Keyword density and page size are two of the factors most people look at first. What are the rules now? Here are some observations about top ranking sites for both Google and Yahoo.

It used to be that high ranking pages had keyword densities ranging between 2% and 20% with most being between 5% and 10%.

Now it is looking like the keyword densities should be on the low end. Near 2% for Google and 3% for Yahoo.

Total word count for high ranking pages used to be between 200 and 500 words. Now we are seeing larger pages in the top ranking sites.

We are seeing top ranking sites with total word counts ranging from 700 to 1,000 words for Google and 1,000 to 1,500 words for Yahoo.

I have seen pages rank #1 with total word counts of from 30 words to several thousand words. No one factor is going to totally determine where your site will rank.

If your rankings have gone way down lately, you may want to start experimenting with lower keyword densities and larger pages. Do NOT go overboard. Make some changes and see if you are listed higher or lower in the search engines. Then go from there.

Jerry Minchey

Click here if you want to go back to the HOME page and see more articles on Search Engine Optimization Techniques.