Free Keyword Density Checker: Word and Phrase Frequency
Paste text or enter a URL to see the most-used words and 2–3 word phrases, check where your focus keyword appears, and spot over-repetition.
- ✓ Free
- ✓ No sign-up
- ✓ Text or URL
- ✓ 1–3 word phrases
- ✓ Focus keyword placement
- ✓ CSV export
By Sheikh Shadi Shuvo, Founder of Backlink Express · Updated
Keyword density in one sentence
Keyword density is the share of a text's words taken up by a keyword. It's useful for spotting over-repetition, but Google has no ideal percentage.
How to check keyword density
- Paste your text or switch to "Check a URL" to analyse a live page.
- Optionally add a focus keyword and any words to exclude (like your brand name or menu items).
- Click "Check Density". You'll get word and phrase counts, densities and, for URLs, where your focus keyword appears.
- Download the CSV if you want to compare drafts or pages.
How keyword density is calculated
There's no official formula from Google, but this is the standard calculation:
Keyword density (%) = (times the keyword appears × words in the keyword) ÷ total words × 100Example: a 1,000-word article uses "guest post" 8 times. That's 8 × 2 = 16 words, so the density is 16 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 1.6%. For a single word, the multiplier is 1.
What's the ideal keyword density?
There isn't one. Many tools quote 1–2% or 1–3%, but none of them cite Google, because Google has never published a target. Google's helpful content guidance even says it has no preferred word count. Former Google search spokesperson Matt Cutts and Google's John Mueller have both said keyword density isn't something to focus on.
Use density as a warning light, not a target:
| What you see | What it may mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Your topic barely appears | The page may not clearly say what it's about | Make the topic clear in the title, H1 and opening |
| One phrase is far above everything else | Possible over-repetition | Read it aloud; replace repeats with natural wording |
| Repeated keyword lists or city lists | Looks like keyword stuffing | Rewrite into useful sentences or remove |
| Natural mix of related terms | Healthy topical coverage | Nothing; focus on usefulness |
Our guidance, based on Google's spam policies and helpful content guidance.
Keyword stuffing: what Google says
Google's spam policies define keyword stuffing as filling a web page with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate rankings, often in a list or group, unnaturally, or out of context. Google gives three examples:
- Lists of phone numbers without substantial added value.
- Blocks of text that list cities and regions a page is trying to rank for.
- Repeating the same words or phrases so often that it sounds unnatural.
Pages that do this can rank lower or be removed from results, so it's worth checking drafts before you publish.
How to use this tool properly
- Check finished drafts for accidental repetition, especially after editing.
- Compare with pages that rank. Run the top results for your keyword and look at the phrases they all use; gaps can show missing subtopics.
- Exclude noise. Add your brand name and menu words to the exclude box for cleaner results.
- Look at 2–3 word phrases, not just single words. They show what the page is really about.
- Check guest posts before you publish them; over-optimised anchor text and repetition look unnatural.
Where to place your focus keyword
Enter a URL and a focus keyword to check these spots:
| Place | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Title tag | Often used as the clickable headline in search results |
| H1 | Tells readers and search engines the page's main topic |
| Meta description | Can be shown as the snippet; matching words may be bolded |
| URL | A short, descriptive URL is clearer for people |
| H2 subheadings | Shows the topic is covered in depth |
| First 100 words | Confirms early that the page answers the query |
Use the keyword where it fits naturally. A readable title that matches what people search for beats a forced exact match.
Example: reading a density report
Say you check a 1,200-word guest post written for "guest posting service" and see this:
| Phrase | Count | Density | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| guest posting service | 14 | 3.50% | Repeated far more than anything else; likely to read as forced |
| guest post | 9 | 1.50% | Fine; a natural variation |
| link building | 6 | 1.00% | Related topic is covered |
| editorial guidelines | 1 | 0.17% | Mentioned once; maybe a gap worth expanding |
| domain rating | 0 | 0% | Not covered at all, though top-ranking pages discuss it |
Illustrative example, not real data.
The fix isn't to hit a number. It's to replace some of the 14 exact matches with natural wording ("our service", "this kind of outreach") and spend the words on the subtopics that are missing.
How to compare your page with competitors
- Search your keyword on Google and note the top 5 organic results.
- Run each URL through this checker and download the CSVs.
- Look at the 2–3 word phrases that appear on most of them. These are usually the subtopics searchers expect.
- Run your own page and see which of those phrases you never mention.
- Add genuine coverage of the missing subtopics: a section, an example or an answer, not just the words.
What matters more than density
- People-first content. Google asks whether content is made primarily for people or to attract search visits. Write for the reader.
- Covering the topic fully: answer the questions searchers ask, with examples and evidence.
- Natural variations and related terms instead of one repeated phrase.
- Clear structure with descriptive headings, plus structured data where it fits.
- Authority: links from relevant sites. Check prospects with our DR Checker.
About this tool
- Text mode runs entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to our server.
- URL mode fetches the page and reads the <main> or <article> content when it exists, skipping scripts, styles, navigation and footers where it can.
- Counting: words are split on Unicode letters and numbers; stop words are English. Up to 25 results per table, 50,000 words per check.
- Reading time assumes about 230 words per minute.
Frequently asked questions
What is keyword density?
Keyword density is how often a word or phrase appears in a piece of text, as a percentage of the total word count.
How is keyword density calculated?
For a single word: (times it appears ÷ total words) × 100. For a phrase, this tool counts the words the phrase uses: (times it appears × words in the phrase ÷ total words) × 100.
What is the ideal keyword density?
There isn't one. Google has never published a target, and its spokespeople have said not to focus on keyword density. Figures like '1–2%' that many tools quote are rules of thumb, not Google guidance.
Is this keyword density checker free?
Yes. Paste text or check a URL with no sign-up, and download the results as a CSV.
Can keyword density hurt my rankings?
Repeating keywords unnaturally can. Google's spam policies define keyword stuffing as filling a page with keywords in an attempt to manipulate rankings, often in lists or out of context.
What are stop words?
Very common words like 'the', 'and' and 'of'. They're hidden by default so the results show meaningful terms. Untick the box to include them.
Why do menu words appear when I check a URL?
The tool tries to read only the page's main content, but some sites don't mark it up clearly, so navigation or sidebar text can slip in. Add those words to the exclude box, or paste just the article text.
What does the focus keyword check do?
It counts your target phrase and, for URLs, checks whether it appears in the title tag, meta description, H1, URL, H2s and the first 100 words.
Should my keyword be in the title and H1?
Usually yes, if it naturally describes the page. These are strong signals of what a page is about. But write them for people first; a clear title beats an awkward exact match.
What should I do instead of repeating a keyword?
Cover the topic thoroughly: answer related questions, use natural variations and related terms, add examples and data. That reads better and helps search engines understand the topic.
Does it work in other languages?
Yes. Words are split using Unicode letters, so most languages written with spaces work. The stop-word list is English only.
Is there a word limit?
The tool analyses up to 50,000 words per check, which covers almost any page.
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See the marketplaceBacklink Express is not affiliated with Google. Google policy quotes are from Google Search Central, checked October 2026.