and mention the topic again in the closing sentence.

Reading the phrase tables

The 2-word and 3-word tables show phrases that appear more than once. They are good at catching habits, such as starting several sentences with the same words. If a phrase you did not plan shows up near the top, try rewording one or two of those sentences.

Tips

  • Write for the reader first. Then use the tool to catch accidental repetition.
  • Use related words. Synonyms and natural variations make text easier to read and cover more searches.
  • Check longer pages. Density on very short text swings a lot with each extra use.

Common mistakes

  • Chasing a percentage. Adding the keyword again and again makes text worse.
  • Ignoring the phrase tables. Repeated two- and three-word phrases are often the most noticeable to readers.
  • Forgetting headings. A clear heading with the main topic helps readers and search engines.

Frequently asked questions

What is keyword density?

The share of the words in your text that belong to a keyword or phrase. The tool works it out as the times the phrase is used, multiplied by the number of words in the phrase, divided by the total number of words.

What is a good keyword density?

There is no magic number. Most natural writing lands around 0.5% to 2.5% for its main topic. Above 3%, the tool warns you, because the text may start to read as repetitive or stuffed with keywords.

Does Google rank pages by keyword density?

No. Search engines look at whether a page covers its topic well and helps the reader. Using the main phrase naturally, in a heading and early in the text, helps make the topic clear, but repeating it more does not help.

Why do common words like "the" not appear in the lists?

Very common words are left out of the single-word list so the useful terms stand out.

How do I mark headings?

Start heading lines with #, ## or ###, like in Markdown. The tool then checks whether your phrase appears in a heading.

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