Google has posted one of its Google SEO office-hours, this one was posted today, recorded in January, after the Google layoffs news, and one question asked was about keyword density - yep. John Mueller from Google said, "no, Google does not have a notion of optimal keyword density."
This repeats what Google has been saying for a decade now and what we covered last year when reporting that keyword density is not a thing with Google SEO.
The question and answer came up at the 5:59 mark into the video:
Does Google use keyword density?John: The next question I have here is, does Google consider keyword density for the content?
Well, no, Google does not have a notion of optimal keyword density. Over the years, our systems have gotten quite well at recognizing what a page is about, even if the keywords are not mentioned at all. That said, it is definitely best to be explicit. Don't rely on search engines guessing what your page is about and for which queries it should be shown. If your homepage only mentions that you "add pizazz to places" and shows some beautiful houses, both users and search engines won't know what you're trying to offer. If your business paints houses, then just say that. If your business sells paints, then say that. Think about what users might be searching for and use the same terminology. It makes it easier to find your pages, and it makes it easier for users to recognize that they have found what they want. Keyword density does not matter, but being explicit does matter and contrary to the old SEO myth, story, joke, commentary, you don't need to mention all possible variations either.
So no keyword density but use the words that searchers search for to find your content. Describe your content with words so that Google can understand what your content is about. But there is no reason to measure the percentage of time you use those keywords on the page.
Forum discussion at Twitter.
