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Keyword Density for the Real Estate Website

By James Kimmons, About.com

It's Keywords or Key Phrases:

Actually, you're probably looking to optimize a page more for a certain phrase of two to five words, rather than a single keyword. So don't let the term "keyword density" throw you off track. Choose the phrase you want to work with in the context of an interesting and readable article for your visitors and you're ready to move forward in your search engine optimization.

What Keyword Density Means:

When working with SEO, the webmaster, or the real estate agent, will be concerned with the number of times their keyword or phrase is used on the page in relation to the rest of the text. It's usually expressed as a percentage number that expresses the ratio of appearance of their key phrase in relation to all the text on the page.

What's the Ideal Keyword Density Number?:

Searching on the phrase "ideal keyword density" will take you to lots of information on the subject. Most will tell you that too high a density, or too many uses of your key phrase, will be considered keyword spamming and hurt more than help. So what's the number? There seems to be a great deal of discussion centered around 3% to as high as 8%, though some say keep it around 2% to 3% for Google.

Don't over-analyze this. The point is to write your article for your visitor, keeping in mind the phrase you want to use for search engine optimization. It should be used in proper context and be site-relevant.

Write for Your Visitor - Then the SEO:

The major objective is to create your website content for your site visitor. You should be placing articles that they want to read, with information they want or need.

Once you've decided on an article topic for the visitor, then you can do research on the best keyword or phrase for optimization. This will hopefully get you noticed by the search engine for that phrase and get the visitor to the page.

What's the Best Word or Phrase to Use?:

At the end of this article you'll find links to free sites that will help you to make a selection. Enter a word or very short phrase you're considering, and these sites will show you the popularity of your term and others that are similar.

Select the word or phrase you want to use, and then make sure that it's in the text of the article as well as in these locations:

  • the page meta title;
  • the page meta description; and
  • the page article title in bold and heading font.
  • How Do You Check the Keyword Density?:

    There are also links at the end of this article for checking the keyword density of your page. Some will only prompt for the URL and the one key phrase you want to check, giving you the results as a percentage.

    Others will just take the URL, analyze it, and give you a number of words and phrases used on the page with their densities. Either way, you want to know if you have the keyword density that you need for your chosen phrase.

    Don't Get Bogged Down in the Details and Numbers:

    This information about real estate website keyword density has its place in your site planning and content development. You definitely need to use it as part of your overall SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, strategy.

    However, remember that it's part of a much larger plan. That plan will take time and effort. But it will result in a successful real estate website that generates productive leads for your business. There are no shortcuts. Work on your plan to:

  • develop large amounts of area real estate content;
  • place content that prospects will want and need;
  • write first for your visitor and easy reading;
  • find the best page keyword or phrase & work it in; and
  • do it all again for the next page.
  • After all this keyword density discussion, remember that your real estate site will ultimately gain prominence from a lot of different things that you do to promote it. As the search engines get better at determining the relevance of a key phrase to the overall focus of your site, density percentages begin to drop in importance.

    So remember that the major goal is a large body of content relevant to your site's area real estate theme. Keep on that course and you'll get there.

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