How Many Keywords Should I Use for SEO? (+8 FAQs)

Clients often ask how many keywords to target with a single page because: 

• If you target too many keywords with a single page, it’s unlikely that you’ll rank high for any keywords because it’ll be hard to satisfy search intent for all of them.

• There are instances where you don’t need two different pages for similar keywords — one page can rank for both. So, creating two different ones is extra, unnecessary work.

The conclusion we’ve come to (based on 7+ years of helping clients rank on the first page for high converting keywords) is that you should only target one keyword per page and not worry about the exact number of times you’re using any given keyword. 

But, we’ve also found that this leads to a whole host of other questions such as…

• If two keywords are almost identical (e.g., accounting software vs accounting platform), how do I decide whether to create separate pages or target both with one page?

• Can I target the same keywords with multiple pages?

• Why type of content should I create to target various keywords (e.g., blog vs product page)?

• How many keywords should I track?

… and many more.

So in this guide, we’ll explain why we default to one keyword per page, share real client examples, and answer additional questions in a detailed FAQ section. 

Why We Only Target One Keyword per Page (+ How to Do It)

The main reason for only targeting one keyword per page is that Google is known to favor pages that deeply satisfy intent. In other words, Google is more likely to rank a blog post that is solely focused on the given keyword over a page that briefly covers lots of different topics.

For example, let’s look at the results for “types of pizza stone”:  

The first three results are reviews of different types of pizza stones, while the fourth includes a comparison of baking steel. Although we can’t know for sure why it ranks lower, one strong possibility is that it may struggle to reach the top 3 spots because it addresses both steel and ceramic alongside stones, whereas the top three results are solely focused on different pizza stones. 

While we can’t be certain, our experience with ranking clients for over 1,000 SEO keywords and updating old articles to improve rankings shows that these subtle differences in intent matter. An update to an article to fix a slight intent mismatch has historically improved rankings for us.  

But knowing the true intent behind a keyword can be tricky. 

For instance, the results above for ‘types of pizza stones’ are all detailed, first-hand reviews of specific pizza stones. But, it would also be reasonable to conclude that a blog post about types of pizza stones could simply be a summary of the different materials, shapes, and sizes that pizza stones come in. So, how do you determine which one searchers actually want? 

In our experience, the best way to determine the true intent behind a keyword is to conduct a detailed SERP analysis. 

Google’s algorithm has already done the work of determining intent by testing different types of content to see what readers click on and read after entering a specific keyword. So, you just need to look closely at what’s already ranking to figure what the reader is looking for. 

Then, you should shape an entire page (whether that’s a blog post, landing page, or something else) around addressing just that intent. In our experience, that maximizes your chance of ranking for that keyword. In contrast, if you try to rank for multiple keywords with that one page, unless their intents are all extremely similar, you risk diluting your page trying to fulfill multiple different search intents. 

Here are some more resources for how to write SEO content that ranks: 

• 40+ Content Writing Samples That Companies Can Mimic

• “Mirage Content” Is the Reason Your Company Blog Isn’t Generating Leads

• Content Creation Process: How to Produce Unique Content

How Many Times Should You Use Your Target Keyword on a Page? 

If you target one keyword per page, as described above, it generally doesn’t matter how many times you use that exact keyword throughout the content. 

In fact, we don’t track the number of times the target keyword is used when writing our articles. 

Don’t get us wrong; we do use on-page optimization tools (like Clearscope). However, the frequency of the target keyword in the content is not something we’ve ever worried about or counted. Despite this, we’ve helped a wide variety of clients (e.g., B2B, B2C, ecommerce, services) rank number one for hundreds of different keywords. 

To help illustrate this point, we went back through some of the articles we’ve written that are ranking #1 for their target keyword and counted how many times the full keyword was used. Below are two examples from two wildly different clients — one selling a low priced self-serve SaaS product to small businesses and the other offering a healthcare service to consumers for thousands of dollars. 

Note: Keyword density, which we mention below, is the number of times a keyword is used, divided by total word count. Most SEO and marketing advice will tell you to use the keyword once or twice for every hundred words, which is a keyword density of 1%–2%.

Example #1: 

• Target keyword: time clock app for multiple employees
• Number of times the keyword was used: 2
• Word count: 2906
• Keyword density: 0.0006%

Example #2: 

• Target keyword: feeling cold after a head injury
• Number of times the keyword was used: 1
• Word count: 4851
• Keyword density: 0.0002%

And these are just two examples. We were quickly able to find several different articles that are ranking number one for their target keyword with a keyword density of less than one percent.

Note: We talk about what to do when two keywords are almost identical below.

Why We Don’t Add Secondary Keywords (at Least Not Initially) To Content

A lot of SEO advice suggests targeting one primary keyword per page (as we do) but also recommends including 5–50 secondary keywords in your content. 

Secondary keywords are those that aren’t the primary keyword you’re targeting, but you include on a page to:

• Try to rank for multiple keywords with one page because the keywords are closely related to the primary keyword.

• Help rank for the primary keyword by adding a thoroughness in covering its intent.

But as we argued above, in our experience, simply adding a keyword to a page isn’t enough to rank for that keyword (even if you add it multiple times), and using secondary keywords to rank for the primary keyword isn’t the most effective method for getting high rankings. 

Let’s look at each of these in detail. 

#1. You Won’t Likely Rank for Multiple Keywords Just by Sprinkling Them In

Many people believe that inserting a specific keyword a certain number of times on a page will increase the chance of ranking for it. But this is an outdated method from the early days of SEO when Google’s algorithm was less sophisticated.

In our experience, this approach no longer works — Google tends to rank content that fully satisfies the intent of the target keyword. Simply adding secondary keywords to content focused on a different intent (i.e., the primary keyword’s intent) is unlikely to satisfy the intent of the secondary keyword, making it insufficient for ranking well. 

