What the readability and SEO score checker measures
Two things decide whether a page works. People have to be able to read it, and search engines have to be able to understand it. This tool measures both from the text alone.
For readability it reports Flesch reading ease and the school grade needed to follow the text, plus the average sentence length and the share of passive sentences. For search it runs a set of weighted checks on the title, the headings, the length, the keyword and the links, and rolls them into one score from 0 to 100.
How to check your text
Paste your draft into the box and say whether it is plain text, Markdown or HTML. The results appear below as you type.
- Add a target keyword if you have one. Without it the keyword checks are left out rather than failed.
- Add a page title and a meta description if you want those checked too.
- Work through the fixes in order. The most serious are listed first, with a note on what to do.
- Open the outline to see whether the headings tell the story on their own.
How to read the scores
A reading ease score between 60 and 70 is plain English that most adults follow easily. Lower scores suit specialist readers. A grade level near 8 is a safe aim for the public web.
The SEO score is the weighted share of the checks that passed. It is a guide to what to fix, not a prediction of rank. Some checks describe a published page, such as the URL slug and the share image, so this tool leaves them out and says which ones it skipped.
Limits of the checker
The tool reads only what you paste. It cannot fetch a web page, so it does not accept a URL, and it knows nothing about links to your site, page speed or how well competitors rank. Syllable counts are estimated, so reading ease can differ a little from other tools. Use the numbers to compare drafts of your own, not to judge a writer.
Frequently asked questions
Is my text uploaded when I use the readability and SEO score checker?
No. The scoring runs in your browser. Your text is never sent to a server, so it is safe to check an unpublished draft.
Why can't I enter a URL?
Fetching a page needs a server, and this tool is built to send nothing anywhere. Copy the text of the page and paste it in instead.
What is a good reading ease score?
For most web pages, 60 to 70 is a good target. It means plain English with short sentences. Technical writing often scores lower, and that is fine for expert readers.
What does the keyword do?
It switches on the keyword checks: whether the phrase is in the title, the opening paragraph and a heading, and whether it is used enough without being repeated too often.
Why are some SEO checks missing?
Checks about a published page, such as the URL slug, structured data and the share image, cannot be judged from pasted text. They are left out of the score and listed under the results.