How Many Keywords Should I Use for SEO?

Internet users use keywords to find the information they need. If you want to generate website traffic by ranking highly on search engines, you must select keywords that will help your website stay competitive. Using keywords in your search engine optimization strategy is like using seasoning while cooking; they enhance the content and help it stand out from other websites.

Unfortunately, keyword stuffing has the same effect as overseasoning a dish. Too many keywords overpower the content and cause the reader to miss out on the meat of the article. To start developing an effective content strategy, first ask: How many keywords should I use for SEO?

What Are Keywords for SEO and How Do You Choose Good Ones?

SEO keywords are words or short phrases that internet users use to search for subjects. These specific terms help search engines understand exactly what information your content contains. Choosing the right keywords for your website content helps the pages rank highly on search engines to generate more traffic and boost sales.

Just randomly choosing words or phrases related to the subject of your content is not a good strategy for SEO. To choose the right keywords, look for ones that meet four criteria.

1. Conversion Rate

Select specific keywords that encourage sales and interaction. Broad keywords such as “dogs” generally don’t have as high of a conversion rate as “best dog breeds for kids.”

2. Search Volume

Choose keywords that people already search for. Use an SEO tool such as Google Analytics to see which terms have the highest search volume. As a general rule, keywords should have a search volume of at least 30 per month.

3. Relevance

Pick keywords that are closely related to the topic of your content but aren’t so specific that they are rarely searched for. For example, a pest control company writing a blog post about bed bugs may use keywords such as “signs of bed bugs” or “bed bug control” over broader keywords such as “pest control” or “get rid of pests in your home.”

4. Competition

For your content to be competitive and beat out currently ranking results on search engines, you must go after keywords you have a good chance of winning. Pursuing the highest competition keywords on a new or small site is unlikely to give you results. Instead, start with lower competition keywords and see if you can make your site the authority on those subjects. Checking the Google ad space for a given term can help you see which keywords are highly competitive. The lowest rank is 0 and the highest is 1, so select keywords that fall on the lower end of the two extremes for the best results.

Few keywords meet all of these criteria. Most keywords will be stronger in one or two areas, so choosing several words or phrases to strike a balance is a good foundation for a content marketing strategy.

How Many Keywords Should Be Used for SEO In General?

Keyword overuse waters down your content, so learning how to incorporate them correctly is crucial. There is no hard-and-fast rule for many keywords should be used in a piece of content, but most search engines tend to favor web pages with a keyword density between 0.5 and 2%.

Calculate keyword frequency by dividing the number of keyword uses by the total number of words in the article and multiplying that answer by 100. Using a specific keyword 10 times in a 1000-word article, for example, results in a keyword density of 1%.

As a general rule of thumb, aim to use keywords once for every 100-200 words in your content. In a 500-word blog post, use the primary keyword 2-5 times for best results. Using more may flag your content on search engines and cause it to rank lower when users search for its keywords.

How Many Keywords Should Be Used in a 1000-Word Blog?

Most SEO experts agree that a 1000-blog should have 5-20 keywords for SEO purposes. 10 keywords is optimal as it results in a keyword density of 1%. This gives users a good experience while also catching the attention of search engines.

To avoid raising a red flag to search engines, you must think outside of the box when it comes to keywords. For example, you can’t get away with writing a blog post about “farmhouse decor” without mentioning the concept frequently, but you can use alternative phrasing for it. Alternate keywords may include “rustic decor,” “farmhouse aesthetic” or “wood decor accents”. These terms add to the content and have similar meanings to the keyword, but using them interchangeably keeps you from overusing the keyword.

Why Are Too Many Keywords Bad for SEO?

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The practice of using an excessive number of keywords in a piece of web content is known as keyword stuffing. In the early days of the internet, keyword stuffing was rampant in efforts to trick search engines into favoring poorly written content with a bunch of high-ranking keywords.

Keyword stuffing has two major consequences. The first is that merely stringing together a bunch of phrases offers little value to the reader and results in a poorly written article. User experience should be one of your main goals, as low-quality content often deters sales.

The second consequence is that search engines today are much more sophisticated and recognize keyword stuffing. When they do, they push the content down in the search engine results, so users are less likely to find your website.

Instead of forcing a bunch of low-ranking keywords into your content, do targeted research and choose a few high-ranking terms to boost your article. Your SEO strategy will be much more impactful and effective with the right number of keywords.

We Help You Create a Balanced Keyword Strategy

Every effective SEO strategy relies on keywords, so choosing the right ones is essential for creating high-quality, high-ranking content. BKA Content is ready to help you take your content strategy to the next level. Discover how we can save you time and money on content creation. Not only can we help you find the most effective keywords, but we can also explain to you how many keywords for SEO are appropriate for your content.