Is Ahrefs keyword difficulty metric reliable?

[kurosaki4d]

Hello,

I've been using Ahrefs and Kwfinder for my keyword research for a while now.

However, i have noticed something weird in Ahrefs, when i find a few keywords with a 4 value keyword difficulty when i check the same keyword in Kwfinder i get a keyword difficulty of around 30-45.

This is a dilemma to me, which one of those to believe to determine the actual keyword difficulty. One says the keyword is easy the other one says it's hard.

Does anybody have a serious opinion on the matter?



Thank you



NOTE: My site is still quite new and not ranking for any content in the first page yet.

 

[KamBhai]

Ahrefs is good for keyword research but their KD feature is not reliable at all.
I mainly use Ahrefs just to get the keyword ideas, that's all.

 

[Mr Positive]

I would refer to Semrush over ahrefs kd

 

[Starblazer]

Ahrefs is good for overall research, but Semrush is better for KD metric. However, none of the available tools gives you the accurate KD.

Check this thread for more info:
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/keyword-difficulties.1229535/

 

[Roger Marquez]

Is Ahrefs keyword difficulty metric reliable?

It´s a great starting point to determine a keyword's true competitiveness.

Keyword difficulty scores provided by ALL SEO tools should be taken with a grain of sault and ONLY be considered as a starting point to filter what keywords you should be taking into account to further analyze their competitiveness.

And, the best way to do this is by conducting an in-depth and MANUAL SERP analysis.

There isn´t a way around this.

I myself have found keywords with Ahrefs with a KD of 40 that appear to be easier to rank on Google´s first page than a keyword with a KD of 20.

Just be sure to run a manual SERP analysis of each keyword and you´ll be good to go!

 

[Stitches and Burns]

I mainly use Ahrefs and I think their KD tool is good. But you don't rely solely on it, you have to look at the Google results yourself and see if you have a chance to compete.

 

[HenryObi]

I've had the same issue that you're having and I've also sometimes had really easy keywords with Ahrefs.
Recently lots of people have been recommending semrush for keyword difficulty research maybe it's time to switch

 

[thesilverhawk619]

Which is the best free tool for this..?

 

[Roger Marquez]

Which is the best free tool for this..?

Since there isn´t an SEO tool that will give you an accurate keyword difficulty score and, therefore, you will need to conduct your own manual SERP analysis in order to fully assess how likely you´ll be able to rank in Google´s first page for any given keyword, my vote goes to Ahrefs.

It has the most powerful set of features and filters you can use to really dive deep into the SERPs and breakdown all site´s backlink profiles and determine a keyword true competitive score.

But, you can also do this using free tools you know.

Cheers!

 

[Myst3ry]

Manual check is always the best.

I do this:
- Check if the sites on first page have backlinks and what type of backlinks
- Check if they target the keyword I'm checking
- Check their word count
- Check what sites are they

And I can see the overall difficulty of the keyword quickly.

Relying on apps is risky. The time is the most precious thing.

 

[SEO Armour]

Don't rely on a single tool for keywords, check with a couple of tools, and consider the average value.

Put your keyword on google and see how many search results appear for that keyword, easy way to find difficulty. cheers. !!

 

[kurosaki4d]

Manual check is always the best.

I do this:
- Check if the sites on first page have backlinks and what type of backlinks
- Check if they target the keyword I'm checking
- Check their word count
- Check what sites are they

And I can see the overall difficulty of the keyword quickly.

Relying on apps is risky. The time is the most precious thing.

That's really good to know. Thank you!

Do you have a rule about the maximum domain authority or backlinks that you don't want to compete against?

 

[kurosaki4d]

Ahrefs is good for keyword research but their KD feature is not reliable at all.
I mainly use Ahrefs just to get the keyword ideas, that's all.

Thank you for your insight. I'm certainly questioning their metric now, i'm learning something new everyday.

If all the competitors articles have a very low word count and 0 backlinks with a very high DA, would you still try to compete against them?

 

[mindcrimes]

In my experience, no KD metric is reliable. Stick to volume and page/domain authority and backlinks (and what type of backlinks). I've done a lot of work in Health niche where the KD is low but in reality, it's anything but.

Thank you for your insight. I'm certainly questioning their metric now, i'm learning something new everyday.

If all the competitors articles have a very low word count and 0 backlinks with a very high DA, would you still try to compete against them?

It depends. Is the domain itself relevant and "niche" or is there just a general site? It's all about the trust and authority you can put into your site in google's eyes. If you can put better content, your whole site is authoritative on the topic, have better and more links, you may outrank them, but as I said the only answer to that question is - it depends. On a lot of things, including how much you're willing to spend.

 

[Hello Fello]

Kwfinder's difficulty score is quite accurate as far as I have been experiencing it since w while now.

But still it's better to do mannual research always to crosscheck.

 

[Deleted member 994306]

Check with both Ahrefs and semrush. KWfinder works well too.

 

[Turbo SEO]

Ahrefs and semrush both are good

 

[Digirulz]

I suggest Semrush for keyword research and also check manually for detailed information on competitiveness.

 

[nSnoopy]

I use ahrefs for keyword research but their keyword difficulty score is not accurate.

 

[farrow26]

Manual check is always the best.

I do this:
- Check if the sites on first page have backlinks and what type of backlinks
- Check if they target the keyword I'm checking
- Check their word count
- Check what sites are they

And I can see the overall difficulty of the keyword quickly.

Relying on apps is risky. The time is the most precious thing.

My suggestion would also be the same.

To make this process easy, you can use market samurai and also there's a similar tool in Neil Patel website I guess.

Thank you.