Term difficulty is a metric that indicates how tough it is to rank for a given keyword in search engine results pages (SERPs). Keyword difficulty is influenced by a number of factors, including:
- Search volume: The quantity of individuals looking for a certain keyword is an important aspect in assessing keyword difficulty. In general, the larger the search volume, the greater the competition to rank for that phrase.
- Competition: The amount and quality of competing websites for a certain phrase are other essential factors in assessing keyword difficulty. Websites with a high level of authority and a large number of good-quality links will be more difficult to outrank than those with a lower level of authority and fewer links.
- Relevance: A keyword’s relevancy to the content of a webpage is also a significant aspect in assessing keyword difficulty. Keywords that are closely connected to the content of a webpage will rank higher than less relevant keywords.
- On-page optimization: A webpage’s on-page SEO for a certain keyword is also a significant aspect in assessing keyword difficulty. Websites that are well-optimized for a given term will outperform those that are not.
- Domain and page authority: The domain and page authority of a website and its pages is a measure of its overall strength. High authority websites will be more difficult to outrank than low authority websites.
- Backlinks: Another crucial component in assessing keyword difficulty is the amount and quality of backlinks going to a page. Websites having a higher number of high-quality backlinks will be more difficult to outrank.
- Geo-targeting: If a term is targeting a certain place, the difficulty will vary based on the location, as the competition will differ.
Understanding the elements that determine keyword difficulty allows you to make better judgments about which keywords to target and design an efficient SEO plan.