Keyword difficulty

How it is estimated

SEO tools look at the pages in the top results and score how strong they are, mostly by the links pointing to them and to their sites. A query where the top results are all large, heavily linked sites scores high; one where small sites and forum threads rank scores low.

Treat it as a guide

Every tool calculates difficulty differently, so the same query can score 20 in one and 45 in another. The score also ignores how well the ranking pages actually answer the query. Looking at the results yourself often tells you more: weak, outdated or off-topic results are an opening.

Choosing what to target

A new site should target low-difficulty queries first, where a good page can rank without many links, and work toward harder ones as its authority grows. Combine difficulty with intent and with how well you can answer the query.

Difficulty changes over time

As a site earns links and authority, queries that were out of reach become possible. Revisit the queries you set aside every few months. Difficulty also shifts when strong pages drop out of the results or new competitors arrive, so a difficult query today may open up later.

Example

"seo tools" is dominated by large software companies; "show hn title checker" has few strong pages ranking, so a new site can compete for it.

Questions people ask

What keyword difficulty should a new site target?

Low difficulty queries where the current results are weak, specific and closely related to what the site does.

Does keyword difficulty include search volume?

No. Difficulty estimates how hard ranking is; volume estimates how many people search. Look at both, together with intent.