How to read your keyword difficulty score
Keyword difficulty (KD) estimates how hard it is to reach the first page of Google for a keyword. This keyword difficulty checker gives a score from 0 to 100, calculated by DataForSEO from the link profiles of the pages in the top 10. When the ranking pages have links from many sites, the score is high.
The scale is logarithmic, so each step up takes more links than the one before, and the gap between 60 and 70 is much wider than the gap between 10 and 20. Every score gets one of six labels:
- 0 to 14, Very easy. The top 10 has few links. A new page with solid content can compete.
- 15 to 29, Easy. Good content and a few relevant links should be enough.
- 30 to 49, Possible. You will need strong content and some quality backlinks.
- 50 to 69, Difficult. Expect to need a strong page and a solid backlink profile.
- 70 to 84, Hard. Mostly strong, well-linked sites rank here.
- 85 to 100, Very hard. The results are dominated by very strong sites. Target longer variations first.
The labels are a guide, not a promise. Difficulty is relative: the same score means one thing for a brand new blog and another for a site that already earns links from many others.
How to decide whether a keyword is worth it
- Compare it with your own site. Check your domain with the website authority checker. If the sites in the top 10 are far stronger, pick an easier keyword or plan to earn links first.
- Look at referring domains. The checker shows the average number of referring domains of the pages in the top 10. Treat it as a rough idea of how many sites may need to link to your page.
- Open the top 10. Forum threads, thin pages or outdated posts in the results suggest room for a better page, even at a higher score.
- Match the intent. If the top 10 is all product pages and you planned a blog post, rethink the page type before you write.
- Weigh the reward. A hard keyword with high volume and a high CPC can justify a long-term effort. A hard keyword with little demand rarely does.
What the other numbers tell you
Search volume and the 12-month trend
Monthly search volume shows average demand in the country you chose. The 12-month trend shows how that demand moves through the year, so you can publish ahead of a seasonal peak and avoid topics that are fading.
SERP features
The checker lists the features on the results page, such as an AI Overview, People also ask, videos or a local pack. These take space above or between the organic results. On a crowded page, the organic results can get fewer clicks than the search volume suggests.
Search intent and CPC
Intent tells you which kind of page to create: a guide, a comparison, a product page or a service page. CPC shows what advertisers pay per click, a quick sign of how valuable the traffic is.
Number of results
The number of results Google reports is a rough sign of how much content exists on the topic. It matters far less than the top 10, because those are the pages you actually need to beat.
How to rank for harder keywords
If the keyword you want is rated Difficult or harder, you do not have to give it up. You have three practical options:
- Build up to it. Rank for easier long-tail variations first. Find them with the keyword generator, then link those pages to your main page.
- Go narrower. Target a specific audience, location or use case where the top 10 is weaker.
- Earn links. Publish content other sites want to cite and reach out to relevant sites in your field. It takes steady work, and our SEO services can take it on for you.
Why difficulty scores differ between tools
Every SEO tool calculates difficulty its own way, from its own link data. A keyword can score 40 here and a different number in Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz, and neither is wrong. Compare keywords using the same keyword difficulty tool, and use the score to rank your options rather than as an exact measure.