Semrush Keyword Difficulty: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

Semrush Keyword Difficulty can be a bit overwhelming at first, but don't worry, it's easier to grasp than you think.

Semrush Keyword Difficulty is a tool that helps you understand how hard it will be to rank for a specific keyword, with a score ranging from 0 to 100.

This score is based on several factors, including the number of competing websites, the quality of those websites, and the number of backlinks they have.

To get started with Semrush Keyword Difficulty, you'll need to create a Semrush account and access the tool from the dashboard.

SEMrush keyword difficulty is a metric that helps you assess the level of competition associated with specific keywords. It's a crucial feature for anyone looking to optimize their website's SEO strategy and improve its organic search rankings.

The keyword difficulty score is expressed as a percentage on a scale from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating a tougher time ranking with those keywords. This means that keywords with a lower difficulty score might present more realistic opportunities to improve search engine rankings and drive organic traffic.

SEMrush offers another metric called competitive density, which is similar to keyword difficulty but refers to paid-per-click (PPC) or paid search, while keyword difficulty is about organic search.

Here's a quick summary of how SEMrush keyword difficulty works:

This metric is a valuable tool for SEO professionals, content creators, and website owners to prioritize their efforts and target keywords that are more likely to drive organic traffic to their website.

To check keyword difficulty in SEMrush, you can use the Keyword Overview tool, which is a premier function that's integrated into the SEMrush dashboard. You'll need to log in to your account, and if you don't have one, you can sign up for a free trial or choose a subscription plan.

Once you're logged in, navigate to the Keyword Overview section and enter the keyword you're researching in the search bar. Look for the Keyword Difficulty section, which will display a percentage next to a color-coded circle graph illustrating the difficulty. The darker the color, the higher the KD.

Keyword Overview can calculate the KD of up to 100 keywords, but for keywords with low interest, SEMrush will only calculate the KD on request. You'll need to add the keyword to Keyword Manager and use the refresh metrics button.

You can also use other functions to measure keyword difficulty, including Keyword Manager, Keyword Magic, Keyword Gap, Organic Research, Organic Traffic Insights, and Advertising Research.

SEMrush uses a formula to calculate keyword difficulty, but the exact formula is kept under wraps. However, they've shared the three steps they take to calculate this metric:

1. Analyzing SERPs, which involves looking at the top results on the SERPs and calculating the median value of certain aspects, such as the number of referring domains, domain authority score of said domains, and follow/nofollow link ratio.

Here's a breakdown of the factors SEMrush considers when analyzing SERPs:

SEMrush also considers the country or region for the final result, which helps avoid inflating or deflating the KD score for less populated locations.

To prioritize your keyword list, you need to pay attention to three key metrics: search volume, keyword difficulty, and trend. These metrics can help you find the 'low-hanging fruits' in your keyword list.

The higher the search volume, the more traffic you'll likely receive. Conversely, a lower keyword difficulty means it's easier to rank for that keyword.

If you encounter two keywords with similar search volume and keyword difficulty, but spot that one comes with an upward search trend, you should prioritize the trending one.

You can use Semrush's metrics to decide which keywords to focus on when creating new content. The golden rule is to focus on the keywords that have higher search volume and lower keyword difficulty.

Here are the four key reasons why you might want to conduct keyword research:

To decide which intent type works best for you, you can use Semrush's 'intent' metrics. There are four types of 'intent': transactional, commercial, informational, and navigational. In most cases, it's best to try to identify 'transactional' keywords that have a high search volume but are possible to rank for.

Here are the key metrics to consider when prioritizing your keyword list:

To find keyword difficulty in SEMrush, you can use the Keyword Overview tool. This tool is available on the SEMrush website, and you can log in to your account or sign up for a free trial to access it.

You can find the Keyword Overview section on the left-hand side of the SEMrush dashboard. Click on it to access the tool.

The Keyword Overview tool allows you to enter a keyword in the search bar and view its keyword difficulty score, which is a percentage displayed next to a color-coded circle graph. The darker the color, the higher the keyword difficulty.

You can also use other SEMrush tools to measure keyword difficulty, including Keyword Manager, Keyword Magic, Keyword Gap, Organic Research, Organic Traffic Insights, and Advertising Research.

Here are the SEMrush tools where you can find keyword difficulty:

Keep in mind that the Keyword Overview tool can calculate the keyword difficulty of up to 100 keywords. However, for keywords with low interest, SEMrush will only calculate the difficulty on request, and you'll need to add the keyword to Keyword Manager and refresh the metrics.

Keyword difficulty is a crucial metric to understand when it comes to SEO. A higher difficulty score means the competition is fierce, making it harder to rank.

A keyword difficulty of 0-30 is considered relatively easy to rank for, with a lower competition level. For example, a keyword with a difficulty score of 10 has a relatively low competition level.

A keyword difficulty of 31-60 is moderate, indicating a moderate level of competition. This means you'll need to work a bit harder to rank, but it's still achievable.

A keyword difficulty of 61-90 is challenging, with a high level of competition. You'll need to have a strong strategy in place to rank for these keywords.

A keyword difficulty of 91-100 is extremely difficult, indicating an extremely high level of competition. In this case, it's often better to target a more specific long-tail keyword.

To give you a better idea, a keyword difficulty of 70 means you'll need to have a high-quality content strategy, a strong backlink profile, and a well-optimized website to rank.

To get started with SEMrush keyword difficulty, first log in to your SEMrush account. If you don't have one, sign up for a free trial or choose a subscription plan. The keyword difficulty function is integrated into the Keyword Overview tool, which can be accessed from the SEMrush dashboard.

To access the Keyword Overview tool, click on the "Keyword Overview" section in the navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen. In the search bar, enter the keyword you're researching and look for the Keyword Difficulty section, which will display a percentage next to a color-coded circle graph illustrating the difficulty.

The darker the color, the higher the keyword difficulty. Keyword Overview can calculate the KD of up to 100 keywords, but for keywords with low interest, SEMrush will only calculate the KD on request. To access the KD for these keywords, add them to Keyword Manager and use the refresh metrics button.

Here are some other SEMrush tools where you can find keyword difficulty: Keyword Manager, Keyword Magic, Keyword Gap, Organic Research, Organic Traffic Insights, and Advertising Research.

Conducting keyword research is crucial to understand how people search for products and services like yours.

You can identify the exact phrases people use when searching for your products and services.

Keyword research reveals how hard it will be to rank for a given search query. This information can help you create a content strategy that's more likely to succeed.

You can estimate your maximum traffic potential with keyword research. This is a key factor in determining the effectiveness of your content.

To conduct keyword research, you'll need to get your hands on a keyword research tool. This will give you access to the data you need to make informed decisions about your content.

SEMrush Keyword Difficulty is a valuable metric that aids in prioritizing keyword targeting based on competitiveness. It presents a highly reliable metric for users to make informed decisions.

By combining backlinks, domain authority, and search volume, SEMrush Keyword Difficulty helps users make more informed decisions. This metric can be particularly useful for those just starting out with keyword research.

Keyword difficulty enhances keyword research strategies and increases the likelihood of achieving organic visibility. This is a key factor in the overall success of your online presence.

Using SEMrush Keyword Difficulty can contribute to the overall success of your online presence, as it aids in prioritizing keyword targeting. By leveraging this metric, you can make more informed decisions and improve your online visibility.