Initially, we used to sprinkle keywords like seasoning. Every section used to have one, sometimes in the H2s, sometimes in the conclusion, and so on. But now, everyone is saying it doesn’t work like that anymore. We have to add keywords, but not overdo it. Then who decides what the normal limit is, and what exactly is overdoing it?
Read along as we decide, “What is the threshold between keyword stuffing and being optimized?”Don’t worry, we will not tell you the same thing about adding more context. We will get into the depths of the matter and understand the basics. 🌝 But before that, let us rewind what we already know.
The Very Basic: What Are Keywords Supposed to Do?
We approach keywords with a weird logic: the more keywords, the better the ranking. Many SEO guides and LinkedIn posts assert this fact like their lives depend on it. But let me break down the truth for you.
🚨Using More Keywords Does Not Mean a Better Ranking.
The reason we use keywords is entirely different from what we think it is. To begin with, keywords tell Google what your blog is about. Let us quickly jump into the backend of things to understand this better:
Initially, Google search was about:
You publish a blog on your website.↓
Google uses its crawlers to read the blog. (A Google crawler is an automated program that visits web pages and scans their content, much like a reader skimming through a page.)
↓
Identifies the keywords to understand what it is about and who it is for.
↓
Ranks it accordingly.
So, in short, keywords help Google crawlers to understand what your topic is about so that it can place it in the search index. This system was built simply to make sure Google can rank your article for the correct query.
It was never a guarantee that you would get the top spot. But yes, adding relevant keywords along with secondary keywords really helped with the upper hand. Especially when there was too much clutter.
What Is Keyword Stuffing?
Before AI overviews, we were under the impression that the more we add keywords, the better our chances of ranking. You know, when you bake a chocolate cake, and you think adding more chocolate chips than normal is only going to make it taste better? However, unlike the cake, it slowly reached a point where the blog lost its essence, meaning, and identity. Simply because we insisted on abruptly placing keywords here and there.
Imagine that you are writing a blog on the “best project management software for 2026.” Now, instead of talking about the best tools or listing the features, all you focus on is adding the keyword “best project management software.” This is what is known as keyword stuffing.
- With keyword stuffing, there is space for you to actually say what you want to your users.
- Your blogs end up being vague with no true directions.
- It offers very little value and direction.
- Users finish reading the article feeling unsure about what to do next or what they have actually learned.
In the present time, when Google’s AI overview is taking over the entire conversation, and it is all about relevancy, keyword stuffing is a STRICT NO! AI will immediately reject your content, and you will eventually lose all your credibility.
So Where Exactly Is the Threshold?
On one hand, you have the importance of keywords that alert Google regarding what your content is about. On the other hand, there is a risk of keyword stuffing. Adding the keyword after a certain period feels repetitive, unnecessary, and generic.
Moreover, with AI Overviews, we have to be very careful about what we post. It hates generic, same, and robotic content with no insight.
But then we have no limit, benchmark, or expectations set by us to establish a threshold. How many times should I add the keyword? One, two, five? There is no set limit; however, things are changing. This is exactly why a report by BrightEdge says "pages ranking in the top 10 of Google search results have a 50% lower keyword density than those ranking two years ago."
Should it be placed at the beginning of the blog, embedded in conclusions, sprinkled in FAQs, take over the entire content, or just lie here and there casually?
Here is a quick secret that most marketers don’t know about. The threshold is the context. In other words, the line is crossed the moment your keyword stops helping Google understand your content and starts repeating things.
- Keywords are always useful when exploring the topic.
- They become suffocating when you keep saying the same thing just to keep the keyword instead of adding something new.
Optimization Adds Meaning. Stuffing Repeats Meaning.
Unarguably, keywords are important. They help your users, Google crawlers, and now Google AI Overview to understand what you are talking about. That is why the responsibility lies within you to figure out the extent to which you should milk it for visibility.
Let us go back to your example and say that you are writing on “best project management software for 2026.”
Optimized content for the same will looks like:
- You introduce the keyword once to set the context.
- Then you talk about:
1. Remote team collaboration
2. The stress of project management
3. The role of AI
4. Industry-specific tools
Google understands exactly what you are talking about and why the article exists.
