Keyword density between 1–2% is a reasonable baseline, meaning your target keyword appears once or twice per hundred words. In practice, you should never write to hit a number. Google's NLP models understand synonyms, related terms, and context, so stuffing your exact keyword to reach 3% or 4% usually backfires by making content robotic and triggering over-optimization filters. Instead, focus on semantic keyword distribution. Use your primary keyword in the title tag, H1, first paragraph, and one or two subheadings where it fits naturally. Then cover the topic with related terms, question variations, and supporting concepts. A 1,200-word blog post might mention the exact keyword 12–15 times, but you'll also use close variants and topical synonyms another 20–30 times. What matters more than density: - Topic completeness: Does your content answer the question and related sub-questions? - User intent match: Does the page deliver what searchers expect when they type that keyword? - Engagement signals: Do visitors stay, scroll, and click through, or bounce immediately? At Ottawa SEO, we rarely calculate keyword density manually. We write for the user first, then audit the draft to ensure the target keyword appears in critical on-page elements and feels natural when read aloud. If a keyword shows up 8 times in 800 words versus 16 times, the difference is negligible if the content is comprehensive and well-structured. Watch out for keyword dilution on thin pages. A 300-word service page with the keyword appearing once might underperform simply because there's not enough content to establish topical authority. Conversely, a 2,000-word guide with 50 mentions of the same phrase will read like spam. The sweet spot is enough repetition to signal relevance without sacrificing readability. Modern SEO is about proving you understand the topic deeply, not counting keywords.