Direct Answer
Keyword difficulty (KD) is a 0–100 score from tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz that estimates how hard it is to rank on page 1. For service businesses, target KD under 30 with monthly search volume of 50+. Local 'service + city' phrases often have KD under 10 and are the fastest wins.
Voice answer (≤30 words)
“Keyword difficulty is a zero to one hundred score. Target keywords under thirty difficulty with at least fifty monthly searches.”
The 'easy' tier is usually long-tail question queries: 'how much does X cost in city,' 'best Y for Z.'
Free starting tools: Google Keyword Planner, Google's own 'People Also Ask,' AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked.
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