As a new content creator or someone that manages a website, you want to make sure you're doing everything you can to improve your website's rankings and make sure you're doing everything possible to get eyes on it. For some people, this might mean using keywords to help boost their search results.
Unfortunately, people might inadvertently begin keyword stuffing in their blogs, creating a situation that is more disastrous than it is helpful for their web result ranking.
What is Keyword Stuffing?
To understand the dangers of seo keyword stuffing, you need to understand what a keyword is. When you search for something online, chances are you're using a keyword to help improve your search results. For instance, you might Google something like "Used cars." The term "Used cars" would be considered a keyword for your search results.
If you're starting a blog on used European cars, then you might want to use the keyword "used European cars" to help your website gain traffic.
However, using this word too much leads to something known as keyword stuffing. A good way to define keyword stuffing is when you unnaturally use keywords to improve your search result rankings on Google. While some people believe that using a keyword throughout their article might make their blog post jump to the top of Google's search engine results page, known as the SERP, this isn't exactly true.
SEO Keyword Stuffing Examples
Below are some examples of keyword stuffing, so you can get a sense of what type of content to avoid.
Keyword: Orange Cats
There are lots of orange cats that live in orange cat homes. If you want to own an orange cat, you'll want to take it to an orange cat veterinary clinic that specializes in orange cats. You'll also want to buy orange cat food specifically made for orange cats.
Keyword: Cars Near Me
If you're looking for "Cars near me," look no further than the auto shop on La Jolla Avenue for your "Cars near me" search. When you look up "Cars near me," we'll be at the top of the list because we're the best "Cars near me" option around.
From these examples, it's clear that the language used in these pieces is not natural. The Google search algorithm picks up on this quickly, leading to your article or blog post being placed at the very end of search result terms.
In addition to stuffing paragraphs with keywords, another example of keyword stuffing includes using phone numbers throughout the text that don't add any value to the piece. Blocks of text that list cities and states might also be considered keyword stuffing, and hurt your SERP ranking.
Keyword Stuffing Checker
There are several tools that can show you how to check keyword stuffing. Some of the dangers of keyword stuffing involve being seen as spam by Google's search algorithm or receiving a keyword stuffing penalty. Therefore, it's best to use a keyword stuffing tool to check your work.
Vazoola Keyword Density Checker
One of the most trusted tools to check for keyword stuffing is the keyword density checker on Vazoola. This keyword density checker is designed to support both URLs and text. You can copy your URL into the keyword density checker, or you can copy and paste your text before you post it online.
You can also view your competition and examine the types of keywords they use to rank high on Google's algorithm. You can also use a keyword stuffing checker to edit your content before you post it.
To do this, copy and paste your text into the keyword stuffing checker. The tool will tell you your keyword density, such as how many words you are using for your post. You can then compare this to other high-ranking search result pages. Afterward, you can add in more or take away keywords to best match your competition.
Surfer SEO
Another well-known keyword stuffing tool is Surfer SEO. Using Surfer SEO allows you to check your text and compare it to other web pages and posts that rank well. Surfer SEO will allow you to check the number of keywords you're using, and tell you to use more or less depending on other content.
How to Avoid Keyword Stuffing
According to Google, the best way to avoid keyword stuffing is simply to write as naturally as possible. By writing naturally, Google is more likely to view your post as reliable and use it on its SERP pages. If you want to rank higher, feel free to place keywords wherever they make sense and fit naturally within your piece.
You can also use various tools such as Surfer SEO, Clearscope, or Marketmuse to determine how many keywords to use in your post to make it rank higher and avoid a keyword stuffing penalty.
