What is TF-IDF?
A way of finding the words that matter on a page: words used often there but not common everywhere.
The plain definition
TF-IDF stands for term frequency and inverse document frequency. It is a long-standing way to find the words that characterise a page. A word scores high when it appears often on that page but rarely across other pages. Common words like “the” score low.
An example
You compare your “roof repair” page with three competitors’ pages. They all mention “flashing”, “shingle” and “insurance claim”, and yours does not. Those words show up as gaps. They suggest topics that a customer expects such a page to cover.
Why it matters for a local business
Search engines do not publish a formula, so treat the result as a prompt rather than a target. Use it to spot subjects you missed, then write about them only where they are true and useful. Adding words for their own sake makes the page worse.
Check it for free
See where you stand with the free TF-IDF tool. If you would rather have it handled, our Local SEO service covers this as part of the monthly work.
Related terms
Part of the SEO glossary. New to all this? Start with the beginner’s SEO guide.
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