Keyword Density
Keyword density is the frequency of specific words or phrases relative to total word count. It's a diagnostic measure of which terms a page emphasises most, hinting at the page's topic.
A diagnostic tool, not a target
Keyword density stopped being a Google ranking factor over a decade ago. Chasing a target percentage (1-2%, 3-5%, etc.) is wasted effort with zero algorithmic basis. The metric still has a place in audits as a quick sanity check: does the page's actual focus match what you intended to target? And as an early warning for keyword stuffing, which reads badly to users and can trigger spam flags.
How it's calculated
Keyword density counts occurrences of a target term (or stemmed variants) and divides by total word count. Tools differ on exact-match phrases, stemmed variants, and synonyms. There's no standard definition. Scalpel reports the most frequent words and phrases on a page so you see at a glance what topics dominate. Think of it as a diagnostic view, not a pass/fail test.
Percentage targets don't exist
Density percentages are meaningless as targets. A page ranks perfectly well at 0.5% density for its main term or at 5%; there's no "optimal" number. Keyword stuffing (deliberate over-repetition) is a spam signal, but natural repetition as you thoroughly cover a topic is expected and fine. Synonyms, related entities, and natural variation all dilute raw density numbers anyway. Modern ranking algorithms consider semantic relationships, not word frequency.
Natural writing vs. stuffing
Good, topic covered once, naturally:
<p>
Canonical URLs matter when content is accessible at multiple addresses.
Set a self-referential canonical tag on every indexable page to prevent
Google from splitting authority across duplicates.
</p>
Bad, keyword stuffed for no reason:
<p>
Canonical URL tags for SEO are important. Use canonical URL tags. Canonical URL
markup, canonical URL redirects, and canonical URLs all affect canonical URLs.
Canonical URL implementations and canonical URL best practices show why canonical
URLs matter.
</p>
The first covers the topic once. The second is harder to read and signals spam to humans and search algorithms alike.
How Scalpel shows it
The Content tab shows a ranked list of the page's most frequent words and phrases with their counts. Use it as a sanity check: do the top terms match what you intended to target? If a single term dominates unnaturally (50+ occurrences on a 500-word page), that's worth investigating: it signals stuffing or poor writing quality.