What Is A Good SEO Score? Audit & Grade SEO Correctly

In SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by msj48410 Comments

Last Updated on May 22, 2020 by msj484

Too Long Didn’t Read (TLDR) Version: In the below article, you’ll learn that although many businesses and individuals are interested in their “SEO score” the truth is that such a “score” does not exist. That said, we’ll explain some of the reasons how and why it’s important to understand how your website measures up to your competitors from an SEO perspective. Once you understand the differences between your site and other sites ranking for/targeting the same keywords you are, it’s much easier to know which SEO strategy you should use to improve your ranking, traffic, and business opportunities (if that’s important to you). If you would like to know how the Nomvo team can help you with anything mentioned above or below in this article, please contact us here.

This is a question that many companies ask us, but when they are asked why this question is important to them… most of them respond by asking a follow-up question of something along the lines of: “I’m not really sure, but I heard it was important”. The truth of the matter is this… answering a question like “what is a good SEO score?” can be substantial, but it’s probably not nearly as important as people make it out to be. In all honesty, there are so many other aspects of understanding SEO and implementing a successful strategy that answering a question like this becomes almost irrelevant… most of the time.

Learn how to produce excellent SEO results, not just what your SEO score is.

Source: academichelp.net

Why do we say that? The reason is this; there isn’t a number or score that is shared publicaly that means anything to a search engine that will allow a person to compare the score of one website to another. What the means is, if a search engine like Google is ranking the #1 website for a keyword like “best leather office chair” because it’s score is 73, the #2 site is 68, and the #3 site is 61… there is no way any business or digital marketer could come close to identifying those numbers for each of those sites. Additionally, we’re not suggesting that Google scores websites in that way, but it’s just to prove how relative answering such a question is.

With that said, is there some type of scoring that can be used to figure out how a website measures up to high ranking competitors for their target keywords? Yes. There is software available that will apply a score to things like on-page aspects of a web page; things like the target keyword usage in page elements like the page title, meta description, header tags used, image alt and title tags, bold text, italicized text, etc. From there the software might compare the elements of those websites vs that of the target website that the digital marketer is trying to promote using SEO, and from there it will provide a “score”.

Source: motherjones.com

Source: motherjones.com

Also, there are other software programs and online services that compare the backlinks of a website, social mentions and signals one website has vs another, or even technical aspects of a site like the number of errors on a particular page, how fast pages load, the number of internal links, etc. The point is this… there are lots of ways to compare one website to another to come up with a score, but determining what a good SEO score is is not something that’s possible due to what’s mentioned above.

Now that we have that out of the way, what can we do with this type of scoring and analysis?

1) You Can Compare SEO Elements Of Your Target/Business Website Vs Your SEO Competitors

Source: robcubbon.robcubbonltd.netdna-cdn.com

Source: robcubbon.robcubbonltd.netdna-cdn.com

By doing this kind of comparison, you can see what separates you from your competitors that are getting the bulk of the organic traffic in your industry by ranking well for the keywords your target audience is using to find your products and/or services. From there, you can get a sense of not only what you might need to do differently, but it can also help determine whether or not you’re in a position to do so; or if you should outsource your SEO campaign.

2) You Can Get A Sense Of What Successful SEO Competitors Are Doing Right

Once you see some of the clear indicators as to why your competitors are ranking so well, you can create a strategy that will focus on those things. Maybe one of your competitors has a lot more relevant backlinks than you do on your website… from there you can look into a high-quality backlink strategy. Possibly one of your other SEO competitors has a lot of shares, likes, mentions, favorites, etc on some of the most popular social media platforms. From there you can determine how to engage your target audience there; keeping in mind that these social signals have been proven to be an impactful SEO ranking signal.

3) You Can See What Your SEO Competitors Are Doing Wrong

Source: searchengineland.com

Source: searchengineland.com

In just about any type of competition, there are always benefits to getting a sense of your opponent’s weaknesses; it’s no different when it comes to SEO strategies. Maybe none of the high ranking websites are providing useful content to your target audience. Could you consider getting a content marketing strategy in place where you create unique and valuable content that can be published on your website, or maybe there is room for you to create videos that will help increase your brand awareness?

4) You Can Use This “What Is A Good SEO Score” Data To Identify Non-Competitive Keywords

This is by far one of the most valuable benefits to getting a sense of how you measure up to your competitors and getting a sense of how and why they’re ranking. There are times that you can find groups of keywords where all of the websites ranking high aren’t implementing any of the most impactful tactics that are used for search engine optimization. In cases like that, it’s an excellent opportunity to be the first business to do so. As a result, you can find yourself ranking for large groups of keywords that competitors may have paid no attention to.

Source: halocapitalgroup.com

Source: halocapitalgroup.com

SEO Advice You Shouldn’t Ignore… don’t spend your time trying to find your “SEO score” while ignoring things like backlinks, the speed of your webpages, etc.

Instead, apply the 4 things above and you’ll be so busy with new business opportunities and visitors on your company website… you won’t have time ask questions like this. We don’t mean to be offensive, but we want to make sure that you make the best use of your time while trying to succeed with SEO.

If there is something related to this topic that we haven’t addressed, if we’ve created more questions in your mind… as always, feel free to reach out to us and let us know. Nomvo!

 

SEO Score Related FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions):

SEO score – how do you check it?

