How to Score 100: Complete SEO & Schema Scoring Guide

1. How to Get a Perfect SEO Score

SEObolt analyzes your content with 24 checks to calculate your SEO score. Each check has a weight — pass it fully for 100% of points, partial pass for 50%, or fail for 0%. Your final score is (earned points / total possible points) x 100.

Score Ranges

Quick Wins: Start Here

These 5 checks carry the most weight. Fix these first for the biggest score boost:

Focus Keyword Checks (~40 points)

These checks measure how well you've optimized for your target keyword.

1. Focus Keyword Set (5 pts)

What it checks: Is a focus keyword entered?

How to pass: Enter any keyword in the "Focus Keyword" field. This is the foundation — without it, keyword-related checks can't run.

2. Keyword in Title (10 pts)

What it checks: Does your SEO title contain the focus keyword?

How to pass: Include your exact focus keyword somewhere in the SEO title.

• Good title: Best Running Shoes for Beginners in 2026
• Bad title: Top Footwear for Runners (keyword missing)

3. Keyword in Meta Description (8 pts)

What it checks: Does your meta description contain the focus keyword?

How to pass: Naturally include your focus keyword in the meta description.

4. Keyword in URL (6 pts)

What it checks: Does your post slug contain the focus keyword?

How to pass: Edit your permalink to include the keyword (hyphens replace spaces).

• Good URL: yoursite.com/best-running-shoes/
• Bad URL: yoursite.com/post-12345/

5. Keyword in First Paragraph (7 pts)

What it checks: Does your focus keyword appear in the first paragraph or first 500 characters?

How to pass: Mention your focus keyword early — ideally in your opening sentence. Search engines give extra weight to content that establishes relevance immediately.

6. Keyword in Content (8 pts)

What it checks: Does your focus keyword appear at least 3 times in the body content?

How to pass: Use your focus keyword naturally throughout your content. Don't force it — write for humans first.

7. Keyword Density (6 pts)

What it checks: Is keyword usage between 0.5% and 2.5% of total words?

How to pass:

• Too low (<0.5%): Add more natural mentions of your keyword
• Too high (>2.5%): You're keyword stuffing — remove some instances

Formula: (keyword count x 100) / total words = density %

8. Keyword at Beginning of Title (4 pts)

What it checks: Is your focus keyword in the first half of the title?

How to pass: Front-load your keyword when possible.

• Better: Best Running Shoes: 2026 Buyer's Guide
• Okay: 2026 Buyer's Guide to Best Running Shoes

9. Keyword in Headings (5 pts)

What it checks: Does your focus keyword appear in any H1–H6 heading?

How to pass: Include your keyword in at least one subheading (H2, H3, etc.).

10. Keyword in Subheadings (4 pts)

What it checks: Does your focus keyword appear specifically in H2–H6 tags?

How to pass: Use your keyword in section headings where it makes sense naturally.

Meta & Title Optimization (~23 points)

11. SEO Title Length (7 pts)

What it checks: Is your title between 30–60 characters?

How to pass:

• Too short (<30): Add more descriptive words
• Too long (>60): Trim it — Google truncates long titles

12. Meta Description Length (8 pts)

What it checks: Is your meta description between 120–160 characters?

How to pass:

• Too short: Expand with benefits or a call-to-action
• Too long: Google will cut it off — trim the fluff

Ideal: 150–155 characters hits the sweet spot.

13. URL Length (3 pts)

What it checks: Is your slug 75 characters or fewer?

How to pass: Keep URLs short and descriptive. Remove stop words like "and," "the," "a."

Content Quality (~22 points)

14. Content Length (10 pts)

What it checks: Does your content have at least 600 words?

How to pass: Write comprehensive content. If you're under 600 words, ask yourself: "What questions haven't I answered?"

15. Heading Structure (5 pts)

What it checks: Do you have proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)?

How to pass:

• Use only ONE H1 (usually your post title)
• Use H2s for main sections
• Use H3s for subsections within H2s
• Don't skip levels (H1 → H3 without H2)

16. Subheading Distribution (4 pts)

What it checks: Do you have at least one H2–H6 heading per 300 words?

