One of the biggest questions I get is: 'Becca, how many keywords should I use?' or 'how many times should I put this keyword in my post?' The answer isn't a magic number, and it’s definitely not 'as many as possible!'
If you’ve spent any time researching SEO, you’ve probably heard people talk about "Keyword Density" or "LSI phrases" until your head spins. 😵💫 When I first started, I thought I had to mention my keyword in every other sentence just to get Google's attention. And that's often how people would write!
There was even a time when people would hide tons and tons of keywords at the bottom of their pages in font text that matched the background so Google could read it but users couldn't. Boy, have we come a long way since then! Haha
Spoiler alert: That doesn't work anymore! In fact, "keyword stuffing" is the fastest way to get a "red light" from Yoast and a big "no thanks" from Google.
Today, I’m busting the 'Keyword Density' myth and showing you the scrappy way to pick your targets without making your blog post look like a spammy mess.
At The Home Business Challenge, I believe in being a practitioner, not just a theorist. That’s why I disclose that I am an affiliate for several tools mentioned in my guides. When you use my links, you’re helping support my work in finding the best "Survival" strategies for home businesses. I’m an Amazon Associate and an affiliate for brands I trust. I’ll always give you my honest take, regardless of the commission, because your trust is my most valuable asset.
🛠 1: Meet The "Hero" Keyword
Every page should have one primary keyword. This is the "Hero" of your story. It’s the main thing you want to be known for.
- The Goal: Focus 80% of your effort on making this one keyword shine in your title, your first paragraph, and your URL.
Think of your "Hero" keyword as the compass for your entire post. This is the specific phrase you want to "own" on Page 1 of Google. When you try to make a single post rank for five different big topics, you end up confusing the search engine and your readers. Instead, by picking one primary Hero, you’re telling Google exactly where to slot your content. It makes your writing more focused and ensures that when a user clicks, they are getting exactly what they expected.
To make your Hero keyword truly shine, you need to place it in the "High-Rent" districts of your page. This means putting it in your H1 title, the very first paragraph, and your URL slug. Don't overthink it—you don't need to repeat it a hundred times. Just make sure it’s prominent enough that both a human and a robot can look at your page for two seconds and say, "Okay, this post is definitely about How to Sell MTG Cards."
👥 2: Bring in the "Sidekicks" (Secondary Keywords)
You don't want to say the same thing over and over. That's where secondary keywords come in. These are just different ways of saying your main topic.
- The Strategy: Pick 3 to 5 "Sidekicks." For example, if your Hero is "How to Bake Cookies," your sidekicks might be "easy cookie recipe," "best baking tips," or "soft chocolate chip cookies."
If the Hero is the star of the show, the "Sidekicks" are the supporting cast that give the story depth. Secondary keywords are essentially synonyms or sub-topics that naturally relate to your main goal. For example, if you’re writing about "Organic Dog Treats," your sidekicks might be "healthy pet snacks," "homemade puppy biscuits," or "grain-free ingredients." Using these variations prevents your writing from sounding like a repetitive broken record and helps you "catch" people who might be searching for your topic using slightly different words.
The real magic of Sidekicks is that they help you build topical authority. Google doesn't just look for a single word anymore; it looks for "semantic meaning." By including these related terms, you’re proving to the search engine that you actually know what you're talking about and that your post is a comprehensive resource. Aim for 3 to 5 of these scattered naturally throughout your subheadings (H2s and H3s) and body text. It makes the reading experience much richer and signals to Google that your "Hero" has a strong team backing them up.
🚦 3: Forget the Math, Focus on the Flow
There is no "magic percentage" for keyword density or how many keywords you should have. If you try to force a keyword where it doesn't belong, your readers will click away faster than you can say "SEO."
Becca’s Rule of Thumb: If you can’t say it naturally in a sentence, don't use it. Google is smart enough to understand the intent of your writing, even if you don't use the exact keyword 50 times.
Back in the "old days" of the internet, people used to obsess over "Keyword Density"—the idea that your keyword had to appear exactly 2% or 3% of the time. Let’s leave that in the past! Modern SEO is all about User Intent. Google’s AI is incredibly sophisticated; it can tell if you’re "stuffing" keywords just to try and trick the system. If you force a keyword into a sentence where it doesn't fit, you'll annoy your readers, and they’ll bounce off your page. A high "bounce rate" tells Google your content isn't helpful, which will tank your rankings faster than any keyword can save them.
The "Becca" secret to getting the flow right is the Read-Aloud Test. Once you’re done writing, read your post out loud. If you find yourself tripping over a specific phrase because you used it three times in one paragraph, it’s time to hit delete. Your goal is to provide value first and optimize second. When you write naturally for your audience, you’ll find that you often include your Hero and Sidekicks without even trying. Trust your voice, keep it scrappy, and remember: if it’s a win for the reader, it’s usually a win for Google, too!
✅ Your "Where to Put Them" Checklist:
Instead of worrying about how many, worry about where. Make sure your Hero keyword is in these 5 spots:
- The Title: Tell them what the post is about!
- The First 100 Words: Hook them (and Google) early.
- One Subheading (H2): Use it to break up your text.
- The URL Slug: Keep it short and sweet.
- Image Alt Text: Tell Google what your "stars" and "toolboxes" are!
🎯 The Challenge:
Go back to your last blog post. Read it out loud. If a keyword feels "forced," swap it out for something more natural. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint—build it for your readers, and the rankings will follow! 🥂✨
📈 Don't Just Count Keywords—Build Authority
Modern SEO is less about how many times you say a word and more about how well you cover a topic. Here is what I recommend reading next to master the "New" SEO:
- The Quality Content Ratio (QCR): My secret metric for identifying "thin" content that might be hurting your rankings, regardless of your keyword count.
- Mastering the SERPs: Once you have your keywords, use this 7-step checklist to make sure your actual article is "Google-Ready."
- Building E-E-A-T: Learn why demonstrating "Trust" and "Experience" is now more important than any keyword density percentage.
