Keyword Difficulty

A metric (typically 0–100) estimating how hard it would be to rank in the top 10 for a given keyword based on competing pages' authority.

Keyword Difficulty (KD) scores are calculated differently by each tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz) but generally factor in: the Domain Rating/Authority of pages ranking in the top 10, the number and quality of backlinks pointing to those pages, and sometimes content quality signals. A KD of 80+ typically requires high domain authority and strong backlinks to compete; a KD under 20 is usually achievable with quality content alone.

KD scores should be treated as rough guides, not absolute thresholds. A KD 60 keyword in a niche you have topical authority in may be more achievable than a KD 30 keyword in a completely unrelated space. The actual competition is what you see on the SERP — check whether the top results are from high-DA national brands (hard) or smaller sites (achievable).

For site growth strategy: start with KD 0–20 to build topical authority and get early wins, then target KD 20–50 as your domain authority grows, and eventually compete for KD 50+ as your site matures. Prioritise keywords where you can win, not where you can simply participate.