Note: Sprinkling in secondary keywords might help you rank somewhere on Google, but it’s rarely sufficient to reach the first page, let alone the top three positions, which are essential for achieving results. 

There is one caveat: If two keywords have the same intent, i.e., the SERP is nearly identical, you can rank for two keywords with one page. Below, we talk about how to determine if you can do this or if you need separate pages. 

Keep in mind that you don’t need to worry about this initially. After publishing, we check if we naturally rank for any closely related keywords. If we do, we’ll start tracking our position for those keywords as well. 

For the most promising secondary keywords, we’ll add relevant text and optimize the content for those keywords in addition to the primary one.

You can learn about how to recover lost rankings for secondary keywords here:
How to Find and Use Secondary Keywords to Increase Conversions: A Case Study 

#2. Using Secondary Keywords to Help You Rank for Your Primary Keyword is Unnecessary 

Another common belief about including secondary keywords is that they help address the intent of the primary keyword more thoroughly, which can improve your ranking. 

While this approach seems reasonable, we’ve found it easier to just look at the SERP to determine what needs to be covered. You don’t need to go through the extra effort of identifying all these closely related keywords that may or may not align with the intent. 

How We Decide Whether or Not to Create Separate Posts for Close Keyword Variations

One of the most common concerns about focusing on just one keyword per page is how to handle situations where two keywords are closely related. Should you still create separate pages targeting each one or is this a special case where you can target both with one page? 

In short, if the intent is the same for both keywords, you can target both with one page. If not, create separate pages. An obvious question is, “How do you determine if the intent is the same for two keywords?”

The first page of the SERP will indicate intent. If Google ranks the same web pages for both keywords on the first page, you can rank for both with one page. If the first page results are different for each keyword, you’ll need different pages. 

But even that isn’t always clear cut. 

Often, the first-page results for two keywords will overlap partially but not entirely. For example, maybe three out of ten results on page 1 are the same. In this case, it’s largely a judgment call. Look carefully at the ranking pages that aren’t the same to see where the intent differs. Then determine whether you can cover both variations and their overlap with one page or if it makes more sense to create two separate pages. 

Note that it’s not the end of the world if you make the wrong decision. For instance, if you choose to publish just one page and it doesn’t rank high enough for both keywords, you can always add a second page later. Conversely, if you create two pages but one of them just ranks for both, that’s fine too. 

Many SEOs really shy away from publishing two similar pages for closely related keywords because they’re concerned about keyword cannibalization (i.e., the idea that if multiple pages on your site compete for the same SERP position, Google may rank them both lower because it can’t determine which one to prioritize).

We don’t worry about this for two reasons: 

• If the intent is different, which is often the case, this won’t happen — even if the keywords are very similar.
  

• If Google determines that both posts are relevant for the given keyword, we typically see both achieve top rankings (see the example below).

We rarely encounter a case where Google won’t rank us because we have multiple similar posts. In fact, after discussing it with our team, we couldn’t find a single example of this happening in our client work.  

FAQs

Can I target the same keyword(s) with multiple pages? 

In short, we don’t recommend it. 

If you’re thoroughly satisfying intent as we suggest, the pages would essentially repeat the same information, providing no additional benefit. 

Can a secondary keyword in one page be the primary keyword of another page? 

Yes, if the intent is different (see our discussion above for more details). 

Should I target keywords with a web page or blog post?

The decision to create a product page or a blog post will depend on the intent behind the keyword. 

In our experience, blog posts provide a great (but often underutilized) opportunity to go more in-depth into the topic than a product page. This level of detail often satisfies intent more thoroughly and allows for a more compelling sales pitch which generates more leads. 

We’ve written about this topic in more detail here:
Landing Pages vs. Blog Posts: What’s better for ranking and conversion? 

How many keywords should I track for an effective SEO strategy? 

When starting out with SEO, many people think that you have to track the rankings for all the keywords that your web pages show up for or that you have to track a certain number of keywords to have an effective SEO strategy. 

For our clients, we track the keywords that we’re specifically targeting (i.e., the primary keywords). We’ll sometimes track secondary keywords if we find that we’re ranking well for them already. 

As for how many keywords to target, we target 3–5 keywords per month for each client. We’ve found this is a good pace that allows us to produce quality content that deeply matches intent and get results in a timely manner. 

What tools do I need for SEO? 

You don’t need any tools to implement an effective SEO strategy. However, here are a few of the tools we find useful in our own process: 

• Ahrefs for keyword research, search volume, keyword difficulty, and rank tracking.

• Clearscope for keyword research, search volume, keyword difficulty, and knowing which terms to include to help meet intent.

• Keyword Insights to see at a glance how similar the SERPs are for two different keywords.

How do I find secondary keywords?

To find secondary keywords, you can either:  

• Use a tool: Most SEO tools have a keyword finder tool where you can enter a keyword and it will generate tons of related keywords.
  

• Find them by looking at the SERP: For example, you can look at the ‘People also ask’ section, the autofill suggestions for the search bar, and, most importantly, web pages that are already ranking to see what they’re covering (e.g., headers, titles, common topics).

What are primary vs secondary keywords?

Primary keywords are the main keyword that you’re targeting with any web page.

Secondary keywords are any keywords that you add in addition to your primary keywords in order to: 

• Try to get additional rankings
• Rank more easily for your primary keyword

We discuss in detail, above, why we don’t think it’s necessary to include secondary keywords for either of these reasons. 

What are SEO keywords? 

Keywords are terms or phrases that users type into search engines like Google. SEO refers to the strategies marketers use to get their content rank organically (i.e., without paying) for these keywords.  

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