Analyzing word count on page SEO

[david305]

Hey guys quick question,

when I am analyzing/ doing word count for a particluar key word and I want to make sure that i am no where near Keyword stuffing, does Google consider the alt and title tags keywords of images as part of the KW count when looking for on page Keyword stuffing.

For example. let say I have a page that i just created with 1000 words. and Only 2 of the words are my target Keywords. Then, if i add a picture and add the keyword to both the alt and title tag and description of the image, does google now consider the "page" to have a total of 5 keywords?

Also, a lot has changed recently since penguin and panda, is there a good rule of thumb for what ratio to stay under as far as keywords to text.?

[david305]

gotchya Ian, thanks

[wrttnwrd]

I would precisely describe the image. If it's a picture of a doctor taking someone's blood pressure, the ALT should be "doctor taking someone's blood pressure". Don't insert the brand name unless the image contains it, or the person in the image uses the brand and the text below it is their testimonial.

[david305]

hey thx for the awesome reply , but i still have the big question. if every image is somehow related to the brand term should i include it in every image?

for example, if there is an image of a dr on the LP, i can use the alt tag and say "dr for [brand name] "

or if its a testimonial I can say " cindy's testimonial for [brand name]

you get my drift. what do you guys suggest?

[wrttnwrd]

A better rule is to make sure it reads well. Don't focus on ratios - that's a huge mistake.

That said, I do recommend that you:

1. Make sure you use the phrase that folks search for. If you sell 'running shoes', don't write about 'athletic footwear'.
2. Make sure your writing is structure and styled so that your key phrase fits in naturally: When you write, you shouldn't have to force the key phrase into the page. It should end up in headings, captions, etc. because it makes sense. If that's not the case, double-check that you're writing the right thing.
3. Check the grade level of your writing. I use http://www.readability-score.com/ most of the time. Grade level can impact bounce rate, which can impact rankings.

Hope this helps

[bimmer540]

Personally, I never really analyze keyword density.  If you try to write/design a page around what users want, with good content, you should be fine.

You should always have your target keyword in your tags, and in your example, your target keyword only appearing twice out of a thousand words doesn't seem like a lot at all.  I think naturally writing an article without SEO in mind you'd come up with that anyway.

I know some people really keep an eye on keyword density, and I'm sure they have a ratio they like to stay under, but I try to just be reasonable and write for users (with search engines in mind of course).

One thing about keyword stuffing that I'll say is only put the keyword in an image alt tag if it actually describes the image.  Don't just do it to get another instance of the keyword on the page.