Keyword Density Checker
Paste any text and instantly see word frequency, occurrence count, and keyword density percentage. Filter stopwords, pick how many results to show. Runs entirely in your browser — no signup.
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Keyword Density Checker
How the Keyword Density Checker Works
- 1Paste or type your text into the box. The table updates instantly — no button needed.
- 2Enable Filter stopwords to remove common words like "the", "and", "is" and focus on meaningful keywords.
- 3Use Show top to limit results to the 10, 20, 50, or 100 most frequent terms.
- 4Review the bar chart column to visually compare how dominant each keyword is relative to the top result.
Using Keyword Density for SEO
Keyword density is one signal among many. Use this tool to verify your primary keyword appears naturally throughout your content — not to hit an exact percentage. Scan for unintended repetitions that might read as stuffing, and check that secondary keywords and semantic variants are present to support topical authority.
What Keyword Density Really Tells You
Keyword density is simply the percentage of a text made up of a given word or phrase — the keyword count divided by the total word count, times 100. It is best understood as a diagnostic, not a target. A very low density for a term you meant to be central can reveal that you have drifted off topic or leaned too heavily on pronouns and vague references. A surprisingly high density for a word you never intended as a keyword often flags clunky, repetitive phrasing that would benefit from editing. Reading the density table as a mirror of what your writing actually emphasises — rather than a score to game — is what makes it genuinely useful for improving content.
The Myth of the "Perfect" Density
It is worth being clear about modern SEO reality: there is no magic keyword-density percentage that ranks pages. Early search engines leaned heavily on raw keyword frequency, which led to keyword stuffing — cramming a term in unnaturally to manipulate rankings. Search engines long ago moved past that, and today they use sophisticated language understanding that rewards natural, genuinely useful writing and can penalise obvious over-optimisation. The practical guidance most practitioners still follow is loose: aim for roughly 1–3% on a primary keyword, treat anything above about 5% as a warning sign, and above all write for the reader first. This tool helps you confirm your keyword is present and not overused, which is all density can honestly tell you.
Beyond a Single Keyword: Semantic Coverage
Because search engines understand meaning rather than just matching strings, the smartest use of this checker is not to fixate on one exact phrase but to look at the whole picture of terms your content emphasises. Enable stopword filtering to strip out low-meaning words like “the” and “and” and see which topic words actually dominate. Then ask whether the related terms and synonyms a genuine expert would use are present — these signal topical depth far more effectively than repeating one keyword. Pasting a top-ranking competitor's page into the tool is a good way to spot which supporting concepts they cover that your draft is missing, revealing content gaps rather than a number to chase.
Tips for Keyword Density Analysis
Aim for 1–3% on Primary Keywords
Most SEO practitioners target a primary keyword density of 1–3%. Much lower suggests underuse; much higher risks over-optimisation penalties.
Use Semantic Variants
Search engines understand synonyms. Include related terms (LSI keywords) alongside your primary keyword to signal topical depth without repetition.
Check Headings Separately
Paste just your headings to see which keywords dominate your structure. Search engines weight heading text more heavily than body copy.
Analyse Competitor Content
Copy a top-ranking competitor page into the tool to see which keywords they emphasise. Use this to identify gaps in your own content.
Watch for Accidental Repetition
High density for words you did not intend as keywords often indicates clunky phrasing. It is a good signal to revise those sections for variety.
Compare Before and After Editing
Run the tool on your draft, edit the content, then run it again. The density table lets you track how your revisions shift keyword balance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is the percentage of times a specific word or phrase appears in a piece of text relative to the total word count. For example, if "marketing" appears 10 times in a 500-word article, its density is 2%. It is commonly used in SEO to assess whether content naturally uses target keywords without over-optimising.
What is a good keyword density for SEO?
There is no universally agreed figure, but most SEO practitioners aim for 1–3% for primary keywords. Above 5% risks being flagged as keyword stuffing by search engines, which can harm rankings. The best approach is to write naturally and ensure the keyword appears in key positions: title, headings, first paragraph, and conclusion.
What are stopwords and should I filter them?
Stopwords are very common words like "the", "and", "is", "in" that carry little semantic meaning. For SEO analysis, filtering them out gives a cleaner picture of the content's actual topic keywords. For general text analysis — e.g. studying writing style — you may want to keep them. The tool lets you toggle stopword filtering with a checkbox.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. The keyword density analysis runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never sent to any server, never logged, and never stored. You can safely paste confidential documents, drafts, or proprietary content.
How is density calculated?
Density is calculated as: (keyword count ÷ total word count) × 100. Total word count includes all words in the input — including stopwords — even when the stopword filter is enabled. This ensures density figures remain comparable regardless of filter settings.
Does the tool handle punctuation?
Yes. The tool strips most punctuation before counting, so "marketing," and "marketing." are both counted as "marketing". Apostrophes in contractions (e.g. "don't") and hyphens in compound words are preserved, so "don't" and "well-known" each count as one word.
Does keyword density still matter for modern SEO?
It matters as a diagnostic, not as a ranking target. Modern search engines use advanced language understanding and no longer reward hitting a specific density figure — and they can penalise obvious keyword stuffing. What density is genuinely useful for is confirming that your primary keyword appears naturally in your content and is not accidentally overused. Write for the reader first, then use the density table to check your keyword coverage, rather than editing to reach a magic percentage.
What is keyword stuffing and how do I avoid it?
Keyword stuffing is unnaturally cramming a keyword into content to try to manipulate rankings, such as repeating a phrase far more than normal writing would. It reads awkwardly to humans and can trigger search-engine penalties. To avoid it, write naturally, use synonyms and related terms instead of repeating the same phrase, and treat a density above roughly 5% for one keyword as a signal to revise. This checker helps you spot over-repetition before it becomes a problem.
Why should I filter stopwords when analysing content?
Stopwords — extremely common words like "the," "and," "is," and "in" — usually top any raw frequency count but say nothing about a text's actual topic. Filtering them out gives a much clearer picture of the meaningful keywords your content emphasises, which is what matters for SEO and topical analysis. For studying writing style or readability, you might leave them in, which is why the tool makes stopword filtering an optional toggle.
How can I use this to analyse competitor content?
Copy the visible text of a top-ranking competitor page into the tool, enable stopword filtering, and look at which topic words dominate their content. This reveals the concepts and supporting terms they emphasise, helping you spot gaps your own draft does not yet cover. Rather than copying their exact keyword counts, use the insight to make sure your content addresses the same important subtopics — often more thoroughly — which is what builds genuine topical authority.