Keyword Difficulty

What is Keyword Difficulty?

SEO professionals and website owners use Keyword Difficulty (KD) to optimize content for search engines.

The keyword difficulty estimation depends on many factors affecting a page’s keyword ranking. Google keeps some ranking factors hidden. SEO tools use various methods to measure keyword difficulty. If you have many keywords, this metric helps you prioritize based on competition.

But remember, keyword difficulty is just an estimate and may not be accurate in all keyword research tools. To determine page rankings, you can look at the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) by hand. You can learn about the competition and improve your SEO strategy.

The SEOLeverage App is designed to offer users a comprehensive analysis for optimizing their online presence by providing a list of keywords. The app analyzes search engine data to identify keywords with:

  • High search volume. These keywords are frequently searched for by users, indicating a strong demand for information related to your niche.
  • Low keyword difficulty. These less competitive keywords make them easier to rank for and drive faster results.
  • High click-through rate (CTR). These keywords attract many clicks from search results, suggesting that users find them relevant and engaging.

The SEOLeverage App works with two strong Google tools: Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These tools provide users with a platform to check and analyze relevant keywords for their online presence.

The Importance of Keyword Difficulty

You must understand keywords to plan content and do research in SEO. By analyzing the difficult keywords, you can decide which ones to focus on and use your time and resources wisely.

Categories for a keyword difficulty score:

  • 0-14: Very easy
  • 15-29: Easy
  • 30-49: Possible
  • 50-69: Difficult
  • 70-84: Hard
  • 85-100: Very hard

Keyword difficulty metric helps you strike a balance. You can find keywords that bring lots of traffic without much effort. Find the right balance between competitive and less competitive keywords to get the best SEO results.

How to Measure Keyword Difficulty

Calculating the difficulty of keywords depends on various factors. Different SEO platforms might use their own algorithms. At SEOLeverage app, they have a widely recognized metric for determining good keyword difficulty. It considers factors like the number of referring domains, search volume, and page authority.

To determine the ranking difficulty, you must consider other factors that affect your ranking.

Your Competitors

Understanding who you’re competing against for a specific keyword is important. Use analysis tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to find your top competitors. Then, benchmark your site against them.

If you want to check how your website works compared to your competitors, consider the E-E-A-T, or experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. It’s a factor that is heavily emphasized in the most recent version of the Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

Therefore, consider investing in E-E-A-T rather than creating lengthier pages than your competitors.

Search Intent

Understanding the intent behind a particular keyword is important for ranking higher on Google. 

Moreover, long-tail keywords play a significant role in search intent. Long-tail keywords are search queries that have lower search volumes and competition levels. These relevant keywords can be easier to rank for.

When targeting long-tail keywords, it’s best to consider their keyword difficulty scores and align them with your content strategy.

Content Quality

Creating high-quality content is good for ranking well on search engines. Your content must be helpful, relevant, and trustworthy, even with the right keywords. Google’s algorithm favors expert content that matches what users are looking for.

The SEOLeverage App delves into the on-page SEO aspects of your website, which is “Website Health.” Upon completing the website check, the SEOLeverage app generates a comprehensive SEO report outlining your website’s strengths and weaknesses. You can get actionable recommendations to enhance content relevance and search engine rankings.

Backlink Profile

Backlinks play a role in determining your site’s authority and ranking potential. When websites link to your content, search engines see it as reliable and trustworthy. You can improve your keyword rankings by studying the links and the domain authority scores and creating a plan to build more.

Final Thoughts

Now that you understand and check keyword difficulty, it’s time to apply this knowledge to your keyword research and content planning. The difficulty of your keyword is an aspect of SEO that should always be noticed.

If you want to know more about how keyword competition works, an SEO agency can help. With SEOLeverage’s approach to keyword difficulty, you can optimize your SEO efforts and achieve long-term success.