How Many Keywords Should You Target Per Page?

The short answer: one primary keyword per page, plus a small number of closely related secondary keywords.

The longer answer is worth reading, because there is a lot of confusion about what “targeting a keyword” actually means and how it differs from just writing about a topic naturally.

Start with one primary keyword

Every page on your site should have one main topic. That topic is your primary keyword.

Your primary keyword is the phrase that best describes what the page is about. It should appear in your page title, your H1 heading, your URL slug, and naturally throughout the content. Not crammed in unnaturally, just used the way anyone writing about that topic would use it.

A page about kitchen knife sharpening should have “how to sharpen kitchen knives” or something close to it as the primary keyword. Not five different knife-related phrases all competing for the same space.

One page, one primary focus. This makes it much clearer to both Google and your readers what the page is actually about.

Add a few secondary keywords

Secondary keywords are related terms that support your main topic. They are not separate topics. They are different ways of expressing the same idea, or closely related questions that someone searching for your primary keyword might also have.

For a page about sharpening kitchen knives, secondary keywords might include:

• how to use a whetstone
• knife sharpening angle
• how to tell if a knife is sharp enough
• best way to sharpen a chef’s knife

These are not separate page topics. They are natural subtopics that belong in a thorough guide on the main subject.

Aim for three to five secondary keywords per page. These typically find their way into your subheadings, image alt text, and the body of your content without much deliberate effort.

What about all the other keywords Google ranks you for?

Here is something a lot of people miss. If you write a thorough, well-structured page on a topic, Google will naturally rank it for dozens or even hundreds of related search terms you never explicitly targeted.

This is because Google reads content semantically. It understands context and related concepts, not just exact phrases. A good article about sharpening kitchen knives will probably rank for things like “dull knife fix,” “whetstone vs honing rod,” and “knife care tips” even if you never wrote those phrases into the content.

Ahrefs studied this in 2020 and found that the average top-ranking page ranks for around 1,000 different keywords in the top 10. Most of those are variations and related terms, not the primary keyword the author set out to target.

You do not need to stuff additional keywords in to capture this. Writing thoroughly about your topic handles it automatically.

What happens if you target too many keywords on one page?

Two problems.

First, your page loses focus. A page trying to rank for ten different keywords often does not rank well for any of them because the content is spread thin and Google cannot clearly identify the main topic.

Second, you can end up competing with your own pages. If you have two pages both targeting similar keywords, Google may have trouble deciding which one to show and end up showing neither prominently. This is called keyword cannibalization. Semrush estimates that keyword cannibalization affects over 40% of content-heavy websites that have been publishing for more than two years.

A simple framework to follow

When you sit down to write a page, work through this:

One primary keyword. What is this page specifically about? That is your primary keyword. It should be the single phrase you most want to rank for with this page.

Three to five secondary keywords. What closely related questions or subtopics does someone interested in this primary topic also care about? These become your subheadings and supporting content.

Write naturally from there. Do not add keywords mechanically. Write the clearest explanation of your topic and the related terms will appear on their own.

Check after writing. Once your draft is done, do a quick read-through to confirm your primary keyword appears in the title, H1, first paragraph, and at least a few subheadings. That is all the keyword work most pages need.

What about keyword density?

Keyword density refers to how often your target keyword appears as a percentage of total words on the page. It used to be a significant ranking factor. It mostly is not anymore.

Google now reads content the way a person does. It understands synonyms, related terms, and topic context. Hitting a specific keyword density percentage adds no benefit and can make your content sound unnatural if you are forcing it.

Write like a human. Use your keyword where it fits naturally. For more on keyword density as a standalone topic, see the technical SEO FAQ.

Frequently asked questions