Free Keyword Difficulty Checker
See the KD score, volume, CPC, and the exact top-10 SERP for any keyword. Pick winnable targets, skip the impossible ones.
How to read the KD score
- 0–29 (Easy). Realistic for brand-new sites. Write a focused page, build 2–3 quality links, expect to rank in 60–90 days.
- 30–49 (Moderate). Needs solid content + a few months of patience. Good fit for sites with some authority and a content cadence.
- 50–69 (Hard). Ambitious. Possible if you publish consistently and earn editorial links. Plan for 6–12 months.
- 70+ (Very Hard). Big-site territory. A longer, more specific phrase is your fastest path in — try adding a year, a country, an industry, or a use-case modifier.
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What's new in the Keyword Difficulty Checker
- Live SERP top-10 panel shows the exact domains you'd be competing with.
- Color-coded easy / moderate / hard / very-hard bands replace the raw number.
- Added 8-country picker — UK, CA, AU, IN, DE, FR, ES, US.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is keyword difficulty?
Keyword difficulty (KD) is a 0–100 score that estimates how hard it would be to rank in Google's top 10 for that keyword. It's based on the backlink profiles, domain authority, and content quality of the sites currently ranking. Lower is easier.
What KD score should I target?
If your site is new (Authority Score under 30), target KD under 30 — anything higher will take 6+ months of consistent work. Sites with AS 40–60 can comfortably target KD 30–55. AS 60+ sites can attempt KD 60+, but the highest scores (80+) are reserved for category leaders.
How is this different from Semrush or Ahrefs?
We use the same Semrush dataset Semrush itself uses — KD score, search volume, and SERP top 10 are all live. Difference: we're free, no signup, no daily quota under 8 lookups/hour. For unlimited use, sign up for a FreeSEO account.
Why do I need to see the top 10?
The KD number alone tells you 'hard or easy'. The SERP tells you 'who you have to beat'. If the top 10 are giant brands (Wikipedia, Forbes, Amazon), the real difficulty is higher than the score. If they're small blogs and forums, the real difficulty is lower.
Why does country matter for KD?
The same keyword can be KD 80 in the US and KD 25 in Australia, because different sites rank in different countries. If your target market is the UK, switch the database — the score will reflect the UK SERP, not the US one.