Keyword density is the percentage of times a target keyword or phrase appears relative to the total word count on a page. The formula is straightforward: (Number of keyword instances ÷ Total words) × 100. If your page has 500 words and your target keyword appears 10 times, your keyword density is 2%. Most SEO tools automate this. Yoast SEO, Surfer SEO, and Clearscope all calculate keyword density as part of their content analysis. You can also do it manually by running a word count in Google Docs or Word, then using Find & Replace to count keyword instances. For exact-match phrases like "web design Ottawa", count only those complete instances, not partial matches. The industry used to obsess over hitting 1-3% density, but that's largely outdated thinking. Google's algorithms have moved far beyond simple keyword counting to semantic understanding and context. A page stuffed to 5% density will often rank worse than one at 0.8% with better topical coverage and natural language. We've seen pages at Ottawa SEO Inc. rank first with densities ranging from 0.5% to 2.8%, depending on intent and competition. What matters more today is keyword distribution and topical completeness. Your primary keyword should appear in the title, first paragraph, at least one H2, and naturally throughout the body. But you also need supporting terms and related concepts that demonstrate depth. A page about "keyword research" that never mentions search volume, competition, or intent is incomplete regardless of its exact-match density. Watch for over-optimization signals. If your keyword density exceeds 3-4%, read the page aloud. If it sounds repetitive or unnatural, you've likely crossed into spam territory. Focus instead on comprehensive coverage of the topic using natural variations and synonyms. When we audit client sites, we flag high density as a potential issue but only fix it if the content genuinely reads poorly or if rankings dropped after a core update.