I agree, if you want to top Yahoo and especially MSN, focus on keyword density, if you want to top Google, don't even worry about it and just create unique content and focus on back-links.

a rough estimation is between 2-7% of the total content of the page.
But as the above posters said, if they are used in coherent and meaningful sentences, then even higher densities are acceptable by SEs.

Avoid overkills.

Then how can one target all the three search engines ? Is it possible ? I think then SERP depends truly on backlinks.

You have it backwards. You don't "target search engines". Search engines find YOU. They are SEARCH engines. Most SEO advice is based on misinformation, untestable theories, and anecdotes. The only advice I'd echo is to focus on good content, and to promote your site on other, related sites. Then let things take their course. If you feel you're not getting enough exposure, then advertise. Any artificial manipulation in an attempt to get better rankings will either backfire, be ineffective, or make your site less enjoyable/natural for your members.

You should try to use seo software such as seo elite... addweb... dynamic submission... it should tell you... or check out marketleap

for each keyword,the density varies..

i discussed in one of my previous reply..
To measure the keyword density and to low down/increase the density,we should first take in consider which keyword you are targeting and for which search engine TLD you need to do the seo .TLD means top level domain like .com,.co.in,.co.uk etc

for example if you are targeting a keyword "top resorts in kerala" and as the location kerala is in India,you have to open google.co.in and search the keyword in the search bar and get the first 10 results.

Note:there are many sections in SEO we need to takecare of the keyword density for a particular keyword

For the time being,we will talk about the title as a start up which is seen in <title></title> tag

Analyze all the 10 top listed websites title and check the maximum times they used the keyword.

like site#1 kept -cheap resorts in kerala
site#2 kept -best resort in india
Site#3 kept -affordable resort in cochin and so on..

then for the keyword -top resorts in kerala,you should use the following density

The "top" didnt used at all in the above sites,so you should keep it atleast once..its recommended.
The "resorts" used 3 times,so you can use the keyword "resort" atleast once and maximum 3 times.if you didnt use it for atleast once then keyword density of the word 'resort' inthe keyword-top resorts in kerala for the title tag is low and if you use it more than 3 times then the keyword density is high.

the "kerala" used one time in the above sites,so you can use it for atleast one time and maximum one time only

So by analysing like this,your title for the keyword"top resorts in kerala" can be some ting like this

example title:"top resorts in kerala|Best resorts in India|cheap resorts"

this is achieved by using the above method
using top atleast once (recommended for keyword:top resorts in kerala)
using resort for 1-3 times
using kerala for definitely once

hope this helps..
let me know if you need any clarification.

Thanks

Mark

I would suggest you to use 6-7% keyword density as it is normal amount.

There are many websites where you can check the density.

please describe me, what is keyword density

hi,
A keyword density of up to 2 percent is also enough to get your webpage in the first page of Google search provided one has good back linking associated with it.

As far as I heard that If you repeat your keywords with every other word on every line, then your site will probably be rejected as an artificial site or spam site.