How Is Keyword Difficulty Calculated?

Let’s be honest: if you’ve ever tried to rank a blog post on Google, you’ve probably asked yourself, “How is keyword difficulty calculated?” — right before realizing you’ve spent more time researching keywords than actually writing. Don’t worry, you’re in good company. At Blogging Machine, we’ve automated the heavy lifting, but let’s pull back the curtain and see what’s really going on behind those mysterious keyword difficulty scores.

The Basics: What Is Keyword Difficulty, Anyway?

Keyword difficulty (KD) is the SEO world’s way of telling you how hard it’ll be to get your content onto page one of Google for a specific keyword. Think of it as the “treadmill incline” of SEO — some keywords are a gentle stroll, others are a full-on Everest climb. KD is a metric, usually on a scale from 0 to 100, that estimates the competition you’re up against for a given search term.

But how is keyword difficulty calculated? Spoiler: it’s not just about who has the most backlinks or the catchiest headlines. It’s a blend of several factors, all mashed together by clever algorithms (and, increasingly, machine learning).

The Secret Sauce: How Is Keyword Difficulty Calculated?

The General Formula

Most major SEO tools — think Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz — use a cocktail of metrics to calculate keyword difficulty. While each has its own proprietary recipe, the main ingredients are pretty consistent:

• Competition Score: How strong are the top-ranking pages? This includes their domain authority, page authority, and backlink profiles.
• Relevance Score: How closely does your content match the keyword and what users actually want?
• SERP Features Score: Are there featured snippets, local packs, or other fancy Google features hogging the clicks?
• Search Volume: How many people are searching for this keyword, anyway?

Here’s a simplified version of what’s happening under the hood:

Keyword Difficulty = (Competition Score + Relevance Score + SERP Features Score) / Search Volume

No, you don’t need to memorize that for a pop quiz. But it’s good to know that keyword difficulty isn’t just a wild guess — it’s a calculated estimate based on real data.

Tool-Specific Approaches

Every SEO tool likes to put its own spin on things. For example:

• Ahrefs focuses heavily on the backlink profiles of top-ranking pages.
• Semrush blends authority, backlinks, and SERP features.
• Moz uses domain and page authority as core factors.
• seoClarity and other advanced platforms use machine learning to analyze billions of data points, including topical authority and search trends.

So, if you’re wondering why Ahrefs says a keyword is “super hard” while Moz calls it “moderate,” it’s not you — it’s them.

What Really Drives Keyword Difficulty?

Let’s break down the main factors, so you can impress your colleagues at your next virtual meeting (or just sound really smart at lunch):

A Few Unique Insights

• Keyword difficulty is dynamic. It can change as new competitors enter the scene, search trends shift, or Google adds new SERP features.
• Different tools, different numbers. Don’t panic if you see different KD scores for the same keyword across platforms. Each tool weighs factors differently.
• Paid vs. Organic: Google’s Keyword Planner “Competition” metric is for paid ads, not organic rankings. Don’t mix them up!

Expert Opinions (So You Don’t Just Take Our Word For It)

“Keyword difficulty is an SEO metric used to assess how challenging it is to rank for a specific keyword on search engines like Google.”— Industry SEO Expert

“Each tool calculates keyword difficulty in slightly different ways. And if you’re using multiple tools, don’t be surprised if you see different keyword difficulty scores between different tools.” — Another SEO Guru

Why Should You Care About Keyword Difficulty?

If you’re running a small business, digital agency, or content-driven enterprise, you don’t have time to chase every keyword under the sun. Keyword difficulty helps you prioritize — so you can focus on winnable battles and avoid wasting resources on impossible climbs.

At Blogging Machine, we use AI to analyze keyword difficulty (among other things) so you don’t have to. Our platform automates keyword research, content creation, and optimization — leaving you free to focus on the parts of your business that don’t involve deciphering SEO metrics.

The Evolution of Keyword Difficulty

Back in the day, Google’s PageRank was the go-to metric for SEO pros. When Google retired public PageRank, SEO tools stepped in with their own authority metrics. Today, machine learning is making KD scores smarter and more nuanced, analyzing everything from topical authority to SERP volatility.

And as Google keeps adding new features to its search results — snippets, panels, “People Also Ask” — the game keeps changing. Ranking for some keywords is now less about being #1 and more about being visible in the right places.

How to Use Keyword Difficulty in Your SEO Strategy

• Mix it up: Target a blend of low, medium, and high-difficulty keywords. Quick wins build momentum, while tougher keywords set you up for long-term growth.
• Monitor regularly: Keyword difficulty isn’t set in stone. Check back often, especially if you notice shifts in your rankings or traffic.
• Don’t obsess: KD is just one metric. Consider search volume, relevance, and your business goals, too.

Practical Example: Automating the Process

Let’s say you want to rank for “AI-powered content creation.” You could spend hours analyzing KD, search volume, and competitor backlinks — or you could let us handle it. Blogging Machine’s AI agent crunches the numbers, finds the best opportunities, and generates SEO-optimized articles that actually get noticed.

Curious how it works? Check out Blogging Machine for a demo.

External Resources for the Curious

• Moz: Keyword Difficulty Explained
• Ahrefs: What is Keyword Difficulty?
• Search Engine Journal: How to Analyze Keyword Difficulty
• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide

FAQ: How Is Keyword Difficulty Calculated?

Q: Is keyword difficulty the same across all SEO tools? A: Nope! Each tool uses its own formula, so scores can vary. Focus on trends, not exact numbers.

Q: Can keyword difficulty change over time? A: Absolutely. As new competitors enter the market or Google updates its SERP features, KD can go up or down.

Q: Should I only target low-difficulty keywords? A: Not necessarily. Low-difficulty keywords are great for quick wins, but high-difficulty keywords can drive more traffic in the long run.

Q: Does Google provide an official keyword difficulty metric? A: No. KD is an industry-created metric, not an official Google ranking factor.

Q: How does Blogging Machine help with keyword difficulty? A: Our AI agent analyzes keyword difficulty, search volume, and relevance to generate SEO-optimized articles — so you can focus on growing your business.

If you’re tired of playing the keyword guessing game, let us do the heavy lifting. With Blogging Machine, you get effortless, high-performing blog posts that actually move the needle. Ready to see what AI-powered blogging can do? Visit bloggingmachine.io and let’s make keyword difficulty a thing of the past.