Keyword stuffing simply repeats:
- Every paragraph circles back to:
“best project management software for 2026” - No feature explanation that talks about the tool
- No comparison actually helps the user to make a purchase decision
In this scenario, all Google can understand is that you talked about project management in the first 300 words. The rest of it? It was all generic noise and repetitive phrases and lines that added no value or relevance for its readers. And this is a common fatigue for businesses all over the world.
Fun fact: Google relies on an AI system known as RankBrain that helps it connect words to the ideas. Or, in simple terms, Google can show relevant results even when a page doesn’t use the same words in the search query.
So, yes, a page can rank even when it misses out on the keyword. It is all about the context! In fact, according to a Backlinko analysis of 11.8 million Google search results, writing comprehensive, in-depth content can help pages rank higher in Google.
Why AI Overviews Make This Threshold Even Thinner
You must have noticed that ever since Google’s AI Overview was introduced in 2024, everything we know about ranking has changed. We see websites with low domain authority being quoted and referred to by AI.
The reason is simple: AI Overviews only wants the best and the most contextual answers for its users. Therefore, the moment you start writing content for stuffing keywords, a few things happen:
- AI ignores your content and thinks it is irrelevant.
- You lose out on visibility and eventually the trust signals.
- Your content becomes interchangeable, making it harder for AI to distinguish your page from hundreds of similar ones.
- Your engagement suffers, and it further convinces Google that you cannot satisfy your users’ queries.
The takeaway from this is very simple but can be life-changing for you, especially if you are struggling. AI Overviews prioritize the most contextual answers instead of preffering the optimized ones stuffed with keywords.
The Real Threshold in the AI Era: Context Saturation
In today’s AI overview era, you have to understand that the real threshold is content saturation. It happens when Google understands what you are writing about and who the page is for, and yet you keep adding keywords.
This usually happens when we fail to acknowledge one important fact: Google’s AI is already smart enough. It does not need constant reassurance about your topic. It needs progression.
Once the context is established, AI expects:
- You will explain the topic in detail.
- Bring in a new perspective and do not highlight what has already been said.
- Real-life examples that reflect experience and not keyword stuffing.
When you insist on adding keywords beyond this point, it dilutes your voice and makes your work cluttered and irrelevant. Something that AI dislikes. In simple terms, a keyword should set the stage and leave the scene; if it lingers around, it results in overuse and loss of impact.
You have to understand that in today’s time, you get to be in Google’s good books only through contextual relevance. And by that, it means clarity, depth, and meaningful content instead of repeating the same word over and over again.
How Google (and AI Overviews) Actually Judge Keyword Usage Today
This is the most important aspect of the concept that you need to know about. Google and AI overviews are no longer reliant on tracking a single word in isolation. Put simply, it doesn’t care how many times you have repeated the keyword as long as you are true to the context.
If the user is looking for the answer “What is A,” and you give them exactly that, you win! All Google now looks for is relevance, context, and if it can summarize your answer for the user without twisting its meaning. You can understand this in one simple line:
If your keyword usage helps AI extract a clear, accurate answer, it works in your favor. If it forces AI to look for the answer in repetitive phrasings and clutter, that is where the problem begins.
This is why two articles with the same keyword can perform very differently. Depending on how one has relied on explaining the concept and the other trusts keywords to do the magic.
Conclusion: In the AI Era, Clarity Is the Only Benchmark That Matters
The debate over whether you should add more keywords or not is always going to be a dynamic discussion. But with the AI Overviews now taking control over search, we are learning one simple thing: keywords don’t matter as much as context. And, honestly, this has been the game-changer.
It has made one thing crystal clear: Google hates nagging. So when you repeat, reassure, or overexplain, you lose credibility with time. All it needs from you is content that addresses the user’s query directly and precisely.
As marketers, business owners, and writers, we have to understand one simple thing. There is no fixed number, no rule that directs keyword placement, or a designated checklist that says, Yes, this is the best thing to do!
Instead, it is all about assessing if your content is helping the users, giving them a new perspective, and not repeating the same thing just for visibility. It doesn’t work like that anymore.
The only way you can make Google trust you and gain the visibility that comes with it is by being contextual, intentional, and genuinely useful.