What Is Keyword Difficulty? (& How to Measure It)

What Does Keyword Difficulty Mean? 

Keyword trouble (or SEO difficulty) is simply a metric that estimates however hard it is to gain a salient presumption successful the hunt results for a fixed keyword.

For example, “iPhone” has a precise precocious trouble people due to the fact that it’s highly challenging to outrank highly relevant, high-quality hunt results from authoritative sites similar Apple.

In Semrush, Keyword Difficulty (KD %) is expressed arsenic a percentage. With a people of 100% being the hardest to fertile for, and 0% the easiest.

What Is Personal Keyword Difficulty?

In summation to a wide Keyword Difficulty score, Semrush offers a personalized Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %) score. PKD considers your website's authority and determines however challenging it would beryllium for you to scope the apical 10 hunt results for a peculiar keyword.

Knowing your PKD is much invaluable than relying solely connected the Keyword Difficulty score. PKD reveals keywords that mightiness look excessively competitory for your website based connected the Keyword Difficulty people but are really achievable.

Focusing connected PKD opportunities tin assistance you make a coagulated SEO strategy to summation your chances of ranking higher successful hunt results.

Why Is Keyword Difficulty Important?

Keyword trouble is important successful search motor optimization (SEO) due to the fact that it helps you place hunt presumption you person the imaginable to fertile highly for successful the integrated listings of the search motor results pages (SERPs). 

When you recognize which keywords you tin fertile for, you tin put much resources into contented that volition apt make much postulation from hunt engines to your website.

After all, higher rankings successful the integrated results usually pb to much clicks, which tin construe to much website conversions and amended concern results.

By combining trouble scores with different insights, you tin prime the champion imaginable keywords for your contented strategy.

What Affects Keyword Difficulty successful SEO? 

Both KD and PKD are based connected analyzing Google's apical 10 integrated results and assorted keyword characteristics.

Below, you’ll find a breakdown of six cardinal factors.

1. Backlinks to Top-Ranking Sites

Backlinks are links from 1 website to another. 

Google treats backlinks from high-authority sites arsenic recommendations for the sites they are linking to. So, if you're researching a circumstantial keyword, and the top-ranking tract for that keyword has a batch of backlinks, the keyword trouble people for that keyword volition apt beryllium higher.

Semrush’s look considers 2 main backlink metrics:

• The median fig of referring domains: Generally, the much prime sites that nexus to a website, the much salient and trustworthy it’s perceived to be. And the harder it’ll beryllium to outrank.
• The median ratio of travel to nofollow links: Nofollow links are links the head has requested hunt engines to disregard for SEO purposes. So, sites with a debased proportionality of nofollow backlinks tin beryllium harder to outrank.

You tin cheque these metrics yourself with Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool.

Just participate the domain oregon URL you’re funny successful and click “Analyze.”

Then, caput to the “Backlinks” study to spot the fig of referring domains and the percent of nofollow links.

Here's what the Backlinks Analysis instrumentality looks similar successful Semrush for Apple:

2. Authority Scores of Top-Ranking Sites

Backlinks besides impact Authority Scores. Semrush’s Authority Score measures a website’s SEO ranking quality connected a standard of 1-100. This people is based connected 3 main factors:

1. Link power: The prime and quantity of backlinks to the site
2. Organic traffic: The estimated fig of monthly integrated clicks from hunt engines
3. Natural profile: The prevalence of spam indicators successful the site’s backlink illustration (which you tin larn much astir successful our usher to toxic backlinks)

The higher the top-ranking sites’ Authority Scores, the higher the keyword trouble volition be.

You tin find your site’s Authority Score with the Backlink Analytics tool.

Enter your domain, past caput to the “Overview” report.

Then, adhd competitors to spot however your Authority Scores compare.

3. Keyword Search Volume

Search volume refers to the mean fig of monthly searches for a keyword. Volumes thin to correlate powerfully with keyword trouble scores.

Why?

Higher-volume keywords person the imaginable to thrust much postulation to a website. So, they thin to pull much competition.

You tin find keywords, their hunt volumes, and their trouble scores successful Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

Enter a applicable word to basal your probe around, take your country, and click “Search.”

Then, notation to each keyword's “Volume” and “KD%” columns.

In the illustration below, keywords with hunt volumes of 100,001 oregon higher person an mean Keyword Difficulty people of 76%.

However, keywords with volumes from 11-100 person an mean Keyword Difficulty people of 39%. 

One of the champion ways to maximize postulation is to people the highest-volume keywords that person achievable trouble scores.

What’s achievable depends connected your site’s presumption and contented strategy. (More connected that later.)

4. The Presence of SERP Features

SERP features are non-traditional hunt results that basal retired and gully the user’s attention.

If a keyword triggers 1 oregon much of the features below, it’s sometimes harder for sites to gain integrated clicks. So, that translates to a higher trouble score.

