Semrush keyword difficulty: what the percentage means, the six bands and how to use the score
KD% is a comparison score between keywords, and the band tells you what kind of effort a page will need.
Published by AI Knows Us · Updated 12 October 2026
Semrush keyword difficulty, shown as KD%, is a score from 0 to 100 that estimates how hard it is to rank in the top 10 for a keyword. A higher number means more work. Semrush groups the score into six bands, from very easy (0 to 14%) to very hard (85 to 100%), and the sensible way to use it is to compare keywords against each other and match the band to the strength of your own site.
This guide explains the bands, what moves the number, and a short process for choosing which keywords to target first.
The six bands
These are the ranges Semrush publishes in its Keyword Difficulty knowledge base article, as read on 12 October 2026. Check the article for the current table before you build a plan on it.
| KD% | Label | What it means for a page |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 14 | Very easy | A good page can compete with little link support |
| 15 to 29 | Easy | A good page and a few links |
| 30 to 49 | Possible | Strong content plus steady link building |
| 50 to 69 | Difficult | Substantial content, links and on-page work |
| 70 to 84 | Hard | An established site with real authority |
| 85 to 100 | Very hard | A major, sustained programme of content and links |
The meaning column is a plain-English reading of those bands. Semrush describes the top band as needing a lot of effort across content, link building, on-page work and promotion.
What moves the number
The score is an estimate built from the pages that currently rank for the term. Strong sites with many referring domains and high authority push the number up. The more the top results are dominated by such sites, the higher the KD. This is why a keyword like "insurance" scores far above "pet insurance for rescue cats": the first is held by giants, the second by smaller pages.
Three things follow:
- It is a snapshot. The top 10 changes. Recheck a keyword before committing a large piece of work.
- It reflects links more than content. A well written page can beat its KD band if the competing pages are thin, but the score does not see page quality.
- It is the same for every site. Semrush also shows a personal version for your own domain in selected Semrush tools. Use the personal figure when it is available, because it accounts for your own site's strength.
Match the band to your site
A site's own authority sets which bands it can win. A reasonable working rule:
- A new site, or one with few links, starts in the very easy and easy bands and builds from there.
- A site with a steady link profile and a year of content moves into the possible band.
- Difficult and above need a reason: a product page that earns links on its own, an original study, a tool, or a partner who will link.
To find your own band, look at the sites already ranking for terms you win. Their typical KD tells you where your site performs today. Our guide to deciding whether a query is worth going after adds the other half, which is the intent of the page that ranks.
A five step process
1. Build the list
Run your seed terms through Keyword Magic Tool, as described in our Semrush keyword tools walk through. Export volume, KD% and intent.
2. Filter by band
Keep the bands your site can reach. Drop terms above them unless there is a clear reason.
3. Check the results page by hand
Open the search results for each shortlisted term. If the top 10 holds forum threads, small sites or old posts, the term is more open than its number says. If it is held by brand sites and marketplaces, the number is accurate.
4. Weigh volume against difficulty
A term with modest volume and a low KD can bring qualified visitors sooner than a high volume term you will not reach this year. Several lower KD terms in one topic often add up to more traffic than one hard one.
5. Set the page brief
Write the page to the intent you saw on the results page. Our focus keyword examples show how to pick one primary term per page.
Reading a worked example
Suppose a keyword shows KD 22 and a monthly volume of 400, and another shows KD 68 and volume 5,000. The first sits in the easy band and the second in difficult. A site with a handful of links can aim at the first this quarter. The second asks for a content and link programme, so schedule it behind the first and use the easy wins to build authority. If you hold a data set, a tool or a strong brand, the second may be within reach sooner, and the results page will show you if a gap exists.
Semrush's own documentation notes that KD and volume come from its database and model, so another vendor's difficulty score will differ. Pick one tool for a project and keep to it, so your comparisons stay consistent.
What an assistant does with a keyword the score calls hard
KD% answers one question: how hard is it to appear in the ten blue links. A buyer who asks an assistant the same thing does not get ten links. They get one composed answer that names a few businesses, drawn from pages the assistant has read, and that list does not follow the Google ranking order or the KD band.
That gives a hard keyword a second life. A term at KD 75 may be out of reach in Google this year, while the assistant's answer for the question behind it names small, specialist sources. Put the exact question to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude and see who is named and what is cited. AI Knows Us runs that check for a brand and records the sources, which is a different list from the one KD% gives you.
Questions about Semrush keyword difficulty
What is a good KD%?
The one that matches your site. New sites do best in the 0 to 29 range. Established sites can move up the bands.
Why is a keyword's KD different from another tool's score?
Each vendor uses its own index and model, so numbers are not interchangeable. Compare keywords inside one tool.
Does a low KD mean easy traffic?
It means the ranking pages are weaker. You still need a page that answers the intent well.
What is personal keyword difficulty?
A version of the score that takes your own domain into account, available in selected Semrush tools.
How often should I recheck?
Before each major content decision, and quarterly for the keywords you already target.