Suman Samal, Asst. Marketing Manager
Suman Samal
Jun 13, 2023

Best Keyword Difficulty Checkers: A Comprehensive Guide for SEO Experts and Marketers

From novice to expert, explore the top tools that simplify the challenge of finding the right keywords. Here are the best keyword difficulty checker tools.
Best Keyword Difficulty Checkers: A Comprehensive Guide for SEO Experts and Marketers

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In search engine optimization (SEO), keywords play a vital role in determining a website's or online business's success. However, with the vast amount of content available on the internet, it has become increasingly challenging to identify the right keywords that can drive organic traffic and enhance visibility in search engine results.

This is where keyword difficulty checkers come into the picture. These powerful tools provide SEO experts and marketers with invaluable insights into the competitiveness of specific keywords. 

By analyzing factors such as search volume, competition, and the overall strength of existing web pages, these tools help professionals make informed decisions about which keywords to target and which to avoid.

This blog will explore some of the best keyword difficulty checkers available for SEO experts and marketers. These tools have proven highly effective in assisting professionals in keyword research and analysis endeavors. 

Whether you're a seasoned SEO expert or a digital marketer looking to optimize your website's online presence, these keyword difficulty checkers will undoubtedly become your go-to resources.

Why Keyword Difficulty Checkers? 

Keyword difficulty checkers are essential tools in the world of SEO, helping you understand how challenging it might be to rank for a particular search query. These checkers evaluate the competitiveness of a keyword based on various factors, such as the number of referring domains and backlink profiles of the top-ranking pages for that keyword. 

By using a keyword difficulty checker, SEO professionals, marketers, and business owners can better prioritize their keyword strategy and focus on those with the highest potential for driving organic traffic and conversions.

4 Best Keyword Difficulty Checker Tools To Consider 

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs offers a widely recognized keyword difficulty checker that is regarded as one of the most accurate in the industry. This tool analyzes the search results for a keyword and evaluates the number of referring domains the top 10 ranking pages have. 

Ahrefs' keyword difficulty metric is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating more challenging keywords to rank for.

Apart from the keyword difficulty metric, this keyword research tool also provides a vast keyword database with 19.2 billion keywords across 243 countries, helping you find easy-to-rank keywords that can bring valuable organic traffic. 

The tool also integrates with other Ahrefs tools, such as Site Explorer, Content Explorer, and Rank Tracker, allowing you to analyze your competitors' organic traffic, discover popular content, and track your keyword rankings.

Pricing

It starts at $99/month. 

2. Moz Keyword Explorer 

Moz's Keyword Explorer boasts a proprietary keyword difficulty score that shows the level of effort required to outrank competitors on the first page of Google search results for a given query. 

The difficulty score takes into account the Page Authority (PA) and Domain Authority (DA) scores of the top-ranking results, as well as the projected click-through rate (CTR) of a given page.

The Moz Keyword Explorer tool provides you with a difficulty score ranging from 1 (easy) to 100 (difficult), allowing you to discover and prioritize your best keyword opportunities. 

Furthermore, Moz's keyword database comprises over 500 million keyword suggestions, 180 million fresh ranking keywords, and 170 Google search engines, making it an accurate and reliable resource for in-depth keyword analysis.

Pricing

While Moz offers a free keyword research feature, it's limited. Its paid plans start at $99/month. 

3. KWFinder by Mangools 

Mangools' KWFinder offers a user-friendly keyword difficulty tool that focuses on providing accurate data in an easy-to-use interface. The keyword difficulty calculation is based on selected metrics from Moz and Majestic, such as Domain Authority, Page Authority, Citation Flow, and Trust Flow]. 

The tool's algorithm takes both high and low Link Profile Strength (LPS) values into account, resulting in a more accurate estimation of the overall keyword difficulty.

KWFinder's keyword difficulty metric is considered one of the most accurate on the market, with numerous case studies affirming its reliability. The tool is one of the best keyword search volume checkers that allows you to pick keywords that you can realistically rank for by evaluating each URL on the first SERP using LPS scores and providing an overall keyword difficulty based on these scores.

