Average Difficulty

How Average Difficulty is Calculated

The Average Difficulty metric in Semrush is calculated by averaging the difficulty scores of all keywords within a given keyword list. Each keyword is assigned a difficulty score based on various factors, including the strength of the websites currently ranking for it, the quality of their content, their backlink profiles, and the overall competitiveness of the search results.

The difficulty score for an individual keyword is calculated on a scale from 0% to 100%, where:

0% means the keyword is very easy to rank for (minimal competition).

100% indicates the keyword is extremely difficult to rank for (high competition).

When these individual keyword scores are averaged, the resulting percentage provides a broad understanding of the overall difficulty of ranking within that specific market or niche.

Why Average Difficulty is Important for SEO Campaigns

Assessing Market Competition
The Average Difficulty score provides a snapshot of the competitiveness within a specific niche or keyword set. For businesses entering a new market, this can be an essential first step in understanding the SEO landscape. A high Average Difficulty score suggests that the keyword market is saturated with strong competitors, making it more challenging to break into.

Setting Realistic SEO Goals
By considering the Average Difficulty, SEO professionals can set more realistic and achievable goals. If the Average Difficulty score is high, a business may need to focus on more specific long-tail keywords or invest in higher-quality content and link-building strategies. On the other hand, if the score is low, it may be an opportunity to target these keywords for quicker wins.

Resource Allocation
The metric helps businesses decide how to allocate their SEO resources. For highly competitive keywords, more effort may be required in terms of content creation, backlinking, and technical SEO to improve the site’s ranking. For keywords with a lower Average Difficulty, businesses might find they can achieve good results with less intensive work.

Identifying Niche Opportunities
Average Difficulty can also highlight potential opportunities in less competitive areas. If certain keywords have a low Average Difficulty, these may represent gaps or niches within a market that have not been fully explored by competitors. This insight allows businesses to target keywords that can drive relevant traffic with relatively less effort.

Understanding the Scale of Difficulty

While the exact calculation behind Average Difficulty is proprietary to Semrush, the general rule of thumb is that:

Low Difficulty (0-30%): These are keywords with relatively low competition, often associated with less-established niches or more specific long-tail keywords. Ranking for these keywords is generally easier, but they may also attract less traffic.

Medium Difficulty (30-60%): Keywords in this range have a moderate level of competition. Achieving a high ranking for these terms requires some effort, but with the right strategy, it is possible to secure a top position.

High Difficulty (60-100%): Keywords with a high difficulty score are highly competitive, typically dominated by well-established brands and websites with strong content and backlinks. Ranking for these keywords often requires a long-term strategy with significant resources invested in content creation, link building, and technical SEO.

Using Average Difficulty in Keyword Research

Keyword Strategy Builder:
The Average Difficulty metric is particularly useful when creating a keyword strategy. By evaluating the Average Difficulty of a list of keywords, you can quickly assess whether the market is too competitive or if there are opportunities for targeting less competitive terms. This helps SEO professionals to build a strategy that balances competition with achievable goals.

Prioritising Keywords:
In the Keyword Strategy Builder tool, Average Difficulty can help you prioritise which keywords to focus on. If you’re working with a limited budget or timeframe, you might decide to target keywords with a lower Average Difficulty initially to gain traction before moving on to more competitive terms.

Tracking Progress:
Over time, as your SEO campaign progresses, monitoring the Average Difficulty score can help assess whether your strategy is working. If the Average Difficulty remains high despite efforts, you may need to reconsider your approach or focus on more niche keywords to improve rankings.

Average Difficulty vs. Keyword Difficulty

It’s essential to distinguish between Average Difficulty and Keyword Difficulty. The latter is specific to individual keywords, while Average Difficulty is the aggregated measure of difficulty across multiple keywords. For example, if you are targeting several keywords as part of a campaign, the Average Difficulty will give you a clearer understanding of the overall competitiveness of your target keywords, while Keyword Difficulty helps assess how hard it is to rank for each individual term.

Conclusion

The Average Difficulty metric is an indispensable tool for SEO professionals looking to assess keyword competitiveness and build effective SEO campaigns. By understanding the overall difficulty of ranking within a specific market, businesses can make informed decisions, set realistic expectations, and allocate their resources efficiently. Whether aiming for quick wins or tackling highly competitive keywords, Average Difficulty provides the clarity needed to craft a focused and successful SEO strategy.