How Many Keywords Should One Page Target?

The Short Answer

One main topic per page. That is the rule we use for almost every client.

Notice it says topic, not keyword. A topic is the thing the searcher wants. A keyword is one way of typing it. "AC repair Miami," "air conditioner repair in Miami," "Miami AC repair service" and "fix my AC Miami" are four keywords. They are one topic. One page should cover all of them.

So the real answer to "how many keywords per page" is this. One main keyword that names the topic, plus as many close variations as people naturally use. A strong page can show up for dozens or hundreds of searches, as long as they all want the same thing.

Why Old Keyword Advice Leads People Astray

Years ago, search engines matched words much more literally. People built separate pages for "plumber Miami" and "Miami plumber" and "plumbers in Miami." Some stuffed the same phrase into a page twenty times. That advice still floats around the internet.

Google is much better at understanding meaning now. It knows that "plumber" and "plumbing company" are close, and that someone typing "leaking water heater" may need water heater repair. Its spam policies also list keyword stuffing, filling a page with the same words to try to rank, as a practice that can hurt a site.

Today, splitting one topic across many thin pages usually hurts more than it helps. Each page is weaker than one complete page would be, and the pages compete with each other.

What Counts as a Close Variation

These usually belong on the same page:

• Plurals and singulars. "Dentist" and "dentists."
• Word order. "Miami roofer" and "roofer in Miami."
• Synonyms. "Lawyer" and "attorney," "AC" and "air conditioner."
• Small extra words. "Water heater repair" and "water heater repair service."
• Common misspellings. You do not need to write them on the page. Google usually understands them.
• Questions about the same thing. "How do I know if my water heater is broken" can be a section on the water heater repair page, or a guide that links to it.

A simple test: if you showed the same page to people who typed each search, would all of them be happy with it? If yes, it is one topic. If some of them would leave because the page is not what they wanted, you have more than one topic.

When a Search Deserves Its Own Page

Some searches look similar but want different things. Those need different pages. Here are the main reasons to split.

A different service

"Roof repair" and "roof replacement" sound close. But a person with a small leak and a person with a twenty-year-old roof want very different answers, timelines and prices. Each deserves its own page, linked to each other.

A different kind of customer

"Commercial cleaning" and "house cleaning" are different services with different buyers. An office manager and a homeowner need different details. If you serve both, give each its own page.

A different place

If you have an office in Miami and another in West Palm Beach, each location usually needs its own page. People searching in each city want to know you are nearby. More on this below, because city pages can go wrong.

A different stage of buying

• Learning: "What is a tankless water heater?" The person wants an explanation. A guide or blog post fits.
• Comparing: "Tankless vs. tank water heater." The person wants pros and cons. A comparison post fits.
• Ready to buy: "Tankless water heater installation in Kendall." The person wants to hire someone. A service page fits.

All three are about tankless water heaters. They are three different pages, because the person behind each search is in a different place. The guide and the comparison post should both link to the installation page.

A clue from Google itself

When you are not sure, search both phrases in a private browser window and compare the results. If Google shows mostly the same pages for both, it sees them as one topic. If the results are very different, it sees two topics, and you probably need two pages.

Keyword Cannibalization: Two Pages Fighting

Keyword cannibalization is a fancy name for a simple problem. Two or more of your own pages try to answer the same search. Instead of one strong page, you have two half-strong pages competing with each other.

What it looks like

• Google keeps switching which of your pages it shows for a search, and neither ranks well.
• The wrong page shows up, such as an old blog post instead of your service page.
• Links from other sites and from your own pages are split between the two.
• Visitors land on the weaker page and leave without calling.

How it usually happens

• A blog post from three years ago covers the same thing as a newer service page.
• Someone wrote "AC repair" and "air conditioning repair" pages, thinking they needed both.
• A redesign added new pages without removing old ones.
• Different people wrote blog posts over the years without checking what already existed.
• Many city pages say almost the same thing, with only the city name changed.

How to Find Pages That Compete

You can check this for free with Google Search Console.

1. Open the Performance report and set the date range to the last three to six months.
2. In the Queries tab, click a search that matters to your business, such as your main service and city.
3. With that query selected, open the Pages tab.
4. If two or more of your pages appear with real impressions, write them down.
5. Look at each page. Do they answer the same need?

You can also search Google for site:yourdomain.com followed by your main topic. Google lists your pages that mention it. If you see several pages that seem to cover the same thing, you have a candidate.

A third check takes no tools at all. Write down your services, then list every page on your site under the service it covers. If one service has three pages that all say the same thing, you found it.

How to Fix It

Once you find two pages fighting, you have four options. Pick based on what each page is really about.

Option 1: Combine them

If both pages answer the same need, merge them into one stronger page. Keep the address that performs better, move the best content from the other page into it, and set up a permanent redirect, called a 301 redirect, from the old address to the one you kept. Then update your internal links to point to the page you kept.

Option 2: Make each page clearly different

If the pages could serve different needs, sharpen them. Rewrite one as a service page for people ready to hire, and the other as a guide for people still learning. Change the titles and headings so each one clearly matches its own search. Link the guide to the service page.

