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How many SEO keywords should I use per page, post, or article to naturally achieve a high ranking on Google?
Tanmay Mendiratta
January 20, 2026
8:20 am
You’re creating new content and wondering how many SEO keywords are appropriate to include per page without over-optimizing.
You’ll also want to know:
Where to use your main keywords,
How to incorporate secondary keywords, LSI keywords, and semantic variations,
And whether keyword density still matters for search engine rankings.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to create modern SEO content so you can understand which keywords to choose, how often to use them, and how to best optimize your site for Google search.
Aim for Natural Writing, not for Keyword Stuffing
TL;DR – Quick Summary
Pick one primary keyword per page; support with 2–4 secondary keywords
Aim for natural writing, not stuffing & keep keyword density under 1–2%
Place keywords in title, H1, first 100 words, and meta description
Use LSI & semantic phrases; avoid keyword stuffing
Google rewards depth & user experience, not density percentages
Table of Contents
What SEO Keywords Are and How They Relate to the User or Search Intent?
SEO keywords are specific words or phrases that help connect your content to what people are searching for on Google.
When you choose a target keyword or a list of keywords, it’s crucial to understand the type of information people are looking for when they type that query.
This will help you refine your strategy.
Does SEO Keyword Density Still Matter for Search Engine Ranking?
Keyword density indicates how often a specific keyword is used on a page in relation to the total number of words.
Modern search engine optimization no longer relies on strict keyword frequency formulas, but excessive keyword stuffing is still considered a negative signal, per Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines.
Instead of focusing on achieving the perfect keyword density number, make sure your content sounds natural when you read it aloud. Doing so will make your content not only easier to read but also more engaging.
Over-optimizing keywords can harm your content:
If the same target keyword appears repeatedly in every sentence, it can negatively impact the user experience. Furthermore, search engines might consider this keyword stuffing rather than helpful optimization.
Use One Primary Keyword and Multiple Keywords Naturally
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Primary vs Secondary Keywords: Use One to Lead
A modern SEO approach is most effective when you choose a primary keyword for each page and strategically include secondary keywords that complement the main topic.
Aspect
Primary Keywords
Secondary Keywords
Definition
It signals the main topic to the search engine and confirms the user’s intent.
Ensure you carefully use supporting terms, variations, LSI keywords, and long-tail phrases related to your primary keyword.
Quantity Per Page
Strengthen your focus by using the main keywords on each page.
There is no fixed number of related keywords; the number can vary based on the length of the phrase and as needed.
Purpose
This signals the main topic to the search engine and confirms the user’s intent.
This adds deep semantic context, allowing related questions to be easily covered without losing focus.
Frequency
Maintain a maximum density of 1-3%; keep your usage natural and light, and avoid doing it repeatedly.
Maintain a low density and sprinkle them lightly where they fit in order to enhance the user experience.
Risk if Over-optimise
Keep in mind that excessive use can lead to keyword stuffing and potential penalties.
If necessary, keep it to a minimum; this helps avoid being flagged for thin content.
Research Focus
The goal is for you to handle a higher volume of work, with at least moderate difficulty, and to answer user queries as accurately as possible.
Focus on low-volume searches and less competitive keywords.
Use these words in your content only when they fit naturally, rather than repeatedly using the same keyword to meet a specific density percentage.
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The Answer:
How Many SEO Keywords Should I Use Per Page to Optimise Content Naturally?
Currently, the most effective SEO strategy is to select one main keyword for each page.
In addition, use secondary keywords that are related to the main keyword.
Finally, to explain your topic even more effectively, include semantic phrases, long-tail queries, and different keyword variations.
Remember to customize these based on your audience’s search intent, as Google’s algorithm focuses more on context than exact matches.
A Pro Tip: The correct use of synonyms, LSI keywords, NLP keywords, and semantic SEO keywords makes your content more intelligent. These words help search engines understand the true meaning of your content and make your language more natural and easier to understand, resulting in a better user experience.
A step-by-step is a simple and effective method that works for everyone, from beginners to SEO experts.
Step 1: Keyword Selection
To understand a primary search term, conduct keyword research and see how its difficulty, volume, and relevance align with your business.
Quick Hack: By using keyword research tools or SEO tools, you can easily identify primary and secondary keywords, along with keyword difficulty, search volume, and other important metrics.
Step 2: Keyword Clustering
Perform keyword clustering to create a simple and accurate list where each keyword matches the main topic or objective, so that your plan works even better.
Step 3: Topic Mapping
Create a clear outline that thoroughly incorporates subtopics related to search intent and secondary keywords for each section.
Step 4: Natural Optimisation
Write the article naturally, follow best SEO practices, and include the main keywords in important sections. Additionally, feel free to include related keywords where appropriate.