Pricing

$29/month 

4. SEMrush

SEMrush is a keyword difficulty tool that provides not only the difficulty number but also top competitors who are ranking on search engines with the keyword, SERP features, related keywords, questions, and more. The tool estimates keyword difficulty based on competitive factors and algorithms to provide accurate data. 

Semrush enables you to assess the level of difficulty associated with a keyword by utilizing the Keyword Difficulty Score metric (KD%). This metric is presented as a percentage, spanning from zero to 100. A score of zero signifies that a keyword is highly feasible to rank for, while a score of 100 represents the utmost difficulty.

Semrush employs various factors, such as the authority of the presently ranking pages, the quantity and quality of their backlinks (including the ratio of follow/nofollow links), along with other keyword-specific data, to determine the difficulty of a keyword.

Pricing 

The pricing for this tool starts at $119.95/month. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Keyword Difficulty Checker

When selecting the right keyword difficulty checker for your needs, consider the following factors:

1. Accuracy: Accuracy is a crucial factor when choosing a keyword difficulty checker. The tool should provide reliable and precise keyword difficulty scores that accurately reflect the competitiveness of keywords in organic search results. 

It should consider various factors like domain authority, page authority, backlinks, and content relevance to determine the difficulty level of a keyword. An accurate tool will help you make informed decisions and prioritize your SEO efforts effectively.

2. Database size: The size of the keyword database used by the difficulty checker is another important consideration. A larger keyword database means that the tool has access to a wide range of keywords and can provide more comprehensive keyword suggestions and analysis. 

With a larger database, you'll have a better chance of finding relevant keywords for your niche or industry. It also allows you to explore long-tail keywords that may have less competition and higher conversion potential.

3. Integration with other tools: It's beneficial to choose a keyword difficulty checker that integrates well with other SEO tools in your toolkit. Integration with tools such as rank tracking and backlink analysis tools can streamline your workflow and provide a more holistic view of your SEO efforts. 

For example, if your keyword difficulty checker can directly import keyword suggestions into your rank tracking tool, you can easily monitor the ranking progress of your targeted keywords. Seamless integration enhances efficiency and saves time by eliminating the need for manual data transfer between different tools.

4. User-friendliness: The usability and user interface of the keyword difficulty checker should be intuitive and easy to navigate. A user-friendly tool caters to both beginners and advanced users, allowing them to understand and utilize its features quickly. 

It should provide clear instructions, well-organized data, and an intuitive interface that simplifies the keyword research process. A user-friendly tool reduces the learning curve and ensures that you can efficiently analyze keyword difficulty without getting overwhelmed by complex interfaces or excessive technicalities.

5. Pricing: When selecting a keyword difficulty checker, it's essential to consider the pricing plans and whether they align with your budget and requirements. Different tools offer various pricing structures, such as monthly or annual subscriptions, tiered pricing based on usage, or one-time purchases. 

Please evaluate the features offered by each plan and consider their value in relation to your specific needs. It's important to strike a balance between the features you require and the cost involved. Some tools may offer free trials or limited free versions, allowing you to test them out before committing to a paid plan.

Conclusion: Selecting the Right Keyword Difficulty Checker for Your Needs

Choosing the right keyword difficulty checker depends on your specific requirements, budget, and preferences. Ahrefs, Moz Keyword Explorer, and KWFinder by Mangools are three of the most accurate and reliable keyword difficulty checkers available, each offering unique features and capabilities. 

That said, do consider the factors mentioned above when selecting a keyword difficulty checker, and find the one that best suits your SEO goals and strategy.

About Scalenut 

Scalenut revolutionizes the content creation and discovery process for specific target audiences by leveraging AI technology. This AI-powered SEO and Content Marketing Platform simplifies the entire workflow, from formulating a content strategy and crafting detailed briefs to generating captivating content and optimizing it for optimal SEO results. By providing a 7-day free trial, Scalenut enables users to explore its wide range of features and unleash its complete capabilities.

Suman Samal
Asst. Marketing Manager
ABout the AUTHOR
Suman Samal
Asst. Marketing Manager

Suman Samal is a Asst. Marketing Manager at Scalenut. She is a technology enthusiast with a keen interest in content marketing and SEO. She truly believes that with the right set of tools every organization can improve the ROI of their content marketing campaigns. She spends her time managing content operations at Scalenut and ensuring that everything we publish is of the highest quality.

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