When it comes to on-page SEO, one of the most important decisions you have to make is how many keywords to target per page. Many people make the mistake of targeting too many keywords, which can lead to keyword stuffing and decreased rankings. Others target too few keywords, which can prevent them from ranking at all.
There’s no strict rule for how many keywords you should target per page since it depends on the topic, page length, and other factors. However, targeting one main keyword or keyphrase per page along with some related queries (LSI keywords) is a good rule of thumb.
This blog post discusses how many keywords to target per page and offers tips for finding the right ones.
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How Search Engines Detect the Keywords?
When someone types a query into a search engine, it scans its index for pages with those keywords. If your page contains the keywords or matches the search intent better than competitors, it’s more likely to show up in the search results.
The simplest answer is that it’s more complex since Google has many more ranking factors than this.
Keyword density affects your page’s ranking, but it’s not everything. Don’t stuff keywords into your content; this can harm your rankings.
Search engines look at keyword density, relevance to the page content, keyword position, and its use in key elements like the title or meta tags.
Besides these, search engines consider many other ranking factors.
- Search engines scan for keywords
- Consider keyword density but avoid stuffing
- Assess relevance and position on page
How Many Keywords Should You Target Per Page?
As I mentioned before, there aren’t specific rules for keyword targeting per page. Focus on a particular keyword. If other keywords naturally appear in the content, you can keep them too.
SEO focuses on quality. Keyword stuffing can turn off readers and Google. Ensure your keywords are relevant and valuable.
Besides your main keywords, use LSI (latent semantic indexing) or related terms linked to your primary keyword. These words help search engines grasp the context of your content, boosting your rankings.
- Focus on a particular keyword
- Quality over quantity
- Use LSI keywords
How to Choose the Related Terms for Your Main Keyword?
Use Google’s “Searches related to” section at the end of the SERP or Google Trends to find related terms. Enter your main keyword in the search bar, then scroll down. You’ll see a list of related searches, which are potential LSI keywords you can use in your content.
If you search for “how to make apple pie,” Google will show related searches like “apple pie in a can” and “open apple pie.”
Find related terms in the “People also search for” section. Enter your main keyword into the search bar and scroll to the bottom for a list of semantically related terms. These potential LSI keywords can enhance your content.
Use the “People also ask” section to find related queries. This shows questions people often search for related to your keyword. Utilize these questions as subheadings and answer them in your content.
Can a Page Rank for Multiple for Keywords?
Of course, a page can rank for multiple phrases. Use as many related terms as possible in the article to increase your chance of ranking high on the SERP for several terms.
SEO Tools to Optimize Your Content
I’ve found several helpful tools for keyword research and optimization. Some of these are:
Ahrefs or SEMrush let you research keywords, revealing search volume and competition. This info helps in picking the best keywords to target.
SurferSEO helps you analyze and optimize your content for specific keywords, improving your rankings. Use it to enhance both new and old content with accurate keyword placements.
Other tools like Moz and Google Keyword Planner can help too.