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Keyword Density for SEO 101

If you’ve been writing online content or blogging for long, you have probably heard the term keyword density and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) quite a bit. Although these terms tend to be woven into the fabric of almost all conversation regarding online content now, those who are newer to blogging or writing, or who just never got a great handle on the subject, can be wondering what these things mean and how it can benefit them. If you’re in this group, the below information was written just for you. Here is an easy, simple guide to keyword density and SEO.

What is keyword density?

Keyword density is directly related to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and is simply the way in which you place keywords into your text so that search engines can find your page. For instance, if you have a website that sells handmade jewelry, and you have a lot of great pictures, and maybe a shopping cart, but you don’t have the term “handmade jewelry” anywhere on your site, or it’s only mentioned once or twice, you have very low keyword density, and your site will likely not be found in a search. Search engines deliver results to the searcher based on keywords that are being searched. If someone searches “farmers market” they are going to be given the sites that have “farmers market” and related terms mentioned in their text. Having a balanced keyword density, or the amount of times keywords like these appear on your blog, is key to getting more traffic.

SEO Keyword Density

How much is too much?

Keyword density is an art form in some ways, and in others it is incredibly natural. When you’re using keywords, you don’t want to over-saturate the page with them. Going back to our handmade jewelry example, if you have a sentence that reads like the following, you have far too much keyword density.

This handmade jewelry website is made for those who love handmade jewelry and who are looking for the best handmade jewelry that the handmade jewelry market has to offer.

It’s completely unnatural. Nobody would ever talk like that, and search engines are very smart. They can tell when text is repeated over and over in an attempt to be picked up by search engines, and what they’ll do instead is not send anyone to your webpage, as it is considered spam.

The opposite is true. If you never mention the items on your blog, or items related to it, you won’t be found because you are virtually invisible. If you sell handmade jewelry, chances are you sell necklaces, bracelets, and the like. Use related terms, as well, like in this example below.

ABC Jewelry offers the highest quality handmade jewelry available. Shop for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings by using the navigation bar to your left. Whether you are a bride searching for customized, affordable jewelry with that personal touch or simply need a new bracelet for everyday wear, the handmade jewelry options available here will suit your needs.

This is a very balanced section of text as far as keyword density goes. You’ve mentioned handmade jewelry a couple of times, but not too many, you’ve mentioned the types of jewelry you sell, and you’ve mentioned some of the people who might need your product. So, if someone is searching for “handmade bridal jewelry” or “everyday jewelry” or “handmade bracelets”, they’ll now  be more likely to be sent to your website because the search engine knows that’s what your site is about.

Speak it before you save it.

Now that you know you need to incorporate keywords into your site text, that you need site text in the first place in order to be seen by search engines, and that balance is key, there is one more tip you should follow to ensure your keyword density is sufficient but balanced. Read everything on your website aloud. If it sounds forced, take some words out, and if you find yourself not mentioning your product or main page content at all, go back and add some keywords back in.

Hopefully the above tips have helped you to understand what keyword density is and how achieving balanced keyword density can help you attract more viewers to your weight loss and health blog. Attracting traffic to your website is essentially a dance with search engines; you have to let them know you’re there, but not be too pushy and over-weighted with keywords. Get the search engines to notice you, and they’ll start returning your web page in their results to people searching for what you have to offer.

Putting the Google Analytics Code on Your WordPress Website

googleAnalytics
You just signed up for Google Analytics. AWESOME!!! Let’s set up a new account for your website.

Set Up An Account For Your Site

  1. In the top right corner of the orange bar, click on the Admin link.
  2. On the next page, right underneath the Accounts tab, click on the New Account button.
  3. Next, select Universal Analytics, and scroll down the page to where you enter your name for your website.
  4. Enter a name for your website, then enter the URL or web address for your website.
  5. Next, enter a name for the account. (You can pretty much make this the same name as your web site.)
  6. analytics2The last two options for Date Sharing Settings, you can keep both of those clicked on.
  7. Click on the Get Tracking ID button and accept the Terms of Agreement.
  8. If everything works out, on the next page you go to, you’ll see the tracking code you’ll need to apply to your site.

Apply The Code to Your WordPress Site

Ok, now this is an assumption that you have WordPress running your site. If you do not, this may not be much help to you. If you do, here are a the steps to help you apply the code to all of the pages on your site. Also, if you’re using WordPress, there are a few plugins that can help you apply the code with your site. But sometimes, even the simplest plugins have issues. So, it may be best to do this step manually. Also, make sure are using the template you want to use to run your site. If you have not selected your final template, you may want to wait until you have the look and feel you want to use for your site.

In Google Analytics, select the tracking code and copy the code from this page.

  1. Log into your WordPress site.
  2. After you log in, go to the left column and go to Appearance > Editor.
  3. On the editor page, in the left hand column, you’ll see a link for Header (header.php). Click on that link. (The header file is the file at the top of all of your site’s pages. Therefore, whatever pages you have on your site will read the code because the header controls all the pages in your site)
  4. In the code window, you need to look through the code for something that says </head>. This is the closing tag for the head code of your website. (Quick note, the head code controls all of your web page’s behind the scenes code functionality. It holds very important code for interactivity and links to your site’s visual information)
  5. You want to paste your google analytics code above the closing head tag in your code. In the end it should look something like this.
    <script>
    (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i[‘GoogleAnalyticsObject’]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
    (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
    m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
    })(window,document,’script’,’//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js’,’ga’);ga(‘create’, ‘UA-11111111-1’, ‘sitename.com’);
    ga(‘send’, ‘pageview’);</script>
    </head>
  6. Hit the Update File button below the code window, and that should do it. If you go back to Google Analytics, you can test to see if your analytics account is connected in the account window.