Keyword Stuffing
Overloading a page with keywords in an unnatural way to try to manipulate search rankings.
Keyword stuffing is the practice of cramming as many keywords as possible into a page's content, meta tags, or alt text in an attempt to manipulate search rankings. It's one of the oldest and most well-known black hat SEO techniques.
Examples include repeating the same keyword dozens of times, hiding keywords in white text on a white background, stuffing keywords into meta tags that don't make sense, and adding long lists of keyword variations at the bottom of a page.
In the early 2000s, keyword stuffing actually worked. But Google's algorithms have evolved dramatically. Today, keyword stuffing will hurt your rankings, not help them. Google's Panda update (2011) specifically targeted low-quality content, and keyword-stuffed pages are a prime example.
The line between optimization and stuffing can sometimes be blurry. A good test: read your content out loud. Does it sound natural? Would you feel embarrassed if a customer read it? If the keywords sound forced, you've probably gone too far.
Why It Matters for SEO
Keyword stuffing makes your content unreadable and can result in Google penalizing your page or site. It destroys user trust and signals to search engines that your content is low quality. Always write for humans first, search engines second.