Paste your blog post or article and get an instant audit against 8 key SEO criteria — word count, readability, keyword balance, structure and passive voice.
Paste text above, then click Audit
The SEO Readiness checker audits your content against eight criteria that correlate with search engine ranking performance. Each check targets a specific quality signal that modern search algorithms evaluate when deciding how to rank a page. Passing all eight checks does not guarantee a first-page ranking — no tool can promise that — but failing multiple checks almost always means your content has structural issues that are holding it back.
Posts under 300 words rarely rank for anything competitive. This is not an arbitrary threshold — shorter content simply cannot cover a topic thoroughly enough to satisfy search intent. Posts between 800 and 1,500 words are the sweet spot for most topics. Longer is not always better, but thin content is consistently penalised.
Search engines use paragraph breaks as structural signals. A wall of unbroken text is harder for both readers and algorithms to parse. Three or more paragraphs indicates that the content has structure and covers multiple aspects of the topic.
This check catches content that is technically long enough in word count but consists of very few, very long sentences — which signals poor readability. Five or more sentences indicates that the content has been broken into digestible units.
The Flesch Reading Ease score measures how easy your text is to read based on sentence length and syllable count. A score of 50 or above means the content is accessible to general audiences. Content that is difficult to read tends to have higher bounce rates, which negatively affects rankings over time. For most online content, aim for 60 or above.
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level estimates what US school grade is needed to understand your text. A score of 12 or below means the content is accessible to most adult readers. Academic and technical content may legitimately score higher, but for blog posts and general web content, keeping the grade level under 12 ensures broad accessibility.
If any single word appears in more than 5% of your total word count, it may trigger keyword stuffing signals in search algorithms. This check ensures your content uses natural language rather than artificially repeating a target keyword. For short texts under 300 words, the threshold is relaxed to 10% since a small word count naturally produces higher densities.
Passive voice makes writing longer, less direct, and harder to read. While occasional passive voice is fine, more than three instances in a single piece suggests habitual use that is likely hurting readability. Use the Passive Voice Detector to find and fix specific instances.
Modern search algorithms are sophisticated enough to measure how people behave on your page. If readers land on your post and leave immediately, that signals poor content quality. If they stay, scroll and read, that signals value. The best SEO strategy is the same as the best writing strategy: write something genuinely useful, clearly and accessibly.
Keep sentences under 20 words on average. Use short paragraphs of 3–4 sentences for online content. Avoid jargon unless your audience expects it. Use examples and real-world illustrations. Check your readability score with the Clarity Highlighter — aim for 60 or above for general audiences.
The tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server, so it is safe to use with unpublished drafts and confidential content.
How accurate is the SEO readiness checker? The checker measures structural and readability metrics that correlate with search performance — word count, paragraph structure, Flesch scores, keyword balance, and passive voice frequency. Passing all checks does not guarantee a first-page ranking because rankings depend on many factors outside your content (backlinks, domain authority, competition). However, failing multiple checks almost always indicates content issues that are working against you.
Do I need to pass all 8 checks for my content to rank? No. Some checks, like passive voice count, are guidance rather than hard rules — academic or scientific content may legitimately have more passive constructions. The most important checks are word count (300+ minimum), readability (Flesch 50+), and paragraph structure (3+ paragraphs). If you pass those three, your content has a solid structural foundation.
How is the Flesch readability score calculated? The Flesch Reading Ease formula uses average sentence length and average syllables per word: 206.835 − (1.015 × average sentence length) − (84.6 × average syllables per word). The result is a score from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean the text is easier to read. The SEO readiness checker scores 50+ as passing, which corresponds to text that a general audience can read without difficulty.
For a detailed walkthrough with more examples, see our guide How to Write a Blog Post for SEO.