What is Keyword Consistency?

Keyword consistency is the term used to describe whether a targeted keyword used within a smart order to provide the best user experience and achieve higher search engine ranking positions.

Is keyword consistency simply repeating the same keywords multiple times?

No, it is not.

Keyword stuffing is repeating the same keyword multiple times to manipulate search engine results. Almost all search engines consider it as webspam.

It also doesn't work anymore since search engines patched their vulnerabilities against keyword stuffing.

In 2014, Google's John Mueller said:

“Keyword density, in general, is something I wouldn’t focus on. Search engines have kind of moved on from there.”

Keyword consistency focuses on using targeted keywords within a natural flow. In a flow that makes perfect sense for the reader.

How many times is optimum to use a keyword to achieve the maximum consistency?

We should understand keyword density to answer that question. Even keyword density and keyword consistency look similar, they're actually different things.

Keyword density is the measure of how often a certain keyword is used in a piece of content. It is usually expressed as a percentage value.

On the other hand, keyword consistency is related to proper use of keyword in a particular order, pattern or syntax. Therefore, a numerical value can hardly be assigned.

There is no fixed number as per how many times a keyword should be used to achieve the optimum keyword consistency.

At the end of the day, Google is still an algorithm. It returns the result of what its code dictates. Also, we don't know how often is set as the optimum within the Google algorithm.

It is no surprise keyword consistency is a ranking factor. Because it is directly related to the relevancy. If the word “dog” used only once in certain content, that content may not be about dogs.

However, if it is repeated multiple times during the content, it is very likely to be about the dogs.

How can I optimize my content to maximize keyword consistency?

Search engines measure keyword consistency by looking at page content, headings, image alt tags, image captions, meta descriptions and even URL slug we choose.

We should make sure using our keyword ideally in the first paragraph of our content. It is also necessary to include its other long-tail variations in our content.

We can name our images and alt tags with our target keyword. Moderation is key. If we overdo it our content may get flagged as spam by Google algorithm.

We always want to include our keyword in H1 heading since it is the most important title of any content.

Search engines have over-optimization penalties for the content that appear to be optimized to take advantage of them.

If you used your keyword in the H1 tag, don't include it in every H2 tag you create. Instead, use partial matches of your main keyword or long-tail versions.

Include your keyword in your meta titles and meta descriptions.

Every page should have a unique meta title and description targeting certain keywords.

Your meta title is the first thing your visitors see when they land on your website. It is also important for search engines to measure the relevance of your content with those keywords.

Mix it up well not to get caught by Google over-optimization algorithm.

You can also use LSI keywords, that meaningfully complement your main keywords.

Try to write readable sentences to make sure Google can understand your content overall.

Remember that Google's reading skills are not perfect yet. If Google thinks your content is too complicated, it will ignore your content, no matter how consistent your content with its keywords.

Avoid using unclear antecedents

Terms referring to the subject are known as antecedents. Generally, they're pronouns like he, she, and it. If your sentences cannot clearly define what it meant with these pronouns Google may conclude your content is irrelevant to the subject.

Keyword consistency is a fundamental concept we should definitely include in our on-page SEO strategy. It increases the user experience while lowering the bounce rates.

Thank you for reading, you can also check out the keyword tools I use to find low competition keywords.