What Is Meant By ‘Keyword Stuffing’ And How Can You Avoid Making The Same Mistake On Your Website?

What is meant by the term ‘keyword stuffing’? You’ve likely heard it before but do you know what it actually means? And just how problematic can it be? Read on and we’ll define keyword stuffing and teach you how to avoid making the same mistake on your website.

What is ‘keyword stuffing’?

Keyword stuffing, as the name suggests, refers to the greyhat SEO practice of shoving as many focus keywords into your content as possible to signal to Google that your website is highly relevant and worth ranking.

It doesn’t work – mostly because it’s not the way we usually communicate. Google wants natural, conversational content, not awkward, robotic text that feels woefully manufactured.

Back in the early days of SEO when it felt more like the Wild West than anything else, keyword stuffing (among many other cheeky techniques) was the norm. Today it is frowned upon greatly and Google will catch you out and penalise you as a result.

What does ‘keyword stuffing’ look like?

Let’s use the keyword: ‘SEO agency’ as an example. Here’s an example of what a website would read like with unnecessary keyword stuffing:

• “Hello and welcome to [Brand Name], the number one SEO agency in [Location]. If you are looking for an SEO agency who can help you dominate the rankings on Google, then we are the SEO agency for you. We take great pride in being an SEO agency and love everything SEO related. We consider ourselves to be a reputable SEO agency that can be relied upon, unlike some other SEO agencies out there who claim otherwise.”

As you can see, the content reads terribly. Not only does this style of writing annoy your audience and put people off buying from you, but Google will also penalise you for it. It’s low-value, it’s repetitive, and it does not qualify as being worthy of online visibility.

What if my keyword comes up a lot in my content naturally?

If you have gone back and read the content on your website and you are concerned that you may have mentioned your keyword too many times, don’t panic. It’s easy to see when a keyword is being used for the sake of stuffing, and when the keyword fits the narrative, naturally.

If you are worried you might get penalised, it may be worth looking for different ways to phrase a given sentence. Or alternatively you can look for broad variations of the keyword so that it doesn’t get too repetitive.

What is the easiest way to avoid keyword stuffing?

The easiest way to avoid keyword stuffing on your website is to hire professionals. Keyword stuffing often occurs when you hire amateur SEO writers who are unable to structure their copy in such a way that encourages the natural occurrence of your focus keywords.

However, the right SEO agency will be able to craft well-optimised SEO content that is people-first in style and quality, while ticking all of the right boxes for your onsite optimization.

So, if you feel a little out of your depth and you are struggling to get the right tone in your website copy, there’s no shame in calling in the experts.