Keyword difficulty
Definition
Keyword difficulty is a third-party estimate, usually 0 to 100, of how hard it would be to rank on the first page for a query — typically derived from the backlink strength of pages currently ranking.
Because most difficulty scores are calculated primarily from backlinks, they systematically understate the difficulty of queries where the incumbents have strong topical authority or brand recognition, and overstate it where the top results are weak but heavily linked.
Use it as a first-pass filter, then read the actual results page. If the top ten are all major publishers or the query is dominated by an AI Overview, the score is less informative than five minutes of looking.
Definitions are free.So is the audit.
Thirty minutes on a call, then a written 5-page plan inside 72 hours showing where this actually applies in your funnel — and what it is worth fixing first.