Google’s John Mueller has shared that the search engine’s algorithms do not heavily penalize keyword stuffing. In some cases, keyword stuffing may even be completely overlooked if the content is deemed valuable to users.
This insight was shared on Twitter in response to queries about keyword stuffing, particularly when a user was surprised by a page ranking well despite obvious keyword repetition. Mueller suggested that it’s more beneficial to concentrate on enhancing one’s own content rather than analyzing the ranking of others. He mentioned that there are over 200 factors involved in page ranking, stating, “the nice part is that you don’t have to get them all perfect.”
When someone further criticized excessive keyword repetition, Mueller explained that this tactic doesn’t typically lead to a page being removed from search results and that “boring keyword stuffing” might simply be ignored.
In his own words, “Yeah, but if we can ignore boring keyword stuffing (this was popular in the 90’s; search engines have a lot of practice here), there’s sometimes still enough value to be found elsewhere. I don’t know the page, but IMO keyword stuffing shouldn’t result in removal from the index.”
The key points from this exchange include:
– SEOs are better off improving their content than questioning why other content ranks higher.
– Excessive keyword stuffing will not lead to a page being excluded from the index.
– Google may overlook keyword stuffing if the content is otherwise valuable.
– Keyword usage is just one of over 200 ranking factors.
Overall, while overusing keywords may reduce the readability of content, it won’t negatively impact its search ranking. Mueller further reinforced this by stating, “It’s usually more actionable to focus on your own sites, rather than to focus on ‘why is someone else’s site ranking above mine when I don’t think it’s as good as mine’… We use over 200 factors for ranking, the nice part is that you don’t have to get them all perfect.”