Expert Move: Use content-writing tools and keyword density tools for articles, landing pages, and posts. They check the top Google search results for your keyword and spot strong keywords, meta titles, and descriptions. They also suggest how often to use keywords (like 0.5–2%) to stay natural.
Best Placements for Keywords in the Content
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Discover the best places to insert keywords in any page, post, or article, making it easier for you to optimize your content:
Page Element
Recommended Placement
Best Practice
Title tag
Include the main keywords, and add them at the beginning if possible.
Keep it under 60 characters, match the intent, and avoid keyword stuffing.
Meta description
Include the primary keyword and other keywords naturally within 150-160 characters.
Summarize the page concisely, make it appealing for clicks; if possible, include keywords at the beginning.
H1
Include the primary keyword along with secondary keywords, as this directly reflects the title.
Make it clean and user-focused; every page should have an H1 heading.
URL / Slug
Include keyword phrases or a shortened version.
Keep it short, connect words with hyphens, and use lowercase letters.
First 100 words
Include the primary keyword once in the introductory paragraph.
Deliver value immediately; integrate seamlessly.
Subheadings (H2/H3)
Use variations in subheadings and related phrases.
Divide the content into scannable sections; use LSI and long-tail variants.
Body content
Include the keywords naturally multiple times.
Summarize the page concisely, make it appealing for clicks; if possible, include keywords at the beginning.
Image file names & alt text
Include keywords where necessary (image alt text). (A focus keyword is optional)
Describe the image accurately; keep the alt text concise.
Internal anchor text
Describe the image accurately; keep the alt text concise.
Prioritize readability; focus on topical coverage rather than a fixed density of information.
External anchor text (outbound)
Use natural-sounding words when creating links.
Link to reliable sources; avoid exact matches as much as possible.
Schema / Structured data
If necessary, include keywords in the schema fields (headline, description).
Use the correct schema type (Article, FAQ) to display the content.
FAQ snippets
Create questions using keywords. (A target keyword is optional)
Answer briefly; use Q&A schema to improve SERP rankings for real estate.
Step 5: Content Refinement
To improve clarity and user experience, please shorten the sections where the SEO keywords are too specific, forced, or repetitive.
Step 6: Tool Validation
Use content auditing tools to double-check basic on-page elements, but rely on your experience and understanding rather than chasing a specific number of keywords on every page.
Benefits of Using SEO Keywords Naturally
When you use this method to select and incorporate primary, secondary, and semantic keywords, you can gain many significant benefits for both search engines and readers.
Clearer relevance for Google and users
By combining your main keywords with related secondary and semantic terms, you make it easier for search engines to understand your main topic and connect it with relevant queries. This improves your visibility and relevance.
Natural content that avoids penalties
Instead of focusing strictly on keyword density, prioritize natural keywords to improve your website’s readability and achieve higher rankings in search engine results. It also ensures your content is more engaging and useful for human readers, which aligns with Google’s guidelines.
Stronger topical authority and rankings
Using secondary keywords, LSI phrases, and long-tail variations effectively makes your content richer and more comprehensive. This allows you to better capture related searches and achieve consistent and improved rankings over time.
More qualified, conversion‑ready traffic
Carefully choosing keywords and placing them in the right locations attracts visitors who are interested in your content. This increases engagement, leads to more conversions, and ultimately improves your overall SEO ROI.
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Mistakes to Avoid When Using SEO Keywords
Even with a strong strategy, some common mistakes can quietly impact your results. When you’re determining the number of SEO keywords and using your main keywords effectively, it’s crucial to avoid these key errors.
1. Chasing a fixed “perfect” number of SEO keywords
It’s crucial to understand that focusing on relevance and depth is far more important than simply concentrating on a predetermined number of SEO keywords, as explained in Yoast on density. When we try to force a specific number of keywords into every page, it often leads to unnecessary repetition and weak content that could be much better.
2. Targeting too many topics on one page
I want to reiterate that focusing on your main topic and using other related keywords effectively can help improve your page’s ranking. Search engines need similar concepts to understand your content better, making your page even more targeted and effective.
3. Ignoring long‑tail keywords and intent
Relying solely on broad and competitive phrases and neglecting long-tail keyword opportunities can hinder your SEO performance. Long-tail terms typically drive more relevant traffic because they align with the specific problems or goals of your audience.
4. Stuffing keywords without real context
Some pages haphazardly insert keywords without considering how well they fit into the sentences or how they clarify the message. Instead, incorporate words and phrases into your content that genuinely help readers and strongly support the topic, so that each keyword contributes to clarity and understanding rather than just creating noise.
5. Misusing the semantic and LSI keywords concepts
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) and semantic SEO are often misunderstood as simply adding as many related keywords as possible. The real goal is to use semantically related terms where they naturally describe the topic, not to cram every possible keyword into a single paragraph.
