When it comes to SEO, not all keywords are created equal. High-competition keywords may seem appealing due to their search volume, but they often require significant time, resources, and domain authority to rank. That is where low-difficulty keywords come into play.
Targeting these less competitive keywords offers a strategic advantage, allowing you to gain visibility, drive relevant traffic, and increase conversions faster. By focusing on keywords with lower competition, you can build authority and enhance your search engine rankings without battling established competitors head-on.
What Are Low-Difficulty Keywords?
Low-difficulty keywords are easy to rank for on search engine result pages. You do not necessarily need a high domain authority website or to build many links to rank for these keywords.
These keywords have lower search volume than high-competition keywords, but they are specific and targeted to a particular search intent which can result in higher click-through rates.
Most low-difficulty keywords are long-tail, making them less competitive and easier to rank.
Factors That Influence a Keyword's Difficulty Level
Search Volume
The number of users searching for a keyword automatically affects its difficulty. Logically, everybody wants a keyword with high search volume because ranking for these keywords equals generating more traffic to their sites. That is why keywords with hundreds of thousands of search volumes have relatively high KD.
Backlink Profiles of the Ranking Websites
One of Google's checklists for ranking websites on SERPs is the authenticity and reliability of the site, otherwise known as link profile. Reputable websites will not link to dubious or low-quality websites. A strong link profile is the outcome of links to these websites.
It is more difficult to rank for a keyword if the high-ranking sites on SERPs have a robust link profile.
Competition
Aside from a keyword's search volume, the number of sites targeting it also affects its difficulty. The more sites targeting a keyword, the harder it is to rank for it.
Relevance of Content Targeting the Term
Google aims to provide its users with relevant, unique, and accurate information. That is why content quality is a major ranking factor. It is much easier to rank for a keyword if none of the sites targeting it provides high-graded content.
Quality of a Model Page
A high-quality model page optimized for a particular keyword can increase the keyword difficulty because it signals to search engines that the competition for that keyword is high. A well-optimized page will likely have a strong backlink profile, high domain authority, and high-quality content that other pages will find difficult to compete with.
On the other hand, a low-quality model page can decrease the keyword difficulty, making it easier for other pages to compete.
Advantages of Targeting Low-Difficulty Keywords
Easy to Rank
Low-difficulty keywords are escalators that effortlessly take you up the search engine result pages. You may need to build a small number or no link to get page ranking.
For example, creating content around a keyword with a KD of 22 and a search volume of 22 can rank on the first page within a few days. Most brands ignore low-difficulty keywords because of their low search volume, forgetting that they have a specific search intent and are highly converting.
When you target low-difficulty keywords, you can easily find long-tail variations that are easier to rank for and relevant to your audience.
Cost-Effectiveness
Low-difficulty keywords are less competitive. You do not have to spend more on paid ads. By targeting low-difficulty keywords, you can start your SEM campaign more quickly. You will not need much experience or budget to get going with these terms; they will give you quick wins so that you can begin seeing results right away and build momentum for future campaigns.
Quick Results
You do not want to wait donkey years to see results as a new business. You need a strategy that can quickly fly you over the hurdles of your competitors, seek out a small percentage of the overall market share, and produce a better ROI. Low-difficulty keywords are easy to rank for and require less effort and budget to produce results.
Better Click-Through Rates
Most low-difficulty keywords are long-tail keywords. They are specific and targeted to a particular audience. Most importantly, they satisfy a clear search intent. Those who pick the right low-difficulty words will target people looking for a specific thing and are ready to buy.
Increased Website Traffic
When your pages' click-through rates increase, the result is an increase in your website's traffic. Even though low-difficulty keywords are low volume, optimizing them perfectly will increase your site's organic traffic and convert your targeted audience.
How to Find Low-Difficulty Keywords
Use Google
Google is the first go-to center for keyword research, especially low-difficulty long-tail keywords. Google is an archive of relevant keywords, but you must be strategic in fetching them out to access them.
Google Suggest: Input your primary long-tail keyword into Google's search bar, and it automatically gives you a list of related keywords, mostly low-difficulty.
People Also Ask Segment: You can get a list of low-difficulty keywords from the People Also Ask segment of the result page for your target keyword.
Related Searches: You can access a list of low-difficulty keywords by analyzing the Related Searches segment of search engine result pages.
There are a lot of keyword research tools out there to find low-difficulty keywords. These platforms have their standard metrics for calculating the difficulty of a keyword.
There is no single keyword tool out there with 100 per cent reliable data on keyword difficulty. It is best to combine one or two tools with your analysis of SERPs for that keyword, to assess how difficult it would be to target. The best approach is to familiarize yourself with several different scoring systems. Each tool has its approach to measuring keyword difficulty, and you will need to determine which one works best for your particular use case.
Analyzing Competitors' Keywords
Ignoring your competitors in your keyword research can result in a big blow. You can save time researching new keywords by analyzing ready-made keywords from your competitors. Most of your competitors know the power of low-difficulty keywords; you can get a bank of relevant keywords from them.
Using Long-Tail Keywords
Most long-tail keywords are low-difficulty keywords. They are specific, easy to rank for, and targeted to the searchers' intent. A report shows that long-tail keywords are often more economical to advertise on as they have less competition.
Expert Perspectives
SEO professionals emphasize that low-difficulty keywords are not a shortcut but a strategic entry point. By targeting these keywords, you can build the authority needed to compete for more challenging terms over time.
Mark Williams-Cook, Founder of AlsoAsked, says, "Apart from when I am doing high-level research into niches, I have always ignored all of them, to be honest. Many of them are third-party compound metrics, and they will not tell you how the calculation is done, and even the main players give vastly different results."
Gauri Manglik, CEO and Cofounder of Instrumentl, recommends combining human judgment and machine learning algorithms. Human judgment can provide insight into what is working and what is not regarding audience engagement and retention, but it does not scale well with large datasets or new content formats. Machine learning algorithms can scale to handle those things, but they will not be able to provide the same kind of nuanced insights that humans can give.
Final Thoughts
Low-difficulty keywords are escalators that effortlessly take you up the search engine result pages. You may need to build a small number or no link to get page ranking. Most brands ignore low-difficulty keywords because of their low search volume, forgetting that they have a specific search intent and are highly converting.
When you target low-difficulty keywords, you can easily find long-tail variations that are easier to rank for and relevant to your audience. They are cost-effective, generate quick results, and have better click-through rates.
The key is to identify the right tools for your needs, analyze competitor keywords, and leverage long-tail variations. By doing so, you can build authority and enhance your search engine rankings without battling established competitors head-on.