Keyword Difficulty Checker
Short answer
Keyword difficulty for one keyword — a 0-100 score from the authority and SERP features of the current top 10.
What It Does
Analyzes the competitive difficulty of a keyword. Returns a 0-100 difficulty score, its tier, and the factors behind it (the average authority of the top 10 and the search features on the results page), with recommended actions ranging from content-quality wins on easy terms to long-tail alternatives on very hard ones.
Why It Matters
Writing for a keyword whose top 10 is held by far stronger domains can take months with little to show for it, while easier keywords go unclaimed. Checking difficulty first lets you spend the effort where a page has a realistic chance to rank.
How It Works
-
Enter a keyword and country
-
We read the current top 10 results and the link authority of each ranking domain
-
Score the keyword 0-100 from that authority, plus whether the results page shows a knowledge panel
-
Return the score, its tier and the factors behind it, or no score when the top 10 has no authority data
Sample input + output
keyword: "ai seo tools" country: us
keyword: ai seo tools difficulty: 47/100 tier: moderate 0–29 easy · 30–49 moderate 50–69 hard · 70–100 very hard
Who Uses This
-
Content Strategist
Build a 3-month content calendar only targeting keywords where your domain's authority gives you a realistic shot at the top 5.
-
SaaS Marketer
Identify the "money keywords" in your niche with difficulty < 40 and volume > 500/mo — the exact sweet spot for fast organic growth.
-
Blogger
Validate every post idea before writing 2,000 words — avoid keywords where established authority sites are unbeatable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does keyword difficulty score mean?
A 0-100 score for how hard it is to rank in the top 10 organic results. 0–29 = Easy, 30–49 = Moderate, 50–69 = Hard, 70–100 = Very hard (the top 10 is held by high-authority domains).
Is keyword difficulty the same as competition?
No. Keyword competition often refers to paid ad competition (Google Ads). Keyword difficulty refers specifically to organic (SEO) ranking difficulty based on the domains currently in the top 10.
How is the difficulty score calculated?
From the link authority (a page-rank measure) of the domains in the current top 10, plus whether the results page shows a knowledge panel. Higher-authority domains in the top 10 = higher score. Page-level authority and individual backlinks are not part of it.
What difficulty score should I target?
It depends on your own domain. Newer or smaller sites usually do best with Easy and Moderate keywords; stronger domains can compete for Hard ones. There is no fixed cut-off.