6. Copying competitors without adapting to your page
Let’s say you’re running a blog and you copy all the headings and keywords from a top-ranking article without adapting them to your own perspective or audience. Even if that site is doing top-notch SEO, blindly copying its keyword patterns can negatively impact your page’s uniqueness and user experience.
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How Google Views Keyword Stuffing And Updates
Google prefers content that focuses on user needs, usefulness, and clarity, rather than content that tries to boost rankings by unnecessarily repeating keywords.
Algorithm updates have gradually reduced the effectiveness of keyword stuffing and have encouraged content that naturally uses keywords and is genuinely valuable.
If Google detects excessive use of a particular keyword or attempts to manipulate search engine rankings, your page may receive a lower ranking.
The best SEO practice is to understand search engines as intelligent readers who value not just the number of keywords, but also relevance, depth, and a great user experience.
View the Google Algorithm Evolution Timeline (from Keyword Density → Intent-Based)
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1). What is a good number of keywords for SEO?
An easy and effective approach is to focus on the main keyword and related terms for each page, rather than stuffing multiple keywords onto every page. This makes it easier for search engines to understand the main topic of the page and also avoids keyword stuffing.
Key Rule: Use simple and natural language, keeping the user’s needs in mind. Avoid unnecessary repetition and use keywords in important places such as the title, headings, the first 100 words, image alt text, and meta tags.
Quality and relevance are far more important than simply meeting a certain keyword count.
Q2). What does the 80/20 principle mean in the context of SEO?
In SEO, the 80/20 rule means that approximately 20% of your pages or keywords generate about 80% of your traffic, so prioritize and optimize those top-performing keywords.
Therefore, it’s crucial to understand which keywords are actually driving the most traffic to your website, and then analyzing your competitors to focus on those high-performing keywords can be incredibly helpful.
Furthermore, conducting thorough keyword research is a vital way to make your digital marketing efforts even more effective.
Q3). What are the 3 C’s of SEO?
The three Cs of SEO are Content, Context, and Conversion. These three pillars must work together seamlessly. This allows search engines to understand your message in the correct context.
Content: Use high-quality information to provide the best possible answer to their query. Select a primary keyword, expanded with related terms, so you can cover the topic and the long-tail variations that people search for.
Context means helping search engines better understand the context through semantic relationships and keyword variations. Identify keywords related to your main topic and use AI SEO tools like Semrush to analyze your competitors.
Conversion means using keywords effectively, understanding user intent, and motivating visitors to take the desired action. This allows you to transform targeted traffic into better results, which is crucial for achieving high rankings in both SERPs and FAQs.
Q4). How many keywords per 1000 words?
Aim for one main keyword plus 2–4 related/secondary keywords per 1000 words. When measuring density, aim for about 1–2% (≈10–20 occurrences) for the main term, but prioritize natural, valuable content over exact counts.
Q5). Can I target two keywords with one piece of content?
You can often combine both keywords when they have a similar purpose and are very similar to the main keyword.
However, generally speaking, it’s best to focus on one main keyword and use the others as supporting terms. If two keywords represent significantly different search queries, create separate content for each so that search engines can easily understand which page should rank for which query.
Q6). What if a secondary keyword density becomes higher than the primary keyword?
Google primarily values natural writing over strict keyword density. Including just one primary keyword in the main elements is sufficient, while secondary keywords can be easily and naturally incorporated throughout the text.
Use optimization tools for monitoring, but don’t forget to prioritize natural flow. If the density of secondary keywords increases naturally, it indicates that the content is thoroughly covering the entire topic, which is one of the most effective ways to improve rankings.
Q7). Does Google count English grammar words as keywords?
No. Grammatical words like (the, is, and, etc.) are not counted as SEO keywords. Google focuses on meaningful words that serve as primary keywords.
For ranking purposes, only the content words matter. It’s best to use just one primary keyword in key locations. Rankings are determined by the common keywords and phrases people search for, not by grammar.
Final Thoughts
The best SEO approach right now isn’t to ask, “How many SEO keywords should I use on each page?” but rather to think, “How well does this page answer queries related to my target keywords?” This approach will help you achieve even better results for your website.
Use one main keyword on each page, and support it with related keywords and semantic variations. Always think from the user’s perspective first.
When business owners and SEO professionals use SEO correctly, taking into account the SEMRush Study on keyword research, user intent, and user experience, they provide valuable E-E-A-T signals to both Google and AI systems, which can help their content rank better in search results.
Author Bio:
Tanmay Mendiratta
Tanmay Mendiratta is the Founder of Widening Horizons Innovators LLP (WHI) and Syscality.com, where he shares affiliate marketing strategies and digital marketing tools. With 3 years of digital marketing experience, he helps bloggers boost organic traffic.
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