What is Keyword Targeting?

In the context of SEO article writing.

Keyword targeting in article writing is a term that applies to the density or the frequency with which a keyword is featured in a piece of text. The significance of keywords in written content for use on the Internet is an important area of online promotions. This is basically the technique of writing articles or blog posts with the specific aim of picking up web traffic as a direct result of online users’ search engine queries for a given keyword or set of keywords.

As an example we will imagine that a keyword-targeted article is being written for a company that sells designer sunglasses and wishes to promote themselves online. Naturally, the keyword, or keywords or keyword phrase in this instance, is designer sunglasses. In order for search engines to recognize the article as relevant to online searches for ‘designer sunglasses’ that search term or keyword needs to appear with a certain amount of frequency within the writing. Opinions differ as to how heavily peppered an article should be with keywords, but there is a school of thought that recommends a ratio of around 2% - 6%, including stems of the keywords. Of course this is open to change and there are cases where a heavy reliance on the given keywords is acceptable. Equally, less density may sometimes be appropriate. These are merely guidelines. Many writers say that the important factor is to write for the reader and not just the search engine. Establishing a balance, an effective mixture of the two intentions, is what usually works best.

One area of argument that often arises regarding keyword dense articles is that of how writing style and eloquence can be maintained. This is a perfectly understandable concern. But, despite the fact that by nature repetition of keywords might render a written piece monotonous, the skilled writer uses techniques that ensure the text serves its duel purpose of being interesting to read, eloquently written, and keyword targeted. With the Internet being a fairly new concept, the writing of keyword-dense copy is a relatively recent form of writing but there are many professional copywriters who specialize in this area and they create both stylish and effective content for Internet use.