Keyword Density Checker
Measure keyword density, mentions and readability in any text
The exact phrase you are optimizing for. Single or multi-word.
Long-form content uses a tighter 0.5-1.5% band because a high count over many words reads as stuffing.
Paste the full text you plan to publish. The word count drives which density band applies.
What this result means
Adjust the inputs above to see the analysis.
How this is calculated
The word count uses a standard word-boundary match, so punctuation and spacing do not inflate the total. Exact mentions count each full occurrence of the phrase; overlapping matches are counted once. The recommended band is 0.5% to 2.5% for content under one thousand words and 0.5% to 1.5% above that threshold, because long content that repeats a phrase heavily reads as stuffing.
- Under 0.5% the phrase may be too sparse for the page to signal relevance for that term.
- Over the upper band the copy risks tripping keyword-stuffing filters.
- Flesch reading ease is calculated per the standard formula and is shown alongside density so readability is checked at the same time.
Numbers you can check
A 300-word article that uses "high-yield savings account" four times has a density of 1.33%, inside the recommended band.
How Keyword Density Works
Keyword density is the share of words in a piece of content that match the exact phrase you are targeting. Divide the number of times the phrase appears by the total word count, multiply by 100, and you have the density. Search engines stopped ranking pages on raw density years ago, but the metric still matters for one practical reason: it is the fastest way to catch keyword stuffing, which Google lists explicitly as a spam tactic that can get a page demoted or removed from results.
A checker is worth running before you publish, not to hit a target number, but to confirm the phrase appears enough times to signal relevance without clustering so densely that the copy reads like it was written for a crawler. Natural writing usually lands between 0.5% and 2.5% on short pieces and tightens toward 0.5% to 1.5% once a piece passes roughly a thousand words.
Why exact-match counting still uses word boundaries
The counter matches whole words, not raw substrings, so a search for "rate" does not fire on "generate" and a search for "car" does not fire on "carry." Multi-word phrases count every word in the phrase toward the total word count but count each complete occurrence as one mention, which keeps the density figure honest when the target is a phrase rather than a single word.
Readability and density are checked together
A page can sit in the ideal density band and still read poorly, so the tool scores Flesch reading ease on the same pasted text. The score is a rough guide, not a grade to chase, but it catches the common failure mode of dense, jargon-heavy copy that ranks for nobody because nobody finishes reading it.
Written by Finance Experts · Last updated October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good keyword density?
Most well-optimized pages land between 0.5% and 2.5%. Content over one thousand words trends toward 0.5% to 1.5% because heavy repetition in long copy reads as stuffing.
Is keyword density a ranking factor?
No. Google does not use keyword density as a ranking signal, but abnormally high density is a hallmark of keyword stuffing, which the spam policies penalize.
How does this tool count mentions?
It counts each full, word-boundary match of the exact phrase. Multi-word phrases count every word toward the total word count but count each complete match as one mention.
What is keyword stuffing?
Keyword stuffing is loading a page with a target phrase, or its variations, to manipulate ranking. Google's spam policies list it explicitly, and it can get a page demoted or removed from results.
Does readability matter alongside density?
Yes. A page can sit in the ideal density band and still read poorly. The Flesch reading ease score shown here flags content that is hard to follow regardless of keyword usage.
Should I aim for a specific density number?
No. Write for the reader first, then use the density reading to confirm the phrase appears enough to signal relevance without clustering so densely that the copy reads like it was written for a crawler.
Related Tools
Avoiding Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing is the practice of loading a page with a target phrase, or variations of it, in an attempt to manipulate where it ranks. Google's spam policies name it directly, and the easiest way to avoid it is to write the phrase as often as a reader would expect it and no more. Use synonyms and related terms so the page covers the topic the way an expert would explain it.
If a draft comes back flagged as over the band, the fix is almost never to delete mentions blindly. Read the page aloud, keep the phrase where it earns its place in a heading or a key sentence, and swap the rest for natural variants. That keeps the relevance signal while removing the pattern that looks like manipulation.
Finally, density is one input among many. A page in the ideal band with thin content, no internal links and a weak backlink profile will not outrank a well-built competitor, so treat the number as a guardrail rather than a goal.
Data Sources & Citations
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Reading the number
Enter values to see a practical interpretation.
The tool uses only the inputs you set, with the formula published below.
Keyword density is only one signal among many. Match count and reading level are estimates from the pasted text alone; they do not judge topical quality, intent or backlink profile.
Concepts connected to this tool
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