What is Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR)?
The Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) is a long-tail keyword formula: divide the number of Google results with the phrase in their title (allintitle) by the monthly search volume. If the ratio is under 0.25 and volume is below 250/month, the keyword is "golden" — usually rankable inside 30 days.
KGR formula and worked example
KGR = allintitle results ÷ monthly search volume
1. Check the volume
KGR only applies below 250 monthly searches — above that, use keyword difficulty instead.
2. Get the allintitle count
Search allintitle:"your exact phrase" on Google and read the results count shown.
3. Divide
allintitle results ÷ monthly volume = KGR.
Worked example
"how to disavow toxic backlinks in 2026" has ~110 monthly searches and 18 allintitle results. KGR = 18 ÷ 110 = 0.16.
| Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Under 0.25 | Golden — usually rankable within 30 days, minimal title competition. |
| 0.25 – 1.0 | Okay — some competition, still worth targeting if the intent fits your offer. |
| Above 1.0 | Hard — more exact-title competitors than there is demand; find a longer variant. |
How Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR) works
- Formula: KGR = allintitle results ÷ monthly search volume. Under 0.25 = golden.
- Volume must be under 250/month — above that the SERP is too competed for the shortcut to work.
- Get allintitle counts by searching `allintitle:"your exact phrase"` on Google and reading the results count.
- KGR-winning keywords are usually 4-8 words long — question phrases, "how to" long-tails, and comparison queries dominate.
- A KGR win typically ranks page 1 within 4-8 weeks with a single 800-1200 word article — no backlinks needed.
Example
"how to disavow toxic backlinks in 2026" has ~110 monthly searches and only 18 allintitle results. KGR = 18 ÷ 110 = 0.16 — well under 0.25, so ranking is realistic even for a new domain.
Run it on your own keyword
Get a live difficulty score built from the authority of the pages ranking today.
Score this keyword nowFrequently asked questions about Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR)
Who invented the Keyword Golden Ratio?
The formula was popularised by Doug Cunnington in 2017 as a fast way for new affiliate sites to find winnable long-tail keywords without waiting years to build authority.
Does KGR still work in 2026?
Yes — but with more variance. AI Overviews now trigger on some KGR queries and can suppress organic clicks. Still the fastest known method to prove new-site ranking traction.
How do I find KGR keywords at scale?
Pull long-tail seeds from Semrush or LemRank, filter to volume 25-250, then batch-check allintitle counts. LemRank's KGR view does the ratio math automatically.
Related terms
Keyword Difficulty
Keyword difficulty is a 0-100 score estimating how hard it will be to rank in Google's top 10 for a given query. It blends the authority of the sites already ranking, backlink strength, on-page depth, and SERP-feature crowding into a single number.
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are specific, multi-word search queries — usually 4+ words — with lower individual search volume but sharper intent and less competition. Collectively they drive 70%+ of all Google searches and convert at 2-5x the rate of head terms.
Search Volume
Search volume is the estimated number of times a keyword is searched per month, usually reported per country. Most tools derive it from clickstream panels + Google Ads Keyword Planner, so the number is a smoothed estimate — treat it as a band, not a precise count.
SERP
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page — the page Google (or Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) returns after a query. Modern SERPs mix classic blue links with AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image packs, videos, and shopping carousels.