Fast SEO Growth with Query Scoring: How to Reach the Top of Google and Yandex

In the evolving world of search engine optimization, one of the biggest challenges SEO professionals face is choosing the right keywords that balance opportunity and competition. While high-volume keywords may look tempting, they are often dominated by authoritative websites and marketplaces, making them difficult targets, especially for newer websites or limited-budget campaigns.

This is where query scoring becomes a powerful tool. By using advanced keyword analysis and segmentation techniques, digital marketers can prioritize the right keywords to focus on—those that offer quick wins, less resistance, and long-term growth potential. This article explains what query scoring is, why it matters, and how it can be applied effectively for faster SEO results in both Google and Yandex.

What Is Query Competition and Why Does It Matter?

Query competition, or keyword competitiveness, reflects how difficult it is to rank in the top positions of a search engine for a specific keyword. High-competition keywords are often dominated by well-established websites, aggregators, and platforms with strong backlink profiles and high domain authority.

Several factors influence keyword competition:

• Search Intent: What the user wants to achieve—buy, learn, compare—affects the competition level.
• Niche and Industry: Finance, law, and health are typically more competitive than hobbies or niche interests.
• Region: The same query can have different competition levels in different cities. Ranking in Moscow is harder than in a smaller city like Kirov.
• Competitor Strength: If the top results consist of weak or new websites, the keyword may be easier to target.
• Page Type in SERPs: If the top results are homepages or category pages from large brands, it becomes harder to rank with an inner page or blog article.

Understanding these dynamics allows SEO professionals to assess the feasibility of ranking for a given keyword and to develop smarter strategies.

Examples of High, Medium, and Low-Competition Keywords

Let’s look at three categories of keywords based on competition level:

High-Competition Keywords

These keywords usually have high search volume and are saturated with big-name competitors like marketplaces or news portals. For example, a query like “buy TV” is extremely competitive. It’s dominated by platforms with massive SEO footprints and strong backlink profiles. Competing here is almost impossible for new sites.

Medium-Competition Keywords

These are slightly less competitive but still require solid SEO efforts. A site with some authority and optimized content can start ranking in the top 10 or even top 3 with time. An example might be “best 55-inch TV under $500,” which is more specific but still popular.

Low-Competition Keywords

These are the golden opportunities in SEO. They tend to have lower search volumes but face minimal resistance in the SERPs. Pages targeting these keywords can rank quickly, often without requiring heavy backlinks or long-term campaigns. A great example might be “outdoor waterproof speaker for kayaking.” It’s long-tail, specific, and easy to optimize for.

One of the key insights is that traffic potential from multiple low-competition keywords can often match or exceed that from a single high-competition keyword—with a fraction of the effort and cost.

Methods for Measuring Keyword Competition

SEO specialists use various methods to evaluate keyword competitiveness. Here are the most effective:

Indirect or Heuristic Methods

These involve observing several metrics to approximate difficulty:

• Total number of search results (volume of indexed pages).
• Number and strength of backlinks on top-ranking pages.
• Appearance of aggregators or marketplaces in SERPs.
• Use of formulaic approaches, such as: javascriptКопироватьРедактироватьFrequency × 1000 / Number of Competing Pages

Although not perfect, these methods offer quick insights, especially when working at scale.

Cost-Based Methods

Search engines like Google and Yandex offer advertising tools (Google Ads Keyword Planner, Yandex Direct Budget Forecast) that estimate CPC (cost per click) for different queries. The higher the CPC, the more competitive the keyword is likely to be—not just in paid search but in organic rankings too.

This method is particularly helpful in gauging the commercial value of a keyword. A low-frequency keyword with a high CPC might still be worth targeting due to strong conversion potential.

Frequency ≠ Competition

Many newcomers make the mistake of thinking that low-frequency keywords are automatically low-competition. In reality, competition is not directly tied to how often a keyword is searched. Some low-volume keywords are extremely difficult due to strong SERP saturation, while some high-volume queries are surprisingly open due to lack of focused content.

Scoring System and Keyword Prioritization

Keyword scoring is the process of assigning values or labels to keywords based on their relative difficulty and potential. It typically involves grouping queries into:

• Low-competition (green) – Ideal for fast results.
• Medium-competition (yellow) – Requires some effort but feasible.
• High-competition (red) – Long-term projects, often not worth the immediate investment.

