A Visual Guide to Keyword Targeting and on Page SEO

Assigns one search intent and one primary keyword per URL, then reinforces that topic through titles, headings, body copy, and image metadata.

If you have ever picked a high-volume keyword and still failed to rank, you already know volume alone does not tell you which page should target it.

Key points

Map one primary keyword to each URL to avoid keyword cannibalisation.
Let search intent guide your choice—volume is pointless if the result does not match the query.
Place the primary keyword in the title tag, ideally near the start.
Use the H1 and at least one H2 to reinforce the topic naturally.
Include the target term in the first 100 words of body copy.

At a glance

Also called: Keyword targeting, on-page SEO strategy
Applies to: Every indexed page on your site
Signal type: Relevance signal (title, H1, body, alt text)
Common mixup: Confusing density with intent—Google parses meaning, not count
Still relevant: Yes, but exact-match repetition is outdated

The same keyword, three different pages

You run a recipe site. The keyword 'vegan lasagne' draws 5,000 searches a month. Your ingredients page targets it, your method page targets it, and your FAQ page targets it. Each page fights for the same query; none ranks above position 12. The fix: assign the intent. The method page gets a canonicalised rewrite for 'how to make vegan lasagne' (informational), the ingredients page targets 'vegan lasagne ingredients' (commercial), and the FAQ is redirected into the method page.

Three ways it goes wrong

Duplicate targeting Assigning the same primary keyword to multiple URLs causes keyword cannibalisation. Each page competes against the others, diluting ranking potential.
Forcing exact-match keywords Stuffing the target term into every heading and image alt text feels unnatural. Search engines detect spamminess; usability drops.
Ignoring technical setup Broken canonicals or blocked crawling prevent the target URL from being indexed. Even perfect keyword mapping fails if the page cannot be found.

What to check before you optimise

Confirm search intent Use an on page seo tool to analyse top-ranking results. If they are all listicles and your page is a product, you have an intent mismatch.
Verify the target URL is canonical The version you optimise must be the one search engines index. Non-canonical URLs waste effort and can trigger duplicate content flags.
Review internal linking Links from related pages reinforce topical relevance. Use onpage seo tools to check internal link distribution; a page with no internal links gets less authority flow.

Common questions

How many keywords should one page target?

One primary keyword plus a few supporting terms. Each URL should own one clear topic to avoid internal competition.

What is keyword cannibalisation?

It is when multiple pages on your site target the same query, splitting signals and weakening the overall ranking for that term.

Does keyword density still matter?

Not as a formula. Google reads naturally written copy; a set percentage of repetitions is an outdated signal and can look spammy.

Sources

Moz Visual walkthrough of mapping keywords to pages and intent.
Semrush Step-by-step on how to build a keyword map and link it to URLs.
Google Search Central Official guidance on on-page signals and indexable content.