How to pass: Break up long content with section headings. If you have 900 words, you need at least 3 subheadings.

17. Featured Image (4 pts)

What it checks: Does the post have a featured image set?

How to pass: Add a featured image in the post editor sidebar. Every post should have one.

Link Building (~13 points)

18. Internal Links (6 pts)

What it checks: Does your content have at least 3 internal links?

How to pass: Link to other relevant pages on your site. This helps users find related content, helps search engines understand site structure, and distributes page authority.

19. External Links (4 pts)

What it checks: Does your content have at least 1 external link?

How to pass: Link to authoritative sources that support your content. This builds trust with readers and search engines.

20. Outbound Links (3 pts)

What it checks: Do you have at least 1 dofollow outbound link?

How to pass: Make sure at least one external link doesn't have rel="nofollow". Linking out shows you're part of the web ecosystem.

Readability (~17 points)

These checks ensure your content is easy to read.

21. Paragraph Length (3 pts)

What it checks: Are all paragraphs under 150 words?

How to pass: Break up long paragraphs. On the web, shorter paragraphs (2–4 sentences) are easier to scan.

22. Sentence Length (3 pts)

What it checks: Are fewer than 25% of sentences over 20 words?

How to pass: Vary your sentence length. If a sentence feels long, split it in two.

23. Passive Voice (3 pts)

What it checks: Is passive voice used in fewer than 10% of sentences?

How to pass: Write in active voice.

• Passive: The ball was thrown by John.
• Active: John threw the ball.

Scoring: <10% passive = Good | 10–20% = Fair | >20% = Poor

24. Transition Words (3 pts)

What it checks: Do at least 30% of sentences contain transition words?

How to pass: Use words like: however, therefore, additionally, for example, in contrast, as a result, furthermore, meanwhile.

25. Sentence Variety (2 pts)

What it checks: Do consecutive sentences start with different words?

How to pass: Vary your sentence beginnings. Don't start three sentences in a row with "The" or "This."

Image Optimization (~5 points)

26. Images Have ALT Text (5 pts)

What it checks: Do all images have ALT attributes, with your keyword in at least one?

How to pass:

1. Add ALT text to every image
2. Include your focus keyword in at least one ALT tag (naturally)

• Good: alt="Best running shoes Nike Air Zoom"
• Bad: alt="" or alt="IMG_1234"

SEO Score Quick Checklist

• Focus keyword entered
• Keyword in SEO title (near the beginning)
• Keyword in meta description (120–160 characters)
• Keyword in URL slug
• Keyword in first paragraph
• Keyword used 3+ times in body content
• Keyword density between 0.5%–2.5%
• Keyword in at least one subheading
• SEO title between 30–60 characters
• URL slug under 75 characters
• Content at least 600 words
• Proper heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Subheading every 300 words
• Featured image set
• 3+ internal links
• 1+ external link (dofollow)
• Short paragraphs (<150 words)
• Varied sentence length
• Active voice (<10% passive)
• 30%+ sentences with transition words
• All images have ALT text with keyword

2. How to Get a Perfect Schema Score

Schema markup (structured data) helps search engines understand your content and can unlock rich results like star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, and recipe cards. SEObolt analyzes your schema with 11 checks.

Score Ranges

Quick Wins: Start Here

These 2 checks are worth 35 points combined — over a third of your score:

Core Schema Checks (~45 points)

1. Schema Present (15 pts)

What it checks: Is there at least one schema type on this page?

How to pass:

1. Go to the Schema tab in the SEO panel
2. Select a schema type (Article, LocalBusiness, Product, etc.)
3. Save

Just having schema markup gets you 15 points.

2. Schema Type Set (10 pts)

What it checks: Have you explicitly chosen a schema type (not left on "Auto")?

How to pass: Select a specific schema type from the dropdown rather than relying on auto-detection. Explicitly set schema ensures the right markup for your content.

3. Required Properties Valid (20 pts)

What it checks: Are all required properties filled in without validation errors?

How to pass: Each schema type has required fields. Fill them all in correctly.

