Keyword density is the percentage of times a target keyword appears in your content compared to the total word count. For example, if your keyword appears 10 times in a 1,000-word article, that's a 1% keyword density. It's calculated by dividing keyword occurrences by total words, then multiplying by 100. In the early 2000s, keyword density was a major ranking factor. Sites gamed it by stuffing keywords to hit 5-7% or higher. Google's algorithm updates, especially Panda in 2011 and subsequent semantic search improvements, killed that strategy. Now, keyword stuffing triggers penalties and tanks your rankings. Modern SEO doesn't target a specific density percentage. Google's algorithms understand context, synonyms, and user intent through natural language processing. A well-written article naturally includes your target keyword and related terms without forcing repetition. Most quality content lands between 0.5-2% for primary keywords, but that's an observation, not a target. At Ottawa SEO, we focus on semantic relevance over density. We ensure the primary keyword appears in strategic locations like the title tag, H1, first 100 words, and a few subheadings. Then we write naturally, incorporating variations and related terms. If we're targeting "Ottawa web design," we'll also use "website design in Ottawa," "web development," "design services," and related phrases that Google associates with the topic. The real risk is under-optimization, not over-optimization in 2025. If you're writing 1,500 words about a topic and never mention your target keyword, Google might not understand what you're targeting. But if you mention it 40 times, you'll sound robotic and likely trigger quality filters. Practical check: Read your content aloud. If the keyword repetition sounds unnatural or forced, dial it back. Use tools like Surfer SEO or Clearscope to compare your term frequency against top-ranking competitors, but treat those as guides, not rules. Your content should satisfy user intent first, signal relevance to search engines second.