Keyword density stopped being a useful SEO metric around 2005 when Google's algorithms evolved beyond simple term-frequency analysis. Aiming for a specific percentage like "2-3% density" is a relic of an era when search engines couldn't understand context. Modern algorithms use natural language processing, entity recognition, and neural matching to evaluate whether a page genuinely answers a query. What replaced keyword density is topical authority and semantic completeness. Google evaluates whether you cover the core concepts and related entities a searcher expects for a given query. If you're writing about mortgage rates in Ottawa, the algorithm expects to see contextual terms like "fixed versus variable," "amortization," "stress test," and "down payment"—not because you stuffed them in, but because a comprehensive answer naturally includes them. Forced repetition actually works against you now. Keyword stuffing triggers quality filters and creates a poor user experience that increases bounce rates. If a target keyword appears in your title, H1, first 100 words, and a few subheadings where it makes sense, you've covered the basics. Beyond that, focus on synonyms and related phrases that match how real people search. At Ottawa SEO, we track term usage during content audits, but only to spot unnatural patterns—either over-optimization or under-optimization where a page never mentions its supposed topic. The goal is readability first. If a keyword feels awkward in a sentence, we rephrase rather than force it. The one exception is exact-match anchors in title tags and URLs, where precision still carries weight for relevance signals. But in body content, write for humans. Use your target keyword where it flows naturally, sprinkle in variations, and cover the topic thoroughly. Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough to connect the dots without you highlighting every instance of a phrase. Content that reads well almost always outranks content that hits an arbitrary density target.