Scoring: 0 errors = Good (20 pts) | 1–2 errors = Fair (10 pts) | 3+ errors = Poor (0 pts)

4. Recommended Properties (10 pts)

What it checks: Have you filled in the recommended (optional but valuable) properties?

How to pass: Go beyond the minimum. For example, an Article's required fields are headline, author, and datePublished, but the recommended fields include description, publisher, dateModified, and articleSection.

Scoring: 0–2 missing = Good (10 pts) | 3–4 missing = Fair (5 pts) | 5+ missing = Poor (0 pts)

Rich Result Optimization (~25 points)

5. Image in Schema (10 pts)

What it checks: Does your schema include an image or thumbnailUrl property?

How to pass: Add an image to your schema. Google strongly prefers content with visuals for rich results.

6. Rich Result Eligible (10 pts)

What it checks: Is your schema type one that Google shows as a rich result?

How to pass: Use one of the eligible schema types listed in the recommendation table below.

7. Breadcrumb Schema (5 pts)

What it checks: Are breadcrumbs enabled in SEObolt settings?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Breadcrumbs
2. Enable breadcrumbs
3. Add the breadcrumb shortcode or widget to your theme

Breadcrumb schema shows your site hierarchy in search results: yoursite.com › Category › Page

Entity & Metadata (~20 points)

8. Author/Publisher (10 pts)

What it checks: Does your schema define author AND/OR publisher?

How to pass: Fill in the author and publisher fields for Article-type schema. Set default author/publisher in SEObolt → Settings → Schema to auto-populate these.

Scoring: Both defined = Good (10 pts) | One defined = Fair (5 pts) | Neither = Poor (0 pts)

9. Date Properties (5 pts)

What it checks: Does your schema include both datePublished AND dateModified?

How to pass: Include both dates. SEObolt auto-populates these using %date_published% and %date_modified% variables. Google uses these to show "Updated: [date]" in search results.

10. @id Entity Linking (5 pts)

What it checks: Does your schema include an @id property?

How to pass: Add an @id field to your schema to create a unique identifier that helps search engines connect related schema across your site.

Contextual Checks (~10 points)

11. Contact/About Page Optimization (10 pts)

What it checks: If this is your Contact or About page, does it have appropriate schema and content? This check only runs on pages you've designated as Contact or About pages in Settings.

For Contact pages (4 sub-checks):

• Has ContactPage or LocalBusiness schema
• Contains a map or address
• Contains phone number
• Contains contact form or email

For About pages (2 sub-checks):

• Has AboutPage or Organization schema
• Contains organization/personal info

Choosing the Right Schema Type

Testing Your Schema

After saving your schema, validate it with these tools:

Schema Score Quick Checklist

• Schema module enabled
• Specific schema type selected (not "Auto Detect")
• All required properties filled in
• Recommended properties filled in
• Image included in schema
• Author and publisher info configured
• datePublished and dateModified set
• @id entity linking added
• Breadcrumbs enabled
• Using a rich result eligible type when applicable
• Contact/About pages have appropriate schema
• Tested with Google Rich Results Test

3. How to Get Perfect Local SEO Health

The Local SEO Health score measures how completely you've configured your local business information. This is a site-wide score, not a per-page score. All settings are configured in SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO.

1. Business Address (10 pts)

What it checks: Is your complete business address filled in?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO
2. In the Address section, fill in: Street Address, City, and State/Province
3. All three fields must be filled to pass

2. Geo Coordinates (10 pts)

What it checks: Are valid latitude/longitude coordinates set?

How to pass:

1. Go to Google Maps
2. Right-click your business location and click the coordinates to copy them
3. Enter them in the Geo Coordinates field as: 40.7128, -74.0060

3. Google Maps API Key (10 pts)

What it checks: Is a Google Maps API key configured?

How to pass:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a project and enable the Maps JavaScript API
3. Create an API key
4. Paste it in SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Google Maps API Key

4. About Page Assigned (10 pts)

What it checks: Is a valid About page assigned?

How to pass:

1. Create an About page if you don't have one
2. Make sure it's published (not draft)
3. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Schema Output
4. Select your About page from the dropdown

5. Contact Page Assigned (10 pts)

What it checks: Is a valid Contact page assigned?