Many people search Google for phrases like “check SEO score” despite the fact that no such score exists. Yes there are platforms out there that advertise having a SEO checker, and in some cases they offer a free trial… but that does not mean that they do a good job of scoring or providing a useful SEO audit for your site. Instead, focus on improving areas of your site after doing a search engine optimization website analysis that works with the following areas of a page:

  • Page Meta Title
    • Article title applies as well
  • Page Meta Description
  • Page Meta Keywords
    • Sadly far too many people ignore this due to Google saying it’s not used for SEO purposes any longer. Those that believe and/or say that, ask them the last time they’ve TESTED whether or not this is true. We here at Nomvo have and do, and thus recommend doing this if you want to improve where you rank in the Google search results.
  • Keyword Usage Within Content
  • Header Tags
    • H1
    • H2
    • H3
    • etc
  • Bold Text
  • RELEVANT External Links
  • RELEVANT Internal Links

Learn more about SEO best practices from sites like:

SearchEngineLandFacebookTwitterLinkedInInstagramYouTube

SearchEngineJournalFacebookTwitterLinkedInInstagramYouTube

How can I improve my SEO score?

Being focused on improving your SEO score in 2020 and beyond is not something that is possible nor is it of value if you’re concerned about ranking in search engines like Google. Yes there are very expensive tools out there, some of which offer a limited-time free trial, that suggest that your website might have a low SEO score after their tool does a website analysis of your site. However, if you’re looking for ways to improve how high your website ranks in the search results for important and relevant keywords to your site, this type of SEO audit tool that provides a score is NOT what you should be concerned about.

As you continue to read articles like this here at Nomvo.com, be sure to compare EVERYTHING we say with what actually works for sites RANKING IN GOOGLE. Don’t compare what we say vs what other people or companies offer that are more concerned with your buying their SEO guides & tutorials, SEO analyzer (aka SEO checker) software… even if they’re encouraging you to “start your free trial today!” That way, you’ll make sure that whatever improvements you make your website’s SEO after doing an audit report for your site… you’ll see the results you want with ease. It’s important to always remember that when analyzing your SEO performance and metrics, you make sure the first step is to focus on the things that matter like site speed, the anchor text for your backlinks, and identifying your progress for the target URL by making sure your track keyword ranking performance.

How do you analyze SEO performance?

Beyond checking organic traffic and rankings in search engines, a website analysis is one of the best ways to analyze SEO performance. Whether or not that is done manually or using an analysis tool, doing an SEO analysis of your site is a great way to make sure your site is in line for success using effective and common SEO strategies. In addition to that, when keeping an eye on your site performance as it relates to search engine optimization… one of the best ways to do that is to be aware of and fix SEO errors, make important improvements as you optimize your website, don’t ignore the important on-going action of SEO monitoring, and periodically investing in an SEO audit report.

While giving this the attention it deserves using an SEO checker tool, be sure to not only focus on things like pricing, making sure it’s available in your preferred language (these days they’re usually in English), and that it is hosted on an easy to use website. In addition to those things, you’ll make to make sure there are no limitations on how often the SEO analyzer can be run; believe it not, lots of them place limits on how often and how many times you can instantly review your website SEO. Finally, understand that putting in your website and target keywords remove any privacy you’re hoping to have for your website, industry, and successful SEO strategies. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t trust a website analysis tool, but going in you should be aware of these things that are easy to overlook.

How do I know if my website is SEO friendly?

Check the SEO website performance and success by doing a detailed SEO analysis. Whether that means you should contact SEO companies that offer an audit that checks their clients’ website’s SEO, using a backlink checker to identify quality vs toxic backlinks, as well as the overall SEO progress if the site in question… you should consider doing this to quickly learn how SEO friendly your website is.

If you decide to use some kind of tool or “SEO checker” keep in mind that everything the SEO analyzer tells you to fix in order to increase your rankings will not always be in your best interest. Remember that many of these tools and companies are more concerned about selling their product and service than they are the specific success and online visibility that your website has. The point is, make sure that you’re looking out for yourself and the success you’ll have with search engine optimization rather than expecting or hoping that someone else will.

How do I test my website for SEO?

To test how good the SEO is for your website… take a look at your website’s organic traffic, as well as the rankings in the search engines your site has for keywords important to your business. Many people are looking for an explanation of how scoring a website works for SEO… but that isn’t accurate, necessary, or even possible.

What is a good SEO score?

SEO scoring is one of the most confusing elements of Search Engine Optimization that people look for but that is completely useless. In years past, search engines like Google provided a “score” by way of page rank, but that rank is no longer shared with the public. Aside from that, there are a number of SEO tools on the marketing the create/use a scoring system for different websites… but a commonly overlooked fact is that no matter how high or low your score might be on these platforms… it’s not often an accurate indicator of how well SEO is doing for the website in question.

What SEO ranking?

Comments

    1. Author

      Thanks for your comment.

      Regarding your comment about a good SEO score being 80, that’s based on what criteria and measurement?

  1. It is a very helpful post for us. We will do it increased for visitors to our website.

    1. Author

      We hope it helps! If you have any questions along the way, be sure to let us know.

  2. How does one go about applying the four steps you mentioned above, and what is the cost involved in doing so?

    1. Author

      Great question Scott.

      The way you apply what’s been mentioned here, as well as the budget, depends on a variety of factors that are unique to each website and each SEO strategy. With that said, feel free to contact us with more information about your specific circumstances, and we’d be happy to help.

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