How to Prioritize Keywords by Difficulty and Potential (So You Don’t Waste Months)

You’ve got a list of keyword ideas that’s way too long. Some look “easy,” some look “big,” and most feel like a coin toss. The real problem isn’t finding keywords, it’s picking the right ones when you don’t have time to publish 50 posts just to see what sticks.

This guide gives you a simple way to prioritize keywords by difficulty and potential, so you can choose terms that you can actually rank for and that are still worth writing about.

In plain terms, keyword difficulty is how tough it is to beat what already ranks on page one. Keyword potential is the upside: traffic, plus the business impact behind that traffic. Tool scores help, but they’re estimates, so the process also includes a quick SERP reality check before you commit.

Know what “difficulty” and “potential” really mean before you pick keywords

Most keyword mistakes come from treating one metric as the truth. Usually, it’s search volume.

High volume feels safe, like choosing the busiest highway because “more cars” must mean “more customers.” But SEO doesn’t work like that. If the highway is packed with tanks (huge brands, stacked pages, strong link profiles), your compact car won’t get far.

Instead, think of keyword selection like choosing a fight. You want opponents you can beat, and prizes worth winning.

Here’s the mindset that keeps you from overthinking it:

• Difficulty answers, “Can I realistically win a first-page spot in the next 3 to 9 months?”
• Potential answers, “If I win, does it move my business forward?”

Volume is only a hint. It doesn’t tell you how many clicks you’ll get, whether the query triggers features that steal attention, or whether the traffic will do anything useful.

In January 2026, that last point matters more than ever. Many searches show AI summaries, featured snippets, video blocks, “People also ask,” and other features that can shrink clicks even when you rank well. So a keyword can look great in a tool, then underperform in the real results.

If you want a quick primer on what keyword difficulty scores usually represent, this overview from Positional is a solid reference: Keyword Difficulty in SEO: A Beginner’s Guide.

Keyword difficulty, personal difficulty, and why tool scores disagree

Most SEO tools show keyword difficulty (KD) on a 0 to 100 scale. Lower usually means easier. Higher usually means you’ll need stronger authority, better content, and often more links.

KD scores typically estimate competition using signals like:

• The strength of domains ranking on page one
• Backlink profiles pointing at top pages
• How stable the top results are
• SERP features that crowd out standard results

The catch is that KD is not a law of nature. It’s a model.

Ahrefs and Semrush don’t measure difficulty in the same way, so it’s normal to see different numbers for the same keyword. Some tools weigh backlinks more, others blend in other factors. If you want a clear comparison of how these scores can differ, Backlinko’s tool breakdown is helpful: Ahrefs vs Semrush: Which SEO Tool Should You Use.

Now add a second concept that matters even more: personal keyword difficulty.

Personal difficulty is “KD for your site,” not the whole internet. A KD 35 keyword might be easy for a site with years of topical authority, and basically impossible for a new site with a thin backlink profile.

A practical way to estimate personal difficulty is simple: compare your site to what’s ranking.

• If the top results are from sites far stronger than yours, difficulty is higher than the tool score suggests.
• If page one includes smaller sites, niche blogs, or forums, your personal difficulty may be lower.

Treat KD as a filter, not a decision.

Keyword potential: traffic potential, conversion potential, and “fit” with your site

Potential is where most keyword lists fall apart. People treat potential as “volume,” when it’s really three things working together:

1. Traffic potential: how many clicks you could realistically get if you rank (not just search volume).
2. Conversion potential: how likely that visitor is to take action (subscribe, sign up, buy).
3. Fit: how credible your site is for the topic, and how well it matches your audience.

Fit matters a lot in high-trust topics like finance and health. If the search results are dominated by major institutions, Google is signaling that trust is part of the ranking equation.

A simple example:

• “free budget template” might have strong volume, but many searchers just want a download and leave.
• “best budgeting app for freelancers” might have lower volume, but the intent is sharper, and the visitor is closer to a decision.

Same broad topic, totally different payoff.

If you want another perspective on balancing business value with SEO metrics, Moz has a clear chapter on the topic: Prioritize Keywords (SEO Keyword Research Master Guide).

A simple scoring method to prioritize keywords fast

You don’t need a complex model. You need a quick system you’ll actually use.

The goal is to take your big list and turn it into a ranked shortlist, without pretending the numbers are perfect. Your spreadsheet should combine tool data (volume, KD) and your judgment (intent, relevance, rankability).

Think of it like ordering a menu. Calories are data. Taste is judgment. You need both to choose well.

Collect your keyword list and add the columns that matter

Start with your keyword tool export, then add a few columns that force good decisions.

Core columns to use:

• Keyword: the query itself.
• Intent: informational, commercial, transactional, or navigational.
• Volume: monthly search volume estimate from your tool.
• KD: difficulty score from your tool.
• Personal difficulty: your best estimate (you’ll set it after the SERP check).
• SERP notes: quick observations (brands, content type, SERP features).
• Business relevance (1 to 10): how closely it supports your product, newsletter, offer, or goals.
• Rankability (1 to 10): how likely you can produce a page that belongs on page one.
• Final priority score: calculated field (we’ll cover it next).

