In this post, we take a look at how overusing your keywords can actually be harmful to your site’s ranking, whilst many still believe this method to be an advantageous strategy for SEO.

What is keyword stuffing?

Keyword stuffing is the use of your chosen keyword, over and over again within the same piece of content. These words can be found within the main text (usually unnaturally), or even hidden into the background by matching the text colour.

This is a method that once worked to manipulate your page’s ranking, by ‘tricking’ Google’s algorithms into believing that your page was rich for content around your selected keyword.

The risks

Although this used to work as an SEO tactic, Google’s algorithms continue to become smarter and smarter, and your site will now be penalised for trying this method.

But why doesn’t Google like keyword stuffing? An important factor for ranking in Google’s SERP is User Experience. Stuffing your keywords into every other sentence naturally creates a poor experience for the reader. Google will filter out your pages to ensure users are getting the best results available.

How to safely optimise for your keyword

Even though you shouldn’t over use your keyword, it is still important to use it throughout your copy.

Use your keyword as you would naturally, and use variations of your keyword too! Google will be able to recognise long-tail keyword variations and synonyms, and match your content to relevant Google searches.

For optimal results, we’d recommend a keyword density of around 3%. If you’d like any help with writing or optimising your content, then please do get in touch with us.