Why are all my keywords rated "highly competitive"?
-
I am using the Keyword Analysis tool and it is telling me that almost all the keywords I put in are "highly competitive" even though there is very little competition on Google.
Example: I enter the keyword "christian web designers" on Google, United Kingdom
It then reports that this keyword is 53% Highly Competitive. However I Google this term in quotes and there is less then 4,000 results. I also enter this keyword into Traffic Travis which tells me the the difficulty is Relatively Easy.
Am I doing something wrong here?
-
Hi James,
Couple of points:
1. The term "highly competitive" might be a bit misleading. I'd pay more attention to the score of 53%, which I would consider only moderately competitive. If you look at the actual search results, the #1 ranking only has a Domain Authority of 19, so I would think this is a keyword you could shoot for.
2. The score takes into account how hard it would be to obtain a top ranking, but not neccessarily #1. There are some high authority domains in the top 10 for that query, including www.swedishdigitatalmarketingagency.com, which makes the overall vertical more competitive.
3. The Keyword Difficulty tool is a best guess based on comparative metrics, but it isn't always right.
4. When in doubt, I always run a full analysis report to see why URLs are ranking the way they do.
Overall, I trust the 53 score. It seems a little high, but it's within a range I would consider within reason. The good news is the Keyword Analysis tool is going through some changes soon as SEOmoz acquires new data sources and continues to improve it's scoring algorythm. In the meantime, you can always use the MozBar - with the SERP overlay turned on - to eyeball any results you'd like to examine.
Best of luck with your SEO!
-
Thanks for the replies, so even if it says it is "highly competitive" it may not be competitive in the serps but for ppc? Will I be able to rank for keywords that are rated "highly competitive"?
-
The "highly competitive" is google's assessment of the PPC competition.
Organic SERPs could be very different.
Keep in mind that PPC allows broadmatch... but that will not get you ranked in organic.
-
I am working on some assumptions here as I have never seen the algorithm this tool uses, but it is pretty safe to say it will work some thing like this:
Which I learned as-
KEI, Keyword Efficiency Index,
Search Volume / Sites Optimized for that keyword = KEI
You could have 500 websites trying for a word and if it has a million searches, then you still have a decent shot at finding a way to get in front of some of the searchers as there are 2000 searches for every provider.
On the other hand, if there are 3 websites going after a keyword and it has only 1000 searches then your competition for that word is 333 to 1 or about 6 times tougher than the first example.
Also keep in mind that sometimes when serving a highly specialized niche you have to ignore everything and go for it, assuming you have put in your due diligence and you are sure there is a viable market.
-
The keyword tool isn't about competition per se (even though it does talk about competition), it's more about how difficult it would be to rank for certain keywords.
In your case the keyword "christian web designers" might only return few search results, but the top 10 could be domains with a strong backlink profile, which would make it difficult to rank for the top 10.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How to find the best keywords for a new blog?
Hey everyone,
Keyword Research | | ayofztk
I have started a new blog and I am not finding the ways to find the best and rankable keywords for it.
Can anybody tell me how to find it?0 -
I understand it's been asked before, however moz staff is telling me keyword's capitalization is treated as a separate keyword.
So there I was looking through my rankings like every other day, when I see a lowercase and uppercase version of a keyword. Most times I see this, I see them with the same rankings, and even researched this about 5 months ago, when I came to the conclusion that google treats them the same way. However, this day I saw them as different ranks, same keyword, only capitalized 1st letter of the 2 word keyword. I asked moz staff about this, as I felt it was an error. But was met with the answer that google does indeed treat these keywords differently. My line of thought was that the rank checker didn't check both the lowercase and uppercase keyword at the same time, and SERPs happened to change when the second word was checked for rank, returning a different rank. So now, I am in doubt again, as to uppercase and lowercase keywords being different or the same in google's eyes? I honestly don't know why a uppercase keyword would have different motive from searcher than a lowercase when many time not, searchers can't even spell the keyword correctly.
Keyword Research | | Deacyde0 -
Which "search volume" stats should I choose? Moz or Google Keyword Planner?
Hi there Hoping someone can shed some light... The same keywords give different Search Volume results in Moz and Google Keyword Planner. Why is this and which one should I "trust"/use? Thank you!
Keyword Research | | Jana_Joubert0 -
Where to use which keywords...
After doing keyword research and coming up with a list of keywords/phrases that I'd like to optimise a specific page for (an additional page to an existing website), I get confused about WHERE to use which keywords. For example, choosing between two keywords like home insurance and specialist home insurance. Let's say home insurance is more searched than the other, and but is more difficult to rank for, and specialist home insurance is less searched but easier to rank for. Firstly, which one should I use as my "main keyword" and secondly, what benefit does the other keyword(s) then have on the rest of the page, and were do I use them? I hope this makes sense. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Keyword Research | | Jana_Joubert1 -
Optimize the ranking with the right keyword
Hi, I would like to know the processs if i want use in the same time 2 keywords. "géolocalisation véhicule" and " geolocalisation vehicule " As you can see the diffence is just the accent and i would like have the same ranking for both Thank for your help Steve
Keyword Research | | fleurya1 -
How can I find out which keyword I am currently ranking for?
Hi Guys! Is there an easy way of finding out which key words my site is currently ranking for? And how wwell these keywords are doing in the search engines? Thank you for the help 😉
Keyword Research | | StoryScout0 -
Using city location in keywords?
Hi all, new to SEO MOZ and SEO in general. I'm trying to do some keyword research to choose keywords and keyphrases for on page SEO as well as an Adwords campaign for a real estate agency that focuses on luxury high rise condos and homes in the Dallas area. My question is, when choosing keywords do you need to include your location in the key phrase? For instance luxury real estate or dallas luxury real estate? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!
Keyword Research | | strategit0 -
Keyword question
In my keywords should they include the city name or not? Example..... plastic surgery or plastic surgery Orlando I know the search engine knows what city i am in, if i search for plastic surgery and i live in Orlando, does it pull up world wide plastic surgery links first or local plastic surgery clinics? Thanks in advance. Daniel
Keyword Research | | dools0