A common technique of on page search engine optimization is the manipulation of isolated keyword densities in an attempt to ascertain an ideal keyword to text ratio. In fact this is probably the most commonly employed SEO technique. This is based upon the idea that search engines are looking for specific density ranges as indicators of document relevancy when a search query is passed to the index. This has proven to be an occasionally effective, yet highly unreliable technique for improving rankings. And as the search engines continue to refine their text analysis technologies, this approach will prove to be increasingly archaic and ultimately ineffectual.
Today’s search engines are already employing advanced text language disambiguation technologies which virtually guarantee that rankings cannot be accurately manipulated through simple keyword density adjustment, and yet this remains the primary optimization technique of the majority of SEO’s. The major argument in favor of the keyword density approach is that consistent density range trends can be observed from long term studies. The lack of consistent positive results however cannot be ignored (Not to mention the equally inconsistent density ranges that can also be readily observed.). And in fact the most compelling evidence suggests that any emerging trends are simply a natural consequence of top ranking sites having grammatical and syntactic similarities which could be said to indicate that ideal content structures are in use amongst those sites.
In fairness to those who still swear by outdated approaches, it should be said that many search engines may in fact still be vulnerable to keyword density manipulation; however the search engines of greatest interest to the Search Engine Marketing community are almost certainly employing various sophisticated text analysis systems to ascertain document relevancy. As the major search engines began to introduce systems for semantic index analysis, natural language ontology mapping, multi-dimensional term vector space and other intelligent text analysis technologies, the efficacy of simplistic SEO strategies like keyword density chasing quickly waned.
This is not say that keyword density analysis should be altogether eliminated rather I am suggesting that this approach as it is commonly used is not effective as a stand alone method or measure of optimization.
Optimization strategies must now take a more dynamic and multi-faceted approach. Ideally this will take the form of a sophisticated orchestration of the many optimization factors that are by definition densely interconnected and inter-dependent.
Today’s tried and true techniques are certain to be tomorrows recipe for failure, and the changes can and do occur quite literally overnight. Search Engine Optimization firms that wish to continue to be successful must, as Pole Position Web does, recognizes that to remain effective, methodologies must adapt to the changing technologies. Our commitment to remaining at the cutting edge of search technology is reflected in the success of our clients and is facilitated by the hard work and innovation of our dedicated research staff.