How to pass:

1. Create a Contact page if you don't have one
2. Make sure it's published (not draft)
3. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Schema Output
4. Select your Contact page from the dropdown

6. Opening Hours (5 pts)

What it checks: Are business hours configured?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Opening Hours
2. Check at least one day as "open"
3. Set the opening and closing times

7. Logo Uploaded (5 pts)

What it checks: Is a business logo uploaded?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Entity Type
2. Click Select Logo
3. Upload or choose an image from your media library

Recommended: Square image, minimum 112x112 pixels, PNG or JPG format.

8. Social Profiles — 3+ (5 pts)

What it checks: Are at least 3 social media profiles configured?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Social Profiles
2. Fill in at least 3 of: Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube
3. Enter the full URL, e.g. https://facebook.com/yourbusiness

9. Phone Number (5 pts)

What it checks: Is at least one phone number configured?

How to pass:

1. Go to SEObolt → Settings → Local SEO → Contact Information
2. Add a phone number and select a type (Main, Customer Service, etc.)
3. Enter the number in international format: +1 555-123-4567

10. KML Sitemap Active (5 pts)

What it checks: Is the KML sitemap enabled?

How to pass: This automatically passes when you have valid geo coordinates (check #2) and a business name filled in. The KML sitemap will be available at: yoursite.com/locations.kml

Local SEO Health Quick Checklist

• Street address, city, and state filled in
• Geo coordinates added (valid lat/lng)
• Google Maps API key configured
• About page created and assigned
• Contact page created and assigned
• At least 1 day of opening hours set
• Logo uploaded (112x112px minimum)
• 3+ social profile URLs added
• Phone number added
• Business name filled in (enables KML sitemap)

4. Troubleshooting

SEO Score Issues

"I did everything but I'm stuck at 95"

Check your readability scores. The readability checks (paragraph length, passive voice, transition words, sentence variety) total 17 points. They're small individually but add up. Run your content through and look for:

• Long paragraphs (over 150 words)
• Passive voice (over 10% of sentences)
• Missing transition words (under 30% of sentences)

"My keyword density is too high"

You're over 2.5%. Solutions:

• Use synonyms and variations
• Remove forced keyword mentions
• Let it flow naturally — Google understands context

"Content length is green but I'm missing points"

Content length is just one check. Make sure you also have:

• Proper heading structure
• Internal links (3+)
• A featured image

"I can't hit 100 and that's okay"

A score of 85–95 is excellent for most content. Some checks (like transition words or passive voice) are harder for certain content types. Focus on the high-weight items first.

Schema Score Issues

"Schema Present but score is low"

Having schema isn't enough. Check:

• Are required properties filled in?
• Did you add an image?
• Are author and dates set?

"Required Properties shows errors"

Click the error to see which field is missing or invalid. Common issues:

• Empty required fields
• Invalid URL format
• Missing nested properties (like address for LocalBusiness)

"Not seeing rich results in Google"

Rich results aren't guaranteed. Google chooses whether to display them based on content quality, schema accuracy, site authority, and search query relevance. Give it time — it can take days to weeks for Google to process schema changes.

"Score varies between pages"

That's normal. The Contact/About check (10 pts) only runs on those specific pages. Other pages have a different maximum possible score, so the percentage calculation adjusts accordingly.

Local SEO Health Issues

"Schema not analyzed" message

Click the Analyze Schema button in the post editor to run the analysis.

Score not updating after changes

1. Save your post or settings page
2. Click Analyze Schema or Analyze Content again
3. For Local SEO Health, click the Recalculate button

About/Contact page showing as "not assigned"

• Make sure the page is published, not a draft
• Re-select the page in Local SEO settings and save

Low score despite filling everything

• Check for validation errors in the Schema tab
• Ensure images are properly attached (not just URLs)
• Verify your site URL is correct in WordPress Settings → General

5. Related Guides

• Meta Tags & Social Guide — Optimize title tags and meta descriptions for search and social sharing
• Image SEO Guide — ALT text, compression, and image optimization best practices
• Breadcrumbs Guide — Set up breadcrumb navigation and schema markup
• WooCommerce SEO Guide — Product schema, structured data, and e-commerce optimization