Keyword Research & Difficulty Checker

Check how difficult it is to rank for your keyword. Assess the competitiveness of keywords and plan your strategy for maximum SEO impact.

The interface of the Morningscore Keyword Difficulty Checker

Why should you check the difficulty of your keywords here?

Here, you can easily research your keywords and start ranking for them. We show how difficult it is to rank #1 for your chosen keyword and suggest closely related alternatives. See also the search volume and cost-per-click for the keyword in Google Ads for comparison, all from one simple dashboard.

Find new keywords opportunities

Find the most promising keywords by assessing their difficulty and alternatives

Make an informed choice

Choose your keywords based on data, not gut feeling

Outperform competitor keywords

Find the easiest keywords to rank for, or put extra effort into ranking for the difficult ones

Find the right keywords to rank #1

Check keyword difficulty in 5 steps using Morningscore

Enter your website above

Enter your email in the text field

Go to the 'Keyword research'

Type in the keyword you want to see

Check keyword difficulty

keyword difficulty checker step one - Morningscore SEO tool

Cracking keyword difficulty

Keyword difficulty is all about the competition a specific keyword faces on the search engine result pages (SERPs). The difficulty is determined by different factors such as the number of websites competing for that keyword, the authority of those competing, and the quality of their content. If keywords have a high difficulty, it might be hard for new or low-authority websites to rank well for that keyword. In this case, keywords with lower difficulty might be the ones to go for, as the competition is a lot lower, making it easier to rank higher.

why do keyword rankings fluctuate so much and how to troubleshoot them

Crucial insights to navigate keyword difficulty for SEO

Understanding keyword difficulty is crucial for SEO strategies. By analyzing keyword difficulty, you'll get an overview of what keywords you want to try and rank for. This may well be the keywords with low difficulty, but i can also be keywords with high difficulty if you feel like it makes sense and your efforts aren't a waste of time. The keyword difficulty checker helps you select the right keywords to target, providing the essentials for a competitive SEO strategy.

FAQ

Have any questions?

What is keyword difficulty?

Keyword Difficulty is an SEO metric that indicates the level of difficulty in achieving a top ranking for a particular keyword on Google or any other search engine.

How can I check the difficulty of a keyword?

You can enter your website’s URL into Morningscore, wait approximately 1 minute until we scan your website, and then go to the ‘Keyword research’ tab.

Type in the keyword you have in mind and check how difficult it is to rank high for your specific keyword.

How do Morningscore calculate keyword difficulty?

We gather our data 'on the fly' from various sources to ensure its freshness and higher accuracy. More information about our data quality is provided in this article.

We estimate each keyword's difficulty based on its search volume (searches per month) and cost per click (CPC) of the keyword in Google Ads.

Can I check keyword difficulty for free?

Depending on your subscription plan, you can do a keyword research x amount of times every month, which in the end, results in how many keywords you'll see the difficulty for. This varies from 25 with the LITE plan to 2.500 with the PREMIUM plan. When you conduct a keyword research several keywords might appear from that, and they will all have a keyword difficulty.

What keyword difficulty should I aim for?

When starting with SEO, aim for less competitive, long-tail keywords that match your content, especially if your site is new. Morningscore can help you understand keyword difficulty and show you the amount of searches on Google. It does not make sense to optimize your page for a keyword that nobody is searching for. Remember, the quality of your content is key to ranking well, so focus on relevance and search intent.

Can keyword difficulty change over time?

Yes, keyword difficulty can change over time due to shifts in search trends, user behavior, competitor strategies, or updates to search engine algorithms. As interest in a specific keyword grows or more websites start targeting the same keywords, the competition for ranking can increase, affecting keyword difficulty.

How can I improve my chances of ranking for high-difficulty keywords?

To increase your chances of ranking higher for difficult keywords, first enhance your content's depth and quality, and then build a strong backlink profile. Regularly updating your site with relevant, valuable information can also help. Engaging with your audience through social media and other platforms that drive traffic to your website can boost your site's authority, making it more competitive for those difficult keywords.

Why do long-tail keywords have lower difficulty than short-tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are typically less competitive than short-tail ones because they are more specific so they attract fewer but more focused searches. This specificity means fewer websites compete for them, making it easier for you to rank higher if you have well-matched, quality content.