Keyword Difficulty Checker
Check the keyword difficulty score (0–100) for any keyword and understand the authority, backlinks, and content quality you need to rank on page 1 of Google.
Coming Soon — Available on Pro Plan ($19/mo)
Sign up for early access to the Keyword Difficulty Checker and all Pro keyword research tools.
Difficulty Score Guide
| Score | Level | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 | Very Easy | Rankable with on-page SEO alone. No backlinks needed. |
| 20–40 | Easy | A few quality backlinks needed. Good target for newer sites. |
| 40–60 | Moderate | Solid domain authority + 20+ referring domains required. |
| 60–80 | Hard | High DA, strong link profile, and exceptional content needed. |
| 80–100 | Very Hard | Dominated by brands like Wikipedia, Forbes, or major publishers. |
How the Keyword Difficulty Checker Will Work
Enter one keyword or paste up to 50 keywords in bulk. The tool fetches the current top-10 ranking pages for each keyword from the SE Ranking database and analyzes their domain authority, page authority, and the number of referring domains pointing to each URL.
The difficulty score is calculated as a weighted average of these signals. Pages with high domain authority (DA 60+) and hundreds of referring domains push the difficulty score higher. Pages with lower DA or few backlinks bring the score down — indicating an opportunity where a well-optimized page on a mid-authority domain could break into the top 10.
Beyond the score, the tool shows the average DA and average backlink count of the top-10 pages — giving you concrete benchmarks. If the average DA of the top 10 is 45 and you have a DA of 30, you know you need both stronger content and more backlinks to compete. This transforms abstract difficulty into actionable investment estimates.
The bulk checker is particularly valuable for content planning: paste your entire editorial calendar of proposed article topics, sort by difficulty, and instantly identify the quick wins at the top of the list — topics where you can rank within weeks rather than months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the keyword difficulty score mean?
The keyword difficulty score (0–100) estimates how hard it is to rank in the top 10 for a given keyword based on the authority and backlink profiles of the current top-10 ranking pages. A score of 0–20 means you can rank with good on-page SEO alone. A score of 20–50 requires some backlinks. A score of 50–70 is competitive and needs strong domain authority. Scores above 70 are dominated by high-authority brands.
Can I check difficulty for multiple keywords at once?
Yes. The Pro plan supports bulk keyword difficulty checks — paste up to 50 keywords at once and get difficulty scores for all of them in a single report. This is ideal for content planning sessions where you need to quickly prioritize a list of potential article topics.
How accurate is the keyword difficulty score?
Keyword difficulty scores are estimates based on the current top-10 ranking pages' authority metrics. They provide a strong directional signal but cannot perfectly predict rankability — factors like content quality, topical authority, and user intent match also influence rankings. Use the score as a filter to prioritize, not as a guarantee.
Free Tools You Can Use Right Now
Want a Full Keyword Opportunity Audit?
Our SEO team analyzes your niche's keyword landscape, identifies your quick wins, and builds a prioritized content roadmap.
Get a Free SEO Audit