SEO experts have been debating the importance of keyword density ever since the Google Panda update was first launched back in 2011. That was more than a decade ago. Recently leaked internal documents verify that keyword density is a ranking factor, but just how important is it? Moreover, how important is it to ecommerce SEO?
For the record, Google makes use of an estimated 1,300 ranking factors. That’s why, in the past, Google officials have not denied keyword density outright as a ranking factor. Whenever asked about it, they are more prone to say that there are plenty of other ranking factors for SEO experts to worry about. That is not the same thing as saying keyword density is not a ranking factor.
We now know that it is. Internal documents inadvertently leaked as part of the testimony submitted last year in the much-publicized antitrust suit against Google prove as much. An analysis of those documents reveals that keyword density is in the top fifty ranking factors. But again, how does that impact ecommerce SEO?
The Answer Is Unclear
The good folks over at PracticalEcommerce did a little bit of research using a highly competitive keyword in ecommerce. They looked at the top five ranking domains and the number of times this keyword appeared on them. The sites in the second and fourth position demonstrated limited keyword density at 165 and 182, respectively.
By comparison, the top site on the list had a keyword density of 762 while the site in the third spot came in at 607. There is quite a bit of disparity between these four sites in terms of keyword density. Clearly other ranking factors are in play here. Keyword density cannot be as important as most of those other ranking factors, at least for ecommerce SEO, if the top ranked site has a keyword density of 762 and the second site’s density is only 165.
Another thing to consider is that keyword density is a bit different for ecommerce SEO because you are dealing with product listings and descriptions rather than longer form content. There is an expectation that an ecommerce listing will be more densely packed with keywords just by the nature of selling stuff online. You would not expect such high density in a 600-word blog post.
Google Prefers Keyword Frequency
One of the big things that interested me with the leaked Google documents is that the company prefers the word ‘frequency’ over ‘density’. We understand keyword density as the number of times a keyword appears in a piece of content compared to the total number of words in that piece. But if I understand Google’s intent correctly, considering keyword frequency places less emphasis on comparing keywords against total word counts.
The idea of frequency seems more about whether keywords are used naturally and appropriately. If I am correct, it explains why my ecommerce SEO friends over at Webtek Digital Marketing place more emphasis on the natural use of targeted keywords than mere density alone. If keywords and their many variants are used naturally and in a way that fits the content without seeming forced, the net effect on ranking will be positive.
The debate over keyword density will probably continue on for the foreseeable future. My take is that we should continue giving keywords their proper due in SEO commerce. But we should not obsess over them. Keyword density is going to be higher in ecommerce just by the very nature of the beast. That’s okay. But it is also fine to make a concerted effort to keep keyword density in check.
