Keyword Difficulty is a vital metric in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and it is essential for anyone who wants to improve their site’s search engine ranking.
This metric estimates how hard it is to rank for a specific keyword, and it is based on the number of referring domains that the top ten ranking pages have.
The higher the number of referring domains, the harder it is to rank for a keyword.
What is Ahrefs?
Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool that provides a Keyword Difficulty metric to help you determine the competitiveness of a keyword.
This metric is widely considered to be the most accurate one, and it measures keyword difficulty on a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 being the hardest.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty metric to improve your website’s search engine ranking.
How to Use Ahrefs to Check Keyword Difficulty
Step 1: Choose a Keyword
The first step in using Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty metric is to choose a keyword.
You can enter a keyword into Ahrefs’ keyword research tool, Keywords Explorer, or you can analyze your competitors’ keywords using Site Explorer.
Step 2: Check the Keyword Difficulty Metric
Once you have entered a keyword, Ahrefs will provide you with the Keyword Difficulty metric, which ranges from 0 to 100. A low score means that it is relatively easy to rank for the keyword, while a high score means that it is difficult to rank for it.
Step 3: Analyze the SERP Overview
After you have checked the Keyword Difficulty metric, the next step is to analyze the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) overview. This overview provides you with information about the top-ranking pages for the keyword, including their backlink profiles and content relevancy.
Step 4: Evaluate Your Competitors’ Organic Traffic
Ahrefs’ Site Explorer allows you to discover the keywords that bring organic traffic to any page of your competitors’ websites. This information can help you evaluate the potential traffic that you could gain by ranking for a specific keyword.
Step 5: Track Your Website’s Ranking Positions
Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker is a tool that tracks your website’s ranking positions changes for any given keyword.
It is essential to monitor your website’s ranking positions regularly to determine the effectiveness of your SEO strategy.
Step 6: Use Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty Metric to Filter Your Keyword List
After you have: completed the above steps:
- Checked the Keyword Difficulty metric,
- Analyzed the SERP overview,
- Evaluated your competitors’ organic traffic.
- Tracked your website’s ranking positions,
The final step is to use Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty metric to filter your keyword list.
This metric helps you identify the keywords that are easy to rank for and can bring you significant organic traffic.
Conclusion
Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty metric is an essential tool for anyone who wants to improve their website’s search engine ranking.
By using this metric, you can evaluate the competitiveness of a keyword, analyze the SERP overview, evaluate your competitors’ organic traffic, track your website’s ranking positions, and filter your keyword list.
Ahrefs provides a comprehensive suite of SEO tools that can help you optimize your website and improve your search engine ranking.