Keyword density is the percentage of times your target keyword appears on a page relative to the total word count. Calculate it by dividing keyword occurrences by total words and multiplying by 100. A page with 1,200 words using "Ottawa web design" 15 times has 1.25% density. The historical context matters here. Early 2000s SEO relied heavily on keyword density formulas, with many practitioners targeting 3–5% or higher. Google's algorithm updates, particularly Panda and RankBrain, shifted focus to semantic understanding and user intent. Keyword stuffing became a penalty risk rather than a ranking advantage. Today's practical range sits between 0.5–2.5% for primary keywords. Going below 0.5% often means you're not clearly signaling what the page is about. Pushing above 3% starts feeling unnatural and risks triggering over-optimization filters. The exact sweet spot depends on your keyword length and content type. Single-word keywords like "SEO" naturally appear more often than four-word phrases like "enterprise SEO services Ottawa." At Ottawa SEO Inc., we don't target specific density percentages when optimizing client pages. Instead, we write naturally for the topic and then check density as a sanity measure. If we're below 0.5%, we look for missed opportunities to reinforce the topic. If we're above 2.5%, we review for redundancy and replace some instances with related terms or pronouns. What actually matters more than raw density: keyword placement in title tags, H1s, first 100 words, and image alt text. Semantic variations and related terms throughout the body content. Content that directly answers the search intent behind your keyword. The obsession with keyword density is mostly outdated. Google's natural language processing understands synonyms, context, and topic coverage. A page about "real estate lawyers Toronto" doesn't need to repeat that exact phrase 20 times. It ranks better with variations like "property attorneys," "conveyancing services," and coverage of related subtopics. Use density as a diagnostic tool, not a target. If your numbers look extreme in either direction, investigate why and adjust for readability first, SEO second.