Keyword Density Checker
Paste a blog post or page copy to see which words and phrases you use most. Get counts and density for 1, 2 and 3-word phrases, and check whether your target keyword is used too little or too often.
| # | Keyword / phrase | Count | Density | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paste some text to see keyword density. | ||||
How to use the Keyword Density Checker
- Paste your text into the box, for example a draft article or a product page.
- Enter a target keyword if you want a verdict for the phrase you are trying to rank for.
- Choose the filters: exclude stop words, ignore numbers and set the minimum number of occurrences.
- Press Check density and switch between 1-word, 2-word and 3-word phrases.
- Adjust your copy using the recommendation, then press Export CSV to keep the results.
Keyword density formula
Density % = occurrences × words in the phrase ÷ total words × 100
Counting the words in the phrase means a 3-word phrase takes up three times as much of the text as a single word, so single words and phrases can be compared fairly. Total words always include stop words and numbers, even when they are filtered out of the table.
Example: a 400-word article uses “cold brew” 6 times. Density = 6 × 2 ÷ 400 × 100 = 3.00%, which is above the usual 2.5% guide, so a few mentions could be replaced with “it”, “the brew” or “this coffee”. The single word “coffee” used 8 times gives 8 × 1 ÷ 400 × 100 = 2.00%.
How to read the target keyword verdict
| Density | Verdict | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Not found | Add the keyword to the title, the first paragraph and a subheading. |
| Under 0.5% | Low | Mention it a few more times where it reads naturally. |
| 0.5% – 2.5% | Good | Clear topic signal without stuffing. Focus on quality. |
| Over 2.5% | Too high | Swap some mentions for synonyms, related terms or pronouns. |
These ranges are rules of thumb used by many SEO writers, not limits published by search engines. Short texts swing quickly: in a 100-word paragraph, a single mention is already 1%.
Tips for natural keyword use
- Write for people first. Read the text out loud. If the keyword sounds forced, it probably is.
- Use variations. Plural forms, synonyms and related phrases (for example “iced coffee”, “coffee concentrate”) help readers and search engines understand the topic.
- Place it where it matters. The page title, the first 100 words, one subheading and the meta description carry more weight than repeating the keyword in every paragraph.
- Check the 2 and 3-word lists. They reveal the real topics of your text and often suggest long-tail keywords you did not plan.
- Watch for accidental repetition. A word you did not intend to target at the top of the 1-word list is a sign to vary your wording.
Frequently asked questions
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is the share of the words in a text that belong to a given keyword or phrase. This tool calculates it as occurrences × words in the phrase ÷ total words × 100, so a 2-word phrase used 5 times in 500 words has a density of 2%.
What is a good keyword density for SEO?
There is no official number. Many SEO guides suggest roughly 0.5% to 2.5% for the main keyword. Search engines care far more about relevance and natural writing than an exact percentage, so use the verdict as a guide, not a rule.
What does excluding stop words do?
Stop words are very common words like the, and, of and to. When the option is on, single stop words are hidden and phrases that start or end with a stop word are skipped, so the list shows meaningful keywords instead of “of the” or “in a”. Total word counts always include every word.
Why don't phrases cross commas and sentences?
A phrase split by punctuation, like “coffee. Strain”, is not something a reader sees as one phrase. Splitting at punctuation gives more accurate 2 and 3-word phrase counts.
Is the target keyword match case-sensitive?
No. All text is lower-cased, and curly apostrophes are treated like straight ones. The keyword is matched as a whole sequence of words, so “brew” does not match inside “brewing”.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser and nothing you paste is uploaded or stored on a server.