Option 3: Point your links at the main page

Sometimes the right page is already there but gets fewer links. Update your menu and in-text links so the topic's main page gets the links, and the secondary page links to it as well.

Option 4: Remove a page that adds nothing

An old, thin page with no visits and nothing useful can simply go. If anyone links to it from other sites, redirect it to the most relevant page you keep. If not, removing it is fine.

What not to do

• Do not delete a page that brings in visits or calls before you know where those visitors should go instead.
• Do not block one page with a "noindex" tag while leaving it in your menu and links. You end up with a hidden page that still splits attention.
• Do not change everything at once. Fix one pair, wait a few weeks and see what happens.

A Worked Example: Fixing Two Pages That Compete

Here is how a fix plays out. Say a pool service company in Pembroke Pines has two pages. One is the service page for pool cleaning. The other is a blog post from a few years ago about why regular pool cleaning matters.

In Search Console, the owner filters by the search "pool cleaning Pembroke Pines." Both pages show up. The blog post appears more often, but almost nobody who lands on it calls. The service page shows up less, and further down.

The owner looks at both pages. The blog post is mostly a sales pitch for the cleaning service. It does not answer any real question that the service page does not already cover. So the owner decides to combine them.

1. The two best paragraphs from the blog post, about algae in the rainy season, move into the service page as a new section.
2. The blog post's address gets a permanent redirect to the service page.
3. Every internal link that pointed to the blog post now points to the service page.
4. The owner writes down the date and the change.

A few weeks later, only the service page shows for that search. It now has the extra content, all the links and all the visits. Whether it climbs depends on many things, but the owner has stopped competing against themselves.

How to Group Keywords Into Pages

Now the planning part. Here is a simple method you can do in a spreadsheet or on paper. It works whether you have ten keywords or two hundred.

Step 1: List every search

Gather the searches you want to show up for. Sources include your own customer questions, Google's autocomplete suggestions, the "People also ask" box and the queries in Search Console. Our guide to keyword research explains each source.

Step 2: Group by meaning

Put searches that want the same thing in the same group. Use the "would the same page make all of them happy?" test. Each group is one topic.

Step 3: Name each group

Pick the clearest, most common search in each group as its main keyword. That becomes the focus of the page's title and main heading.

Step 4: Match groups to pages

• If you already have a page for that group, write its address next to the group.
• If two pages match the same group, mark it as a possible cannibalization problem.
• If no page matches, mark it as a page to create.

Step 5: Decide the page type

For each group, note what kind of page fits: a service page, a location page, a guide, a comparison or a frequently asked questions section. Search the main keyword to see what Google already shows for it.

Step 6: Keep the map

Save this map. Before anyone writes a new page or post, they check it. If the topic already has a page, they improve that page or write about a different angle instead of creating a duplicate.

Example Map: A Dental Practice

Here is a simplified example for a made-up dental office in Coral Gables. Each line is one page, with the kinds of searches it should cover.

• Home page: the practice name, plus searches for a dentist or family dentist in Coral Gables.
• Teeth cleaning page: teeth cleaning, dental cleaning and a checkup with cleaning.
• Dental implants page: dental implants, tooth implants and an implant dentist in Coral Gables.
• Teeth whitening page: teeth whitening, professional whitening and in-office whitening.
• Emergency dentist page: emergency dentist, broken tooth and same-day tooth pain.
• Guide: how long dental implants last, and related questions, linking to the implants page.
• Comparison post: dental implants compared with bridges, linking to the implants page.

Notice the implants topic has three pages, but each has a different job. The service page is for people ready to book. The guide is for people learning. The comparison is for people deciding. They link to each other, and none competes with another.

Example Map: A Home Services Company

Now a made-up AC and plumbing company serving Broward and Miami-Dade:

• AC repair page: AC repair, air conditioner repair, AC not cooling and AC service.
• AC installation page: a new AC unit, AC replacement and AC installation.
• AC maintenance page: AC tune-ups and AC maintenance plans.
• Water heater page: water heater repair, water heater replacement and no hot water.
• Drain cleaning page: clogged drains, drain cleaning and slow drains.
• Fort Lauderdale page: the services offered there, with local jobs and details.
• Miami page: the same idea, with Miami-specific details.

"AC repair" and "AC installation" are separate because a person with a broken unit and a person buying a new system need different information. "AC repair" and "AC not cooling" are together because both people need a repair.

What About City Pages?

City pages are where many local businesses get into trouble. The idea seems logical: make one page for every city you serve, each targeting "service + city."

The problem comes when those pages are copies with only the name changed. Google's spam policies describe doorway pages, pages made to rank for specific similar searches that lead people to the same place without real value, as a form of spam. Twenty near-identical city pages can look exactly like that.

A city page is worth making when you can fill it with things that are true and specific to that place:

• Real jobs you did there, described without private details.
• Local conditions that change the work, like older homes, salt air or flood zones.
• Which team or office serves that area, and how fast you can get there.
• Reviews from customers in that area, if they agreed to share them.
• Answers to questions people in that area really ask.

