Free keyword checker
Can I rank for this keyword?
Type a keyword and we’ll check the live Google results, the searches and the difficulty, then tell you straight whether your site can win it, and why.
Free, no sign-up. Takes about ten seconds.
What the checker tells you
More than a difficulty number
Most keyword difficulty checkers hand you a score out of 100 and leave the rest to you. A 35 means very different things on a page full of forum threads and on a page full of household names. So we look at the actual page one, the way you would if you had the time, and turn it into a verdict you can act on.
A straight verdict
Winnable, possible or hard, scored 1 to 5, with every reason behind it in plain words.
Searches and value
How many people search it each month, and what advertisers pay per click for it.
The live top 10
Who ranks today, what kind of page each one is, and how big each site is.
Where to start
The questions people also ask, and easier keywords nearby when this one is a stretch.
Add your website and we also look for it in the top 30, and compare how many sites link to yours with the typical site on page one.
How to read your result
Five levels, one clear next step
Every keyword gets a winnability score from 1 to 5. If you add your site and it already ranks, you see that instead: on page one, or at 11 to 30, which we call a quick win.
5
Very winnable
Light competition. A clear, thorough article has a strong chance of page one.
4
Winnable
A well-made article that answers the search better than today's results has a real chance.
3
Possible
You can get there with your best article and a few supporting ones around it.
2
Hard
Strong results. Win the easier keywords around it first, then come back.
1
Very hard
Page one is held by strong pages. Build up with easier keywords before you take it on.
Under the verdict you’ll find the reasons, each marked as where the score starts, something that counts in your favour, something that counts against it, or simply worth knowing. Then come the ten pages Google ranks today, with the kind of page each one is: a review or list, a guide, a product page, a shop category, a forum thread or a video. Matching the kind of page Google already prefers matters as much as the words on it.
The questions in People also ask are real ones from that search. Answer them in your article and you cover what searchers want to know next. The easier keywords nearby are searches that contain your phrase and have a lower difficulty, often the best place to start.
How the score is worked out
Computed from evidence, not guessed
No AI decides your score. It’s the same calculation RankSpiral’s content map runs on every keyword it plans, worked out from the data below.
1. Difficulty sets the start
Keyword difficulty from DataForSEO Labs, 0 to 100.
| Difficulty | Starts at |
|---|---|
| 0 to 14 | 5 of 5 |
| 15 to 29 | 4 of 5 |
| 30 to 49 | 3 of 5 |
| 50 to 69 | 2 of 5 |
| 70 to 100 | 1 of 5 |
No difficulty figure? The score starts at 3.
2. The live page one moves it
One point at a time, never below 1 or above 5.
- +
Two or more Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange or Medium threads in the top 10. Google is filling page one with discussions, a sign it lacks a great answer.
- −
An AI Overview on a search for information. Google answers part of it before anyone clicks. Searches to buy aren't marked down, because people still click through.
- −
No ordinary results in the top 10, only Google's own panels.
- 5
Your site already sits at 11 to 30. That's a quick win: improving the page you have is the fastest way onto page one.
Some things are worth knowing but don’t change the score. We count how many results sit on very big sites (over 20,000 other websites linking to them) and how many sit on small ones (under 1,000), using DataForSEO’s backlink index. Seeing small sites on page one is a good sign that a newer site can get in too. We also flag featured snippets, videos and product listings, because each one changes what a winning page looks like.
A difficulty of 0 in the data usually means there’s no figure yet, not that a keyword is easy, so we never read it as easy. When the same search exists in another word order with a real figure, we use that one and tell you so.
After the check
One keyword is a start. A whole map wins.
A winnable keyword deserves the most useful page for that search: match the kind of page Google ranks, answer the questions people also ask, and link it to the pages around it. A hard keyword is rarely a no. It’s a later, once you rank for the easier searches that feed into it.
That’s how RankSpiral works for a whole site. It maps every keyword in your niche, scores each one exactly like this checker does, groups them by what Google treats as the same search, and writes the articles for you, with your products linked inside them.
Questions people ask
Is this keyword difficulty checker really free?
Yes. You get one free check a day without signing up, with the verdict, the monthly searches, the top three results and the main reason. Add your email and we send you the full report, which also unlocks 10 full checks a month.
Where does the data come from?
Monthly searches and cost per click come from Google Ads data, and keyword difficulty from DataForSEO Labs. The top 10 is a live Google search from the country you pick, run at the moment you check. Link counts come from DataForSEO's backlink index.
How is the winnability score worked out?
Keyword difficulty sets the starting point on a 1 to 5 scale. Two or more Reddit, Quora or similar threads in the top 10 move it up, because they're a sign Google lacks a great answer. An AI Overview on an information search moves it down, and so does a page of results with no ordinary listings. If your site already sits at 11 to 30, it's a quick win. It's the same score RankSpiral's content map gives every keyword.
Do big brands in the results lower the score?
No. We count them and tell you, because it helps you plan, but the score itself comes from difficulty and what Google shows on the page. Keyword difficulty already reflects how strong the ranking pages are.
Why add my website?
So we can tell you where you stand. We check the top 30 for your site: if you're already on page one we say so, if you're at 11 to 30 it's a quick win, and we compare how many websites link to yours with the typical site on page one.
What does a difficulty of 0 mean?
In DataForSEO Labs, a 0 usually means there's no figure yet, not that the keyword is easy. We never read it as easy. When the same search exists in a different word order with a real figure, we use that one and say so; otherwise the score starts in the middle.
Which countries can I check?
55 markets and languages, from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia to Germany, France, Japan and Brazil. Countries with more than one search language, like Canada or Switzerland, are listed once per language.
What should I do with the result?
If it's winnable, write the most useful page for that search and answer the questions people also ask. If it's hard, start with the easier keywords nearby; ranking for them builds the authority the harder one needs. RankSpiral does this for a whole niche: it maps the keywords, scores every one, and writes the articles.