How to Evaluate Keyword Difficulty for SEO

Getting your website to rank in Google takes more than just publishing content. 

Even if you write something great, you won’t see results if the keywords you’re targeting are too competitive for your site. Many small companies end up chasing high-volume terms dominated by industry giants, only to discover their efforts barely make a dent in search results.

Keyword difficulty gives you a way to size up the competition. By understanding how hard it is to rank for a given keyword, you can focus on opportunities that match your site’s current strength and avoid pouring resources into battles you can’t win.

Evaluating keyword difficulty is pretty straightforward. With a few accessible tools and a structured approach, you can make confident decisions about which keywords are worth your time.

In this post, we’ll explain what keyword difficulty is, why it matters, the factors that influence it, and a step-by-step process for evaluating it effectively.

What Is Keyword Difficulty?

Keyword difficulty is a metric used in SEO to estimate how hard it would be to rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword. Most SEO tools express it as a score (often on a 0–100 scale or labeled as low, medium, or high). The higher the score, the tougher the competition.

In practice, keyword difficulty gives you a snapshot of the current playing field. By checking it, you can quickly see whether a keyword is likely to be within your site’s reach—or whether it’s dominated by authoritative competitors you’ll struggle to displace.

Further reading: How to Choose the Right Keywords for SEO

Why Keyword Difficulty Matters for SEO

Understanding keyword difficulty goes beyond labeling terms as “easy” or “hard.” It gives you a framework for planning your SEO strategy in a way that builds momentum over time and makes your goals more attainable.

• Set realistic expectations: Some keywords may take months to rank for, while others can deliver results more quickly. Knowing the difference helps you set timelines that match your site’s current position.
• Balance short-term and long-term goals: Targeting lower-difficulty terms first allows you to establish credibility in your niche. For example, ranking for “best pet insurance for puppies in Atlanta” can strengthen your authority around pet insurance topics, making it easier to pursue more competitive variations over time.
• Use resources wisely: For small businesses with limited budgets, keyword difficulty helps ensure your energy goes into opportunities that offer the best return for your stage of growth.

What Factors Influence Keyword Difficulty?

Keyword difficulty isn’t a random score. It reflects how competitive the search results are for a given term. The higher the overall competition, the harder it will be for a new page to break in.

There are two main factors that determine keyword competitiveness.

The first is the authority of sites already ranking. Well-established domains with strong backlink profiles are harder to displace, since Google sees them as trusted sources.

Second is the quality and intent alignment of their content. Difficulty rises when the top results are comprehensive, up to date, and presented in the format searchers expect—whether that’s a detailed guide, a comparison page, or a product listing.

Further reading: What Is Search Intent & How To Optimize for It in SEO

How to Evaluate Keyword Difficulty (Step by Step)

Now let’s look at how to estimate keyword difficulty and decide whether a given term is worth targeting for your business.

1. Start with a Keyword Research Tool

Start by entering your keyword into a tool like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. 

Each will give you a difficulty score, usually on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher numbers reflecting tougher competition. 

Keep in mind that these tools calculate difficulty differently—some focus heavily on backlinks, others on domain authority or a mix of factors—so don’t get hung up on the exact number. What matters is the relative scale: a keyword in the 20s will almost always be easier to target than one in the 70s, no matter which tool you use. So use the score as a quick benchmark rather than a precise prediction.

2. Quantify the Authority Gap

Next, dig deeper into the metrics behind the top-ranking pages. 

Use your tool to check domain-level strength (such as Domain Authority or Domain Rating) and page-level signals like the number of referring domains and total backlinks. 

If the first page is dominated by sites with hundreds of strong backlinks and much higher authority than yours, ranking will be an uphill battle. But if you see a mix of larger competitors and smaller, less established sites, that keyword may be more realistic. 

Tools like Moz’s Link Explorer or Ahrefs’ Site Explorer make it easy to see this comparison at a glance.

3. Study the Top Results for Intent and Content Requirements

Numbers only tell part of the story. 

Open the top-ranking pages and look at what kind of content Google is rewarding. Are the results mostly long-form guides, local business pages, or product comparisons? How thoroughly do they answer the query, and how recently were they updated? 

If you’re targeting “best catering services in Nashville”, you’ll likely see local provider listings and directories. But if you search “what does a catering service include”, the results probably lean toward informational blog posts. 

Matching this intent is critical—even a great page won’t rank if it doesn’t align with what searchers are trying to accomplish.

4. Make a Go/No-Go Decision 

Finally, bring all the signals together. 

If the first page is filled with sites far stronger than yours, it may be best to set that keyword aside for now. 

On the other hand, a term with moderate difficulty but strong relevance to your services can be more valuable than an easier keyword with little commercial intent. 

The goal is to build a balanced mix: prioritize easier terms that deliver quick wins and help establish authority, while also including a few medium or harder keywords you can grow into over time. 

Be realistic about timelines—lower-difficulty keywords might gain traction in weeks, while more competitive ones can take months or longer. 

Keep monitoring results, and don’t hesitate to pivot to related terms or long-tail variations if a keyword proves tougher than expected.

Further reading: How to Check Google Rankings: 11 Handy Tools

Final Thoughts

Evaluating keyword difficulty is a practical and reliable way to prioritize your SEO efforts. 

By combining tool data with a hands-on review of the search results, you can quickly separate terms that are realistic for your site from those that may need to wait until later.

Focus on building momentum with lower-difficulty keywords that bring quick wins, while steadily preparing for more competitive terms that can drive bigger long-term gains. 

Remember, the more deliberate you are about choosing your battles, the more efficiently your SEO efforts will translate into measurable results for your business.