Understanding Keyword Difficulty and Its Measurement

Keyword difficulty (or SEO difficulty) is a metric that estimates how hard it is to earn a prominent, unpaid position for a given search engine query. For instance, the term 'iphone' has a very high difficulty score due to the competition from authoritative sites like Apple. In Semrush, keyword difficulty is represented as a percentage (KD%), with 100% being the most difficult to rank for.

Keyword difficulty is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) because it helps identify search terms that a website has the potential to rank highly for in search engine results pages (SERPs). By focusing on keywords with an appropriate difficulty score, you can invest resources into content that is more likely to generate search engine traffic, leading to higher website conversions and better business results.

To check keyword difficulty using Semrush, you can use the Keyword Overview tool by typing your keyword(s) into the tool to see the score(s) in the dashboard. For more extensive research, the Keyword Magic Tool displays each keyword's difficulty score in the 'KD %' column. This tool also allows you to find long-tail keywords and assess their difficulty scores alongside other metrics like search volume.

Several factors affect keyword difficulty in SEO, according to Semrush's analysis of the top 10 organic results in Google. These include:

• Backlinks to Top-Ranking Sites: The number of referring domains and the ratio of follow to nofollow links.
• Authority Scores of Top-Ranking Sites: A measure of a website's SEO ranking ability based on link power, organic traffic, and the natural profile of backlinks.
• Keyword Search Volume: Higher search volumes typically indicate higher difficulty due to increased competition.
• Presence of SERP Features: Keywords triggering SERP features like featured snippets or knowledge panels usually have higher difficulty.
• Whether the Keyword Is Branded: Branded keywords, such as 'iphone', tend to have higher difficulty scores.
• The Search Term’s Word Count: Longer, more specific keywords (long-tail keywords) often have lower difficulty scores.

A good keyword difficulty score to target depends on your website's current performance and competitive positioning. By analyzing your existing keyword rankings with the Organic Research tool, you can identify trends between your positions and the difficulty scores. If you have a lower Authority Score and weaker backlinks than competitors, it's advisable to start with lower-difficulty keywords and gradually build your competitiveness through link building, topic clusters, and growing organic traffic.