Keyword Difficulty (KD) is a key metric in the world of SEO. It’s a scale ranging from 1 to 100 that estimates how hard it is to rank organically (without paid ads) on the first page of Google for a specific keyword. KD is a relative value — it shows how intense the competition is for that keyword.

Let’s take a closer look with an example!

• If the KD score is between 0 and 20, the keyword is considered low difficulty. This means that even a new website may have a chance to rank well in the search results. (However, a low KD doesn’t always mean the keyword is valuable — it might have low search volume or may not align with your business goals.)
• A KD between 21 and 50 is considered medium difficulty. In this range, you’ll typically need some level of domain and page authority (DA and PA), which are “trust scores” that indicate how credible your website appears to search engines. To compete here, you’ll need solid SEO practices, valuable content and backlinks from reputable sources.
• KD scores between 51 and 70 fall into the high difficulty category. Keywords in this range are highly competitive. Only well-established websites with strong DA and PA scores, a large number of high-quality backlinks, and consistent publication of relevant, link-worthy content have a realistic chance of ranking well.
• A KD score from 71 to 100 means very high difficulty. These keywords are extremely competitive, often associated with popular or trending topics. Ranking for these terms typically requires not only top-tier SEO knowledge and strategy but also a website with high domain authority that’s frequently cited by others. In professional SEO circles, this level is considered the alpha and omega — success here demands long-term effort and expertise.

In summary, KD is not an official metric but rather a value calculated by different SEO tools using their own algorithms. It’s typically based on the link profile of the top 10 search results. (For example, Ahrefs and SEMrush each have their own methods, which is why you might see different KD scores for the same keyword.) Ahrefs focuses heavily on backlink profiles, while SEMrush also considers the overall strength and content optimization of pages appearing in the SERP.

When evaluating KD, it’s crucial to consider how many backlinks the top-ranking pages have, and how strong those links are. Competitors’ DA, DR, and PA values* are also important, as well as the length and SEO quality of the content optimized for the keyword.

*DA (Domain Authority), DR (Domain Rating), and PA (Page Authority) — each measures website credibility using different methods.

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