If you cannot say anything different about a city, one strong service page that lists the areas you serve is often the better choice. Our guide to local SEO covers how location pages fit with your Google Business Profile.

Using Keywords on the Page, Without Stuffing

Once a page has its topic, where should the words go? Keep it simple.

• Title tag: the main keyword near the start.
• Main heading: the main keyword or a close variation, written for people.
• First paragraph: say clearly what the page covers, using the words customers use.
• Sub-headings: cover the related questions and variations naturally.
• Body text: write normally. Related words will show up on their own if you explain the topic fully.
• Link text: when other pages link here, use words that describe this topic.

There is no magic number of times to repeat a keyword. If a sentence sounds strange when you read it out loud, you used the phrase one time too many.

How Many Pages Does a Small Business Site Need?

This is the flip side of the keyword question. If each page has one topic, the number of pages follows from the number of topics your customers search for. For most local service businesses, that means:

• A home page.
• One page for each main service people search for on its own.
• One page for each location or office, if you have more than one and can say something real about each.
• An about page and a contact page.
• Guides and blog posts that answer the questions people ask before they buy.

A plumber with eight main services and one office might start with around a dozen core pages, then add guides over time. A law firm with five practice areas might start smaller. There is no right number. There is only the right match between what people search and what your pages offer.

A good sign you need a new page: customers keep asking about a service, and your site only mentions it in one line. A good sign you have too many pages: several pages say almost the same thing and none of them gets visits.

Keywords in English and Spanish

Many South Florida businesses serve customers in both languages. A Spanish search and an English search for the same service are the same topic in different languages. Each language version should have its own page, written for that language, not a single page with both mixed together.

• Research Spanish searches on their own. People often use different words than a direct translation, and regional words vary.
• Give the Spanish page its own title, heading and description in Spanish.
• Link the English and Spanish versions of each page to each other, so readers can switch.
• Keep both versions saying the same things about your services, so neither one is out of date.

The one-topic rule still applies in each language. One Spanish page for AC repair, one English page for AC repair, and no extra pages for every Spanish variation.

Keep Your Map Up to Date

Your keyword map is not a one-time project. Review it when any of these happen:

• You add a new service or stop offering one.
• You open or close a location.
• Search Console shows a page appearing for searches you did not plan for.
• A new blog post is being planned. Check the map first.
• Your website is being redesigned. The map tells the designer which pages must stay.

A quick review twice a year is enough for most small businesses. Fifteen minutes with the map can save you from writing a page that competes with one you already have.

Common Mistakes

• One page for everything. A single "Services" page listing ten services in one paragraph each. None of them can rank well. Give important services their own pages.
• A page for every word variation. Separate pages for "lawyer" and "attorney" split your strength.
• Blog posts that copy service pages. A post titled "Our Roof Repair Services" competes with your roof repair page. Write posts that answer questions instead.
• Ignoring the searcher's goal. Putting a long how-to guide on a page meant for people ready to buy, or a hard sales pitch on a page meant for learning.
• Never checking. Cannibalization creeps in over years. Review your map once or twice a year.

How to Measure if Your Pages Are Focused

After you reorganize, give Google a few weeks to crawl the changes. Then check:

• Each important search shows one of your pages, the right one. Use the Performance report with a query filter.
• Each page shows up for a group of related searches. Open a page in the Performance report and look at its queries. They should all be about one topic.
• Average position for your main searches is steady or improving. Do not panic over day-to-day movement. Look at weeks and months.
• The right page gets the calls. In your analytics, check that service pages, not old blog posts, are where visitors start before they contact you.

If you merged pages, also check the Pages report in Search Console a month later. The old address should show as a redirect, and the page you kept should be indexed.

Five Questions Before You Create a New Page

Before anyone on your team builds a new page or writes a new post, run through these five questions. They take two minutes and prevent most overlap problems.

1. What one search is this page for? If you cannot name it, the page is not ready.
2. Does a page for that search already exist? Check your map and search your own site.
3. If one exists, can we improve it instead? Adding a section to a strong page is often better than starting a new one.
4. Is the person behind this search at a different stage? Learning, comparing or ready to hire. Different stages can justify different pages.
5. Which existing page will this one link to, and which will link to it? A new page should fit into your site, not float on its own.

If the answers point to a new page, go ahead and add it to the map. If they point to an existing page, put your energy there.

A Quick Checklist

• Every page has one main topic you can name in a few words.
• Close variations of that topic are covered on the same page.
• Different services, places or buying stages have their own pages.
• No two pages answer the same need.
• Guides and comparison posts link to the matching service page.
• City pages contain real, local, different information, or they do not exist.
• You keep a simple keyword-to-page map and check it before writing anything new.

If you want help building that map, it is the heart of our keyword research and strategy work. We find the searches that matter, group them, and show you which pages to build, combine or leave alone. You can also start with our free SEO audit to see how your current pages look to Google.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search (keyword stuffing and doorway abuse)

More From the Blog

• WordPress vs. a Custom-Built Website for a Small Business
• Internal Linking: The Free SEO Win Most Sites Ignore
• How to Write Title Tags and Meta Descriptions That Get Clicks