Two numbers matter when choosing a keyword: search volume tells you how many people search for it, and keyword difficulty tells you how hard it is to rank for. Together, they tell you whether a keyword is worth pursuing.
You find a keyword. It has 50,000 monthly searches. Perfect, right? Not necessarily. It might have a difficulty score of 90, meaning the top 10 results are all from Fortune 500 companies. Your brand-new site will never rank.
You find another keyword. It has 300 monthly searches. Low volume, but the difficulty is 15. You rank in weeks. Both metrics matter. Neither tells the whole story alone.
Search volume tells you demand for a keyword
Search volume is how many times people search for a keyword each month. "Website builder" gets 90,000 monthly searches. "Website builder for photographers" gets 400 monthly searches.
More volume means more potential traffic. But it does not mean it is the right keyword for you. A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches where you rank position 1 drives maybe 3,000 visitors. A keyword with 100 monthly searches where you rank position 1 drives maybe 30 visitors. Volume matters, but it is only half the story.
Keyword difficulty measures competition for rankings
Keyword difficulty (KD) is a score from 0-100. It tells you how hard it is to rank for a keyword. Zero is easy. One hundred is nearly impossible.
KD is calculated by looking at the top 10 results. If those sites have lots of backlinks and high authority, the keyword has high KD. If those sites have few backlinks and lower authority, the keyword has low KD.
Low KD (0-30) means easier to rank. Medium KD (30-50) means moderate difficulty. High KD (50+) means very competitive.
Volume and difficulty must balance
A keyword might have 10,000 monthly searches (great volume) but KD of 90 (nearly impossible). A keyword might have 200 monthly searches (low volume) but KD of 10 (very easy). You need to balance both.
Volume tells you the traffic opportunity. KD tells you if you can actually achieve it. A good keyword has enough volume to be worth your time and difficulty that is realistic for your site.
For a brand-new site, aim for keywords with 100-1,000 monthly searches and KD under 30. That is volume large enough to matter and difficulty low enough to rank.
For an established site with high authority, you can target keywords with higher volume and higher difficulty.
Assess your site before picking keywords
Before you pick a keyword, honestly assess your site. How old is it? How many pages do you have? How many backlinks? How many keywords are you already ranking for?
New sites cannot rank for competitive keywords. Established sites can. If you are new, do not waste time on KD 70 keywords. Target KD under 30.
Look at your existing rankings. Are you ranking in positions 4-10 for any keywords? Those are quick wins. Small improvements might move them to positions 1-3. Prioritize those before attacking completely new keywords.
Start with achievable keywords, then climb higher
You want to rank for "website builder." It has 90,000 monthly searches but KD is 85. Your site is brand-new. This is not a realistic target right now.
Instead, target "website builder for nonprofits." It has 300 monthly searches and KD is 25. You will rank faster. You build authority. Later, when your site is stronger, you target the broader "website builder" keyword.
This is the strategy that works. Start with achievable keywords. Build momentum. Gradually target harder keywords as your authority grows.
Tackle competitive keywords only after building authority
Eventually, you will have the authority to target competitive keywords. But do not rush there. Build first.
If "website builder" is your core business goal and you have been building authority for 18 months, you can start working on it. You will not rank immediately, but you have a fighting chance.
But even then, prioritize variations. "Website builder for e-commerce" is still more achievable than just "website builder."
Frequently asked questions
Is a keyword with 50 monthly searches worth targeting?
Probably not on its own. But 20 keywords with 50 monthly searches equals 1,000 monthly searches. That is meaningful. The value depends on how many similar keywords you can target. One or two low-volume keywords are not worth it. A cluster of 20-30 is worth it. With WEMASY's website builder, you can set this up directly on your website.
Can KD scores be trusted?
They are estimates. Different tools calculate differently. Each SEO tool has a slightly different KD score for the same keyword. Use KD as a guide, not gospel. Check the actual top 10 results yourself. See who is ranking. If they are small sites, KD might be overestimated. If they are huge brands, KD might be underestimated.
Should I target keywords with high volume but high difficulty?
Only if you have the authority for it. If you are brand-new, do not. If you have been building for 18-24 months and have established authority, maybe. Target a keyword that is realistic for where you are right now, not where you hope to be.
What if the top 10 results for my target keyword are all huge brands?
That keyword might have higher difficulty than the tool says. Consider a more specific variation. If the main keyword is dominated by big brands, the long-tail variations usually have less competition. Target those instead.
How do I know if a keyword's search volume is real?
Search engine keyword tools are the most reliable source (they use search engine data). Other tools estimate based on the data they have. If two different SEO tools show similar volume, it is probably accurate. If they differ wildly, the keyword might have inconsistent data. Look for keywords where multiple tools agree.
Should I ignore all high-difficulty keywords?
No. If a high-difficulty keyword is core to your business, you should eventually target it. Just do not start there. Build authority on easier keywords first. Then gradually work your way up to the hard keywords as your site grows stronger.