Where each value comes from:

• Volume and KD come from the SEO tool.
• Intent and relevance come from you (and your business model).
• Rankability comes from your honest assessment after scanning the SERP.
• Personal difficulty is a reality check score you’ll assign after looking at who ranks.

One tip that saves time: group keywords by topic cluster early. If you publish three to six related pieces that support each other, you build topical authority faster than publishing random one-off posts.

Use a priority formula that balances rankability and value

Here’s a simple formula that works well for fast prioritization:

Priority Score = (Business Relevance × Rankability) ÷ (KD + 1)

Why this works:

• It rewards keywords that matter to your business.
• It rewards keywords you can realistically rank for.
• It penalizes high difficulty.
• The + 1 prevents divide-by-zero and keeps the math clean.

A small worked example makes it click:

Even though “seo” has massive volume and high relevance, it’s a terrible early target. The first keyword is specific, easier, and still valuable.

How to interpret the score:

• Use it to sort, not to “prove” anything.
• Keywords with a higher score are better bets for your next publishing sprint.

Guidance by site strength (keep it simple):

• Newer or lower-authority sites: try to stay under KD 30 when possible, especially for core pages.
• Growing sites: you can mix in KD 30 to 50 if intent and value are strong.
• Stronger sites: push into higher KD when the upside is clear and you have supporting content.

If you want a practical take on finding terms that are easier to rank, this guide is useful context: Easy-To-Rank Keywords Explained: How To Find, Assess and Use Them for Fast SEO Wins.

Reality check the SERP so you do not chase impossible keywords

Your spreadsheet gets you to a shortlist. The SERP check tells you what’s real.

This part sounds slow, but it’s faster than writing an article that never ranks. Plan 5 to 10 minutes per keyword, and you’ll quickly see patterns.

In 2026, SERP checks matter more because the page you compete against is not just “10 blue links.” It’s AI answers, product grids, video carousels, local packs, and sometimes results that shift based on freshness.

For a deeper walkthrough of what to look for beyond the basics, Grow and Convert lays it out well: How to Do SERP Analysis: Going Beyond the Basics.

Quick SERP checklist: what to look for in the top results

Open an incognito window and search the keyword. Then scan page one with a cold eye.

A quick checklist that covers what matters:

• Type of pages ranking: guides, landing pages, category pages, tool pages, news, forums. If Google is ranking product pages and you’re planning a blog post, you’re fighting the current.
• Signs of strong brands: household names, major publishers, or “official” sources. A page one full of big brands usually means higher personal difficulty.
• How many results are truly on-topic: if Google is confused, you may have an opening with clearer content.
• Freshness: are top results updated recently, or are they old? Stale results can be a signal that an updated page can win.
• Content depth: are top pages thin, or are they strong and complete? Thin pages are an opportunity, strong pages require a better angle.
• SERP features stealing clicks: AI summaries, featured snippets, video blocks, “People also ask,” image packs. More features often means fewer clicks available, even if you rank.

Then write 1 to 2 sentences in your SERP notes column. Keep it blunt. Example: “Top 5 are SaaS blogs with heavy internal links, AI overview present, mostly list posts.”

This is also a good moment to set your personal difficulty score. If your site is weaker than what’s ranking, bump the difficulty up. If results look beatable, keep it close to the tool KD.

For more general structure on keyword evaluation and analysis, Semrush has a good overview you can compare your process against: Keyword Analysis: What It Is & How to Do It.

Pick the best “first wave” keywords and turn them into a plan

After scoring and SERP checks, choose a first wave of 10 to 20 keywords. That’s enough to build momentum without scattering your focus.

A clean way to sort them:

• Quick wins: lower KD, clear intent, beatable SERP. These should ship first.
• Strategic bets: medium KD, high business value, still realistic with strong content.
• Authority builders: supporting long-tail posts that feed internal relevance for your bigger targets.

Two rules keep the plan from getting messy:

1. Map one keyword to one page. If two pages target the same main keyword, they’ll compete and both can underperform.
2. Set a review cadence. Check rankings monthly, then refresh content quarterly (especially if SERPs shift or AI features appear).

Treat your first wave like a season of episodes, not random singles. Related topics published close together tend to lift each other.

Conclusion

Keyword prioritization gets easier when you stop chasing “the best keyword” and start choosing the best next bet. Focus on two things: difficulty (can you beat page one) and potential (will ranking help your business, not just your traffic chart).

Use a simple scoring method that blends business relevance and rankability, then confirm the truth with a fast SERP check before you write. Tool scores are useful, but the results page is the final judge.

Build a spreadsheet today, score your top 50 keyword ideas, and pick the first 10 to publish. After that first wave, the data from your own rankings will teach you what your site can handle, and your future keyword picks will get sharper fast.