The Art of Balancing High and Low Keyword Difficulty: A Guide to Effective SEO Strategy

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Keyword research and tracking play a pivotal role in determining the success of your digital presence. This article delves into the importance of keyword difficulty and how to structure your keywords effectively, combining both high and low-difficulty keywords to maximize your SEO efforts. 

Additionally, we’ll share practical experiences and real-life examples to illustrate the significance of targeting keywords with varying levels of difficulty.

Why Keyword Difficulty Matters

Keyword difficulty is often referred to as KD. It’s a metric that gauges how challenging it is to rank well for a specific keyword. Understanding the KD of your target keywords is crucial for several reasons:

Feasibility Assessment

KD helps you assess the feasibility of ranking for a particular keyword. It provides insights into the level of competition you’ll face.

Content Strategy

It guides your content strategy by helping you choose which keywords to target moreover if you’re about creating a comprehensive infographic. Knowing the KD allows you to tailor your content to suit the competitiveness of the chosen keywords.

SEO Effort Estimation

KD assists in estimating the amount of SEO effort required to rank well. For high KD keywords, you may need to invest more time, resources, and strategy, while low KD keywords might yield quicker results with less effort.

Balancing Act

Structuring your keyword portfolio with a mix of high and low KD keywords enables you to strike a balance between targeting competitive terms and capitalizing on untapped opportunities.

The Power of Low KD Keywords: A Practical Experience

To underscore the significance of keywords with low keyword difficulty, let’s share a practical experience:

In our early SEO endeavors, we primarily focused on high KD keywords like “explainer videos” and “video production services.” While these keywords offered substantial search volume, they were incredibly competitive, making it challenging to secure a prominent position in the search results.

However, as we delved deeper into our keyword research, we discovered a treasure trove of specific, low KD keywords such as “demo videos for healthcare” and “affordable animated videos for non-profits.” These keywords had lower search volumes but were highly targeted to niche audiences seeking budget-friendly solutions.

When we optimized our content and landing pages for these low KD keywords, we witnessed a significant uptick in targeted organic traffic. Users searching for these specific terms were more likely to convert, leading to increased engagement and conversions on our website. This experience taught us the valuable lesson that targeting low KD keywords could be a game-changer, especially when catering to a specific audience or niche.

Real-Life SEO Success: High KD vs. Low KD Keywords

To provide a real-life example of the impact of high and low KD keywords on SEO success, let’s recount our journey:

High KD Keywords – A Long and Arduous Climb

Initially, our primary goal was to rank #1 for the high KD keyword “animated book review“. This keyword held immense potential, with a large search volume and the promise of significant traffic. We dedicated considerable time and resources to optimizing our content and building backlinks.

After two years of persistent effort, we finally achieved the coveted #1 ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). It was a moment of triumph, but it didn’t come without its challenges.

The main issue with high KD keywords is their competitiveness. Numerous other companies were also vying for the top spot, constantly optimizing their content and implementing paid SEO strategies. 

Maintaining our position at the summit proved to be twice as challenging as attaining it. The competition was relentless, and the SEO landscape was in a constant state of flux.

Low KD Keywords – A More Manageable Path to Success

In response to the challenges posed by high KD keywords, we decided to diversify our keyword strategy. We shifted our focus towards low KD and long-tail keywords, such as “book review in YouTube” and “voice-over agency to an audiobook.”

The results were remarkable. We managed to rank #1 for these low KD keywords relatively quickly and, most importantly, maintain those top positions. The competition for these keywords was less intense, allowing us to establish a strong foothold in niche markets.

Additionally, the traffic generated from these keywords was highly targeted. Users searching for these specific terms were more likely to engage with our content and convert into customers.

In hindsight, the contrast between our experiences with high KD and low KD keywords was striking. While high KD keywords can offer substantial rewards, they come with fierce competition and require sustained effort to maintain rankings. On the other hand, low KD keywords provide a more manageable path to success, offering niche-specific opportunities to capture engaged audiences.

Conclusion

In the world of SEO, the balance between high and low keyword difficulty keywords is essential for a well-rounded strategy. High KD keywords offer the potential for significant traffic but demand considerable resources and sustained effort to compete. On the other hand, low KD keywords provide opportunities to cater to specific niches with less competitive obstacles.

As you structure your keyword portfolio, consider the feasibility, content strategy, and SEO effort required for each keyword. Don’t solely focus on the allure of high KD keywords; explore the untapped potential of low KD keywords to diversify your SEO approach and enhance your chances of success.

By striking the right balance between high and low keyword difficulty, you can create a holistic SEO strategy that maximizes your visibility, engages your target audience, and drives sustainable organic growth.

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Andre Oentoro

Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).