592000 Semrush Launches Upgraded Keyword Difficulty Metric

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Semrush Launches Upgraded Keyword Difficulty Metric

May 25, 2021
Semrush Launches Upgraded Keyword Difficulty Metric
As of today, the new and improved keyword difficulty (KD%) metric is available across all of Semrush. 
We’ve collected feedback from you over the years and have now re-imagined the formula that calculates KD% for the keywords in our database. Read the details here.
The formula now takes into account many more factors that contribute to SEO difficulty, including the following parameters.
ParameterWeight Share
Median # of referring domains for ranking URLs41.22%
Median Authority Score for ranking domains16.99%
Search volume9.47%
Median follow/no-follow ratio for ranking URLs9.17%
Featured snippet4.74%
Instant answer4.07%
Branded keyword3.50%
Local pack3.39%
Knowledge panel2.71%
Top stories2.03%
People also ask1.36%
Site links1.36%
Word count in keyword-2.24%
No SERP features-8.59%
The result is a more accurate KD metric that will report fewer 0s and more consistent scores across global regions, local keywords, and long tail keywords than any other solution on the market. 
You’ll see that the interface got a slight upgrade as well, as KD scores will be highlighted by a corresponding color to help you scan for quick insights. 
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The full list of Semrush reports where you’ll see keyword difficulty includes:

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