This scoring is often visualized as a pyramid:

1. Low-competition keywords form the foundation.
2. Medium-competition queries build authority.
3. High-competition keywords are targeted once the site gains traction.

This model ensures your site builds momentum gradually without burning resources on unreachable targets.

Tools for Query Scoring

To implement query scoring, you’ll need both data and tools. A typical workflow involves:

• Collecting keyword data from search engines or tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or custom scrapers.
• Analyzing SERP structures to determine the type of sites ranking in top positions.
• Using macros or Excel scripts to classify competitors and organize the data.

For Yandex, SERP data can be exported using XML files and processed with customized Excel macros. These scripts allow automatic tagging of domains by type: aggregators, commercial sites, blogs, government sites, and so on.

You can also enrich your data by extracting:

• Domain age
• Number of indexed pages
• Estimated traffic
• Number of backlinks

The more parameters you evaluate, the more accurate your competition score becomes.

Why Manual SERP Analysis Still Matters

Despite the availability of automation tools, manual SERP analysis is still valuable. Look for signs such as:

• Outdated content in top results
• Forum posts or unoptimized blogs
• Missing schema markup
• Lack of clear search intent alignment

These gaps signal opportunities. If a keyword shows weak content in top positions, it may be ripe for targeting even if tools label it as “medium” competition.

Using Query Scoring in Content Strategy

Once you’ve scored your keywords, it’s time to map them into your content strategy:

• Use low-competition keywords to create optimized landing pages that can rank quickly.
• Assign medium-competition queries to blog posts, guides, or comparison content that builds internal linking.
• Reserve high-competition keywords for cornerstone content that supports your domain authority.

With this structure, your site grows consistently and begins to tackle tougher SERPs over time.

Tracking Progress and Re-Scoring Over Time

SERPs change. What’s easy to rank for today may be saturated in a few months. Therefore, it’s important to:

• Re-run query scoring periodically.
• Monitor SERP volatility and new entrants.
• Update your keyword prioritization accordingly.

Using Excel dashboards or scripts, you can automate some of this tracking. Tools like Power Query or Google Data Studio allow you to visualize changes over time and reallocate SEO resources where needed.

Practical Scoring Example with Yandex and Google

Imagine you’re optimizing for a plumbing supply store. You collect 6,000+ keywords and run them through a query scoring macro. The results show:

• 400 keywords with no aggregators in the top 10.
• 370 keywords where the top 3 results are commercial sites similar to yours.
• 142 keywords where your site already ranks in the top 3, suggesting further opportunity.

From this, you can:

• Build landing pages for the 400 easiest queries.
• Optimize existing content around the 370 mid-competition keywords.
• Strengthen backlink profiles or improve page speed for the 142 high-performing keywords.

This segmented strategy increases efficiency, reduces wasted effort, and drives faster growth.

The Value of Query Scoring for Paid Search

Although this article focuses on organic SEO, query scoring is also highly relevant for paid campaigns. Google Ads and Yandex Direct often show that small changes in keyword phrasing (adding synonyms or reordering words) can lead to:

• Lower cost-per-click (CPC)
• Better ad relevance scores
• Higher ROI

This overlap allows you to align your SEO and PPC strategies around the same data.

Scaling Your SEO with Data-Driven Priorities

Whether you manage a single site or multiple client projects, query scoring is scalable. You can:

• Automate data collection using APIs or scraping tools.
• Use Excel macros to speed up tagging and classification.
• Maintain keyword databases organized by industry, query type, and intent.

Over time, you’ll develop reusable templates and systems that allow faster onboarding, campaign planning, and performance tracking.

Conclusion

Query scoring is a strategic framework that enables SEO professionals to achieve fast, efficient, and sustainable results. By going beyond search volume and evaluating real competition in the SERPs, you can build smarter content strategies, save budget, and grow traffic exponentially.

Whether you’re launching a new website or optimizing an existing one, prioritizing low- and medium-competition keywords is the fastest path to SEO success. Add in periodic review cycles, structured analysis tools, and content alignment, and you’ll have a winning formula for both Google and Yandex.

As the search landscape continues to evolve, those who embrace structured, data-driven SEO strategies will always stay one step ahead.