Keyword difficulty
What is keyword difficulty?
Keyword difficulty (KD) is a score, usually from 0 to 100, that estimates how hard it would be to rank in Google’s top 10 for a keyword. Higher means harder. SEO tools calculate it from the pages that currently rank, most often from how many and how strong their backlinks are. It is a third-party estimate, not a Google metric.
Each tool has its own formula, so a keyword scored 30 in one tool can be 50 in another. Some scores are based mainly on the number of referring domains pointing at the top-ranking pages. Others blend in the authority of the ranking domains, the number of SERP features, or other signals. Read your tool’s explanation and compare keywords within one tool, not across tools.
Keyword difficulty is not the same as competition in Google Ads. Ad tools also report "competition" as low, medium or high, but that measures how many advertisers bid on the keyword, not how hard it is to rank organically.
What a difficulty score cannot see is just as important. It usually ignores how well the ranking pages actually answer the query, how relevant your site already is to the topic, your own site’s authority, and whether Google favours a particular page type. A keyword may have a low score because the top pages have few links, yet still be hard because they come from big brands Google trusts on that subject. Or a high-scoring keyword may have a weak, outdated page in the top 10 that a better page could beat.
That is why difficulty is a filter, not a verdict. Use it to sort a long list quickly, then look at the actual results page before you decide.
Why keyword difficulty matters for SEO
Difficulty helps you spend effort where it can pay off. A new site with few links will struggle with high-difficulty keywords for a long time, while low-difficulty keywords can start bringing traffic within months. Sorting by difficulty is often the quickest way to find realistic targets in a big keyword list.
It also helps you plan. If a keyword you care about is hard, you know you will need links, depth and time, and can budget for link building or build up to it with easier pages in the same topic.
How to assess keyword difficulty
- Use the difficulty score to sort and shortlist, comparing keywords within one tool only.
- Open the live top 10 for each shortlisted keyword.
- Note how many referring domains the ranking pages have and how strong their domains are.
- Compare those numbers with your own site and the page you would rank.
- Look for weak spots: forum threads, thin or outdated pages, or pages that do not match the intent well.
- Check whether Google favours a page type you can create (guide, product page, tool, video).
- Pick keywords where you can realistically publish a better page and earn a similar number of links.
Keyword difficulty example
"Project management software": KD 85, top 10 full of big software brands and review sites with thousands of referring domains. "Project management template for construction": KD 12, top 10 includes two forum threads and a page with five referring domains. A small construction software company has a real chance on the second.
Keyword difficulty FAQ
What is a good keyword difficulty score?
It depends on your site. A new site with few links should look for low scores in its tool, roughly the bottom third of the scale. An established site with strong links can compete higher. Compare the top-ranking pages with your own site rather than chasing a fixed number.
Why does keyword difficulty differ between SEO tools?
Each tool uses its own link data and its own formula. Some weight referring domains heavily, others mix in domain authority or SERP features. Compare scores within one tool.
Is keyword difficulty a Google metric?
No. Google does not publish a difficulty score. Keyword difficulty is an estimate made by SEO tools. The "competition" figure in Google Ads Keyword Planner measures advertiser competition, not organic ranking difficulty.
Can you rank for a high-difficulty keyword?
Yes, but expect it to take longer and need more links and depth. Building pages for easier keywords in the same topic first usually makes the hard one more achievable.
Related SEO terms
Keyword research is finding the search terms your audience uses, then judging which ones are worth targeting by demand, difficulty and intent.
Search volume is the estimated number of times a keyword is searched per month in a given location, usually averaged over the past 12 months.
A referring domain is a website that links to your site at least once. Each domain counts once, no matter how many links it sends.
Domain Rating (DR) is Ahrefs’ 0–100 score of the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It is a third-party metric, not used by Google.
SERP (search engine results page)
A SERP (search engine results page) is the page a search engine shows after a query: organic links, ads, and features like snippets and maps.
Head terms (short-tail keywords)
Head terms are short, broad, high-volume keywords like "shoes" or "insurance". They bring the most searches but are the hardest to rank for.
Long-tail keywords are specific, lower-volume search terms. Each brings little traffic, but together they’re easier to rank for and often convert well.
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of trust and use them to rank and discover pages.