How our KD score is calculated
Transparency first: the KD on this tool is an estimate on a 5–99 scale, built from three inputs:
- Search ad competition (0–100). Crowded ad auctions usually mean many businesses care about the term.
- Keyword length (word count). Longer phrases are more specific and fewer pages target them exactly.
- Search volume. Popular keywords attract more competitors.
It is not based on backlink counts or an analysis of the current search results. That makes it fast and consistent for triaging hundreds of keywords at once. For the handful of terms you plan to invest in heavily, look at the live top 10 as well, for example with the SERP checker.
Checking difficulty step by step
- Paste up to 1,000 keywords, one per line.
- Choose your target country and language.
- Run the check and sort the KD column in ascending order so the easiest terms rise to the top.
- Set a maximum KD and a minimum search volume to keep only terms that are both reachable and searched.
- Export to Excel or CSV, or add the shortlist to a keyword plan in your dashboard.
A free account (Google sign-in or Gmail link, no credit card) gives you 10 credits a day with full data for the first 5 results. See pricing for full-length results.
Making sense of the score
Treat KD as a relative ranking within your list rather than an absolute verdict. A practical way to bucket it:
- Low: mostly long, specific phrases with little ad competition. Good starting points for a new or small site.
- Medium: achievable with a thorough page and solid internal linking, usually over a few months.
- High: short, popular, commercially contested terms. Save them for when your site has topical authority.
Choosing keywords with KD in mind
New sites: go long and low
Instead of chasing "standing desk", start with phrases like "standing desk for small apartment" or "how to set up a standing desk ergonomically". They usually score lower, carry clearer intent, and help you build credibility on the broader topic. The long-tail keyword generator is a quick way to collect candidates.
Never read KD in isolation
An easy keyword nobody searches is worthless. Look for the overlap: low-to-medium KD, enough volume to matter, and intent that matches what you actually offer.
Climb from easy to hard
For a topic like "home workouts", publish the low-KD pieces first ("home workouts for beginners without equipment", "15 minute home workout for seniors"), then link them to a pillar page aimed at the harder head term. Over time that cluster supports the page you really want to rank.
Where an estimate can mislead
Because backlinks are not part of the formula, KD can understate difficulty when the top results are dominated by large, authoritative sites but few advertisers bid, which is common in health or finance information queries. The reverse also happens: a term with heavy ad competition may have thin forum threads ranking organically, which is a real opportunity. Use KD to narrow the field quickly, then confirm your top choices by looking at the actual results page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the KD score based on backlinks?
No. It is an estimate from 5 to 99 calculated from search ad competition, the number of words in the keyword and its search volume. It is designed for fast screening of large lists, not as a replacement for reviewing the actual results page.
What KD should a new website target?
There is no universal cut-off. Sort your list by KD and focus on the lowest-scoring terms that still have search volume, which are typically specific phrases of three or more words.
Why do longer keywords usually have lower KD?
Longer phrases are more specific, searched less often and targeted by fewer pages, so both ad competition and organic competition tend to be lower. Word count is also one of the inputs in our KD formula.
Can I sort or filter results by keyword difficulty?
Yes. Click the KD column to sort, or combine a KD filter with filters for volume, keyword length and CPC. You can copy the results or export them to Excel or CSV.
Should I avoid high-KD keywords completely?
No. A high score means the term needs more time and effort. Put it in your long-term plan, build supporting low-KD pages on the same topic first, and link them to the main page.