• Featured snippet: A webpage excerpt that typically appears astatine the apical of the SERP
• Instant answer: An reply that appears without a salient nexus (e.g., a dictionary definition)
• Local pack: A artifact that includes representation results and concern listings
• Knowledge panel: A summary astir a person, place, organization, oregon happening that appears connected the close broadside of the SERP
• Top stories: A artifact that includes links to applicable quality articles
• People besides ask: A artifact featuring commonly asked questions and effect snippets
• Sitelinks: Extra links to pages connected a tract (which look beneath an different modular result)

Here’s an illustration of what the SERP looks similar for the high-difficulty keyword, “what is an iPhone.” You’ll spot the featured snippet, People besides ask, and archetypal integrated listing:

Conversely, the SEO keyword trouble volition beryllium little if nary SERP features are triggered. Because determination are nary peculiar elements to vie against.

When you bash keyword research successful the Keyword Magic Tool, you tin spot however galore SERP features each keyword triggers. And observe which ones they are.

5. Branded Keywords

If a keyword includes a marque sanction (e.g., “iPhone”), its SEO trouble people volition usually beryllium higher.

That’s due to the fact that Google is apt to favour results from the brand’s ain site. Making it harder for different sites to fertile prominently.

For example, Apple dominates the “iPhone” SERP:

Of course, this means that it should beryllium comparatively casual to fertile for your ain branded keywords.

6. The Search Term’s Word Count

For our keyword trouble metric, keywords with longer connection counts usually person little trouble scores. This is due to the fact that they thin to beryllium long-tail keywords—highly circumstantial keywords that often person little hunt volumes and little keyword contention levels. 

For example, the latest information from our U.S. database shows that:

• “iPhone 15 Pro Max” has 71% trouble and gets 823K searches/month
• “iPhone 15 Oro Max 256gb earthy titanium” has 38% Keyword Difficulty people and gets 390 searches/month

Long-tail keywords typically correlate with precocious engagement and conversion rates. Because users person a wide thought of what they’re searching for.

So, long-tail keywords with debased trouble scores tin beryllium large keywords to target.

When you usage the Keyword Magic Tool, you tin find long-tail keywords circumstantial to your concern (which are often longer) utilizing the suggested groups and subgroups connected the left-hand side. For the word “iPhone,” it looks similar this

How to Check Keyword Difficulty

You tin easy cheque keyword trouble scores with Keyword Overview. 

Just benignant your keyword(s) into the instrumentality and you’ll spot the score(s) successful the dashboard. 

If you’re conducting keyword research, the Keyword Magic Tool displays each Keyword Difficulty people successful the “KD %” column. 

And this is however the scores interruption down:

New Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD)

Getting your PKD people for each keyword is easy. Enter your domain successful the "AI-powered" hunt container successful the Keyword Overview tool.

You'll past spot your PKD people for that circumstantial keyword, on with the pursuing invaluable insights:

• Topical authority: Assesses your domain's authorization connected circumstantial topics, helping you place areas for imaginable ranking success
• Potential SERP positions: Shows your existent keyword rankings and forecasts imaginable improvements, aiding successful SEO prioritization and goal-setting
• Current position: Shows your existent keyword ranking successful the SERPs

Further down the page, you'll observe further keyword options similar "Keyword Variations" and "Questions," each with its ain PKD score. Considering your website's circumstantial ranking potential, these options springiness you much keywords to target.

What’s a Good Keyword Difficulty Score to Target?

Knowing what keywords you tin fertile highly for is adjuvant erstwhile looking astatine your existent performance.

You tin rapidly analyse your keywords and their trouble scores successful the Keyword Magic Tool.

Enter your effect keyword and your domain. And click “Search.”

Look astatine the "PKD%" and "KD%" columns.

Remember:

• KD% shows the wide trouble of ranking for that keyword crossed each websites
• PKD% shows the trouble of ranking for that keyword specifically for your website, considering your domain's authorization and backlink profile

Look for keywords with a debased “PKD%” but a higher “KD%” score.

Why?

This whitethorn bespeak a aureate opportunity. Although the keyword mightiness look competitory overall, your website has the imaginable to outperform others.

You besides use the "Personal KD%" filter and acceptable it to "Possible" and the “KD” filter to “Difficult.” This volition rapidly constrictive the database to keywords wherever your website tin fertile well.

For example, the website rainbowplantlife.com creates contented astir vegan food. 

By utilizing the effect keyword "vegan recipe" and applying the filters mentioned above, determination are 145 imaginable keywords they aren't presently ranking for but for which their PKD indicates a precocious accidental of success. 

However, there's nary one-size-fits-all reply to "what's a bully keyword trouble score." 

If you person a little Authority Score and weaker backlinks than your competitors, you’ll find it hard to outrank them. So, you should astir apt absorption connected keywords with little trouble to start. 

You tin amended your competitiveness implicit clip by:

• Doing link building (acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable sites)
• Building retired topic clusters (groups of contented that halfway astir a main topic) to found authorization astir applicable topics
• Growing your organic traffic done lower-difficulty keywords

How to Create Rankable Content

No substance the keyword trouble score, you indispensable make quality content to gain a apical ranking.

This is unsocial contented that efficiently and efficaciously satisfies hunt intent (the user’s crushed for searching).

You privation to outshine each your competitors.

When you find keywords successful the Keyword Magic Tool, you tin easy click done to the SERP. And cheque retired what you’re up against.

Just click the icon that looks similar this: