Keyword Density and Placement Rules

Internal readability and stuffing heuristic. This is not a Google percentage rule.

Primary Keyword Density

Use check: Confirm the primary keyword appears naturally in important locations and does not read as forced repetition.

Pattern	Assessment
Missing from key locations	Review placement. The topic may be unclear.
Natural recurring use	Accept if it reads cleanly for users.
Noticeable repetition	Review required. May read unnaturally.
Forced repetition	Keyword stuffing risk. Rewrite for clarity and usefulness.

Practical example: For a 1,000-word article, do not target a quota. Use the primary keyword where it helps users understand the page topic, including headings, body text, and image alt text when relevant.

Diminishing returns: Early mentions help establish topic context. After that, prioritise placement quality over quantity.

Required Placement Locations

The primary keyword MUST appear in all of these:

Title tag (near the front, not buried at the end)
H1 tag (near the front)
URL slug (lowercase, hyphenated)
Meta description (naturally integrated)
First paragraph / first 100 words (establishes topic immediately)
At least one image alt text (reinforces topic for image search)

Locations Where It Is NOT Required

Every H2 or H3 (if the H1 covers the keyword, subheadings carry context naturally through semantic relationship)
Every paragraph or section (clustering looks unnatural)
Anchor text of every internal link (vary the anchor text)

Secondary and Semantic Keywords

Type	Count	Usage
Closely related terms	5-8	Distribute through body content and H2-H6 headings
Broader semantic terms	10-15	Cover related concepts and user intent variations
Synonyms	As natural	Improve readability. Do NOT count toward primary density.

Distribution Rules

Spread evenly throughout the content. Do not front-load all mentions into the introduction or cluster in one section.
Per-section guidance in briefs: For each section in a content brief, specify:
Which keyword (primary or secondary) should appear in the heading
Whether the section body should include the primary keyword or a variation
Format: "Use secondary keyword '[term]' in H2. Body: mention primary keyword once."

Common Mistakes

Exact-match obsession: Using the exact phrase every time instead of natural variations. Google understands synonyms and related terms.
Heading stuffing: Putting the primary keyword in every H2 and H3. One H1 mention plus 1-2 H2 mentions is sufficient.
Ignoring first 100 words: The opening paragraph is the highest-value placement after the title and H1.
Forgetting image alt text: A free placement opportunity that also helps image search rankings.
Counting synonyms as density: "Web design", "website design", and "site design" are different strings. Only count exact-match appearances toward density.