Keyword opportunity scores help you prioritize which keywords to target for maximum SEO impact. This guide explains how they work.
What is an Opportunity Score?
The opportunity score (0-100) indicates how valuable a keyword is for you to target, considering:
**Higher score = Better opportunity**
How Scores Are Calculated
Core Factors (Weighted)
**1. Search Volume (35% weight)**
**2. Difficulty (30% weight)**
**3. Your Current Performance (20% weight)**
**4. Competition Level (10% weight)**
**5. Business Relevance (5% weight)**
Score Ranges Explained
90-100: Excellent Opportunities
**Characteristics:**
**Action**: Prioritize immediately. These are your best quick wins.
**Expected timeline**: 1-3 months to page 1
70-89: Great Opportunities
**Characteristics:**
**Action**: Target after handling 90+ keywords or if highly relevant.
**Expected timeline**: 2-4 months to page 1
50-69: Solid Opportunities
**Characteristics:**
**Action**: Consider for long-term strategy.
**Expected timeline**: 3-6 months to page 1
30-49: Challenging Opportunities
**Characteristics:**
**Action**: Only pursue if strategically important.
**Expected timeline**: 6-12 months to page 1
0-29: Low Priority Opportunities
**Characteristics:**
**Action**: Generally avoid unless critical to business.
**Expected timeline**: 12+ months or may not rank
Using Opportunity Scores
Quick Win Strategy
Balanced Portfolio
Advanced Filtering
Combine opportunity score with:
**For new sites:**
**For established sites:**
**For enterprise:**
Factors That Increase Scores
✅ **High search volume** with reasonable difficulty
✅ **You already rank** on page 2-3
✅ **Related to existing content** you've published
✅ **Low competition** or weak competing pages
✅ **Match your site's authority level**
✅ **Long-tail variations** of keywords you rank for
Factors That Decrease Scores
❌ **Very high difficulty** relative to your site authority
❌ **Low or no search volume**
❌ **Unrelated to your content** or business
❌ **Highly competitive SERPs** (Amazon, Wikipedia, etc.)
❌ **SERP features dominate** (no space for organic results)
❌ **Keyword cannibalization** (you rank multiple pages)
Limitations of Opportunity Scores
Scores are **estimates**, not guarantees. They don't account for:
**Always use business judgment** alongside scores.
Comparing Scores Across Keywords
Opportunity scores are relative:
**Why**: Scores consider *your* site's specific situation, not absolute keyword difficulty.
When to Ignore Scores
Sometimes low-scoring keywords are worth targeting:
**Strategic importance:**
**Business priorities:**
Score Updates
Opportunity scores update:
Best Practices
✅ **Use as a guide**, not a rule
✅ **Prioritize high scores** for quick wins
✅ **Consider business goals** alongside scores
✅ **Update strategy** as scores change
✅ **Track score changes** over time
✅ **Combine with other data** (conversions, revenue potential)
❌ **Don't ignore low-score important terms**
❌ **Don't only chase high scores** (diversify)
❌ **Don't expect perfection** (they're estimates)
❌ **Don't compare across sites** (they're relative)
Measuring Success
Track how opportunity scores correlate with your results:
Use this data to refine your targeting strategy.
Next Steps
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