~~~Successful Online Writing~~~
Hello, Rank Write readers!
We've had quite a few questions this week regarding "keyphrase
density," that is, how many times your keyphrases should appear in
your visible text versus other words. To all those folks - thank
you! You've jump-started my brain about this keyword-density thing.
(BTW - note that I'm referring to keyPHRASE density. As we've
discussed in previous issues of Rank Write, getting good rankings for
keyWORDS is darn near impossible. For more information on keywords
vs. keyphrases, you can browse the Rank Write archives
http://www.rankwrite.com/archives.htm.)
There's been a lot written about keyword density, and how each
keyphrase should appear X number of times for the writing to be
effective for the search engines. There's even special software that
lets you analyze your keyphrase density, ensuring that your keyphrases
appear "enough" times. For some folks, I'm sure having an EXACT
keyphrase target number or percentage is helpful. However, when it
comes down to the actual WRITING, I don't care about the
keyphrase density. And here's why:
Sure, you can use specialized software or painstakingly count every
word to make sure that your keyphrases appear "enough" times in the
text. But, I don't think you really need to. It can be *very* easy to
get so hung up on the keyword density that your copy loses its
marketing focus (after all, you want people to buy from you once they
find your site - so the marketing flow is still important.) So,
although you may get a smiley face when the keyword analyzer crunches
your page, it doesn't mean your copy is good for your prospects. It
just means you have a whole lot o' keyphrases on your page.
I know I've said this many, many times before - but if your keyphrases
are related to your content, getting strong "keyword density" happens
naturally. Considering you can only realistically optimize for two to
four keyphrases - and you want to have at least 250 words on any
optimized page - you have plenty of room to include your keyphrases.
If you pick strong keyphrases and write strong, benefit-oriented copy
around those phrases, you should be fine. If in doubt, read your copy
out loud to make sure that your "keyphrase density" didn't
accidentally cause your copy to lose its natural marketing flow.
For more information on writing for keyphrases, you can check out our
new Rank Write article, "How to Write a Keyword-Rich Home Page the
Search Engines Will Love!" at
http://www.rankwrite.com/writehomepage.htm.
Thanks for your great questions! Keep 'em coming!
- Heather
~~~Jill's unsolicited 2 cents~~~
Just popping my head in here for a sec. to mention that I also talk a
bit about keyword density (and why not to worry about it) in my
Article, "The Myth of Gateway Pages" which you can read on the Rank
Write website at: http://www.rankwrite.com/gatewaymyth.htm
- Jill
~~~Send Us Your Questions~~~
If you have questions about online copywriting or search engine optimization (or both!), just zip us an email to questions@rankwrite.com. We've had some folks ask if their question
was "too basic" to be printed - and you don't have to worry about
that! There are no "stupid" search engine optimization or copywriting
questions, so ask away!
