How to Use Keyword Difficulty to Choose Your Keywords
Keyword difficulty is a crucial metric in keyword research that tells you how hard it will be to rank for a specific keyword in search engines. Understanding and using keyword difficulty effectively can save you time and help you focus on keywords where you have a better chance to rank.
This article will explain what keyword difficulty is, how to interpret it, and how to choose the best keywords for your SEO strategy.
✅ What Is Keyword Difficulty?
Keyword difficulty (sometimes called keyword competition) is a score, usually on a scale from 0 to 100, that indicates how tough it is to rank on the first page of Google for a keyword.
Low difficulty means it’s easier to rank.
High difficulty means many strong competitors are targeting that keyword.
Different SEO tools calculate difficulty based on various factors like domain authority, backlinks, content quality, and more.
✅ Why Is Keyword Difficulty Important?
Helps you avoid wasting effort on impossible-to-rank keywords.
Helps prioritize keywords that give the best balance between effort and reward.
Helps identify low-competition keywords that bring targeted traffic.
✅ How to Find Keyword Difficulty
Most keyword research tools provide keyword difficulty scores. Examples:
Ahrefs
SEMrush
Ubersuggest
Moz
Look for the keyword difficulty or competition column when you search keywords.
✅ How to Use Keyword Difficulty to Choose Keywords
For New or Small Websites:
Focus on keywords with low to medium difficulty (usually 0–40). These are easier to rank for and help build your site’s authority.For Established Websites:
You can target keywords with medium to high difficulty (40–70+) because your site already has some authority.Balance Search Volume and Difficulty:
Sometimes, high-volume keywords have very high difficulty. It’s often better to choose medium-volume, lower-difficulty keywords to get quicker wins.
✅ Tips to Use Keyword Difficulty Effectively
Don’t just rely on the number. Analyze the top-ranking pages for a keyword to see if you can create better content.
Consider your niche. Some industries are more competitive than others.
Use a mix of low, medium, and high difficulty keywords for a balanced SEO strategy.
✅ Example Strategy
If you’re a new blog about fitness, targeting “weight loss” (very high difficulty) is tough. Instead, choose long-tail keywords like:
“weight loss tips for beginners” (low difficulty)
“best exercises for weight loss at home” (medium difficulty)
✅ Final Thoughts
Keyword difficulty helps you pick the right battles in SEO. By focusing on achievable keywords that match your website’s strength, you can build organic traffic steadily and efficiently.
Remember: consistency and quality matter more than chasing impossible keywords.