RULE 01
One focus keyphrase
The article targets exactly one primary keyphrase.
Weight
Automated
SEO rulebook
The 19-point SEO rulebook every article has to pass
This is the checklist a careful human editor would run before publishing. TrySEO runs it on every article it writes, scores the result from 0 to 100, and holds back anything that falls short.
Why a rulebook
AI should be held to an editor's standard
Google's spam policies target pages produced at scale mainly to manipulate rankings, with little value for the people reading them. Its guidance is just as clear that using AI is not the problem in itself: what counts is whether the content is helpful, original and made for people.
So the question is never “was this written by AI?”. It is “would a good editor have let this through?”. The rulebook turns that question into 19 checks with plain expectations, so an article is measured instead of assumed to be fine.
- 19 rules in 5 phases, each with a weight
- 17 automated checks today, 2 judgment reviews coming
- Every rule records what was expected, what the article did and how to fix it
Rulebook version 1.0
Worked example · not a real article
87
out of 100
Keyword & content strategy
100
Structure & readability
93
Keyword optimisation & placement
100
On-page technical elements
81
Media & linking
50
13 pass
3 warn
1 fail
2 skipped
34 of 39 available points = 87. The mark on the left of the ring is the 75 line: this example clears it, so it would be allowed to publish. At 74 it would wait as a draft.
Phase 1 of 5
Keyword & content strategy
Is the article aimed at one thing, and does it cover the topic around it?
4 rules Total weight 10
RULE 02
Long-tail and related terms
Between 3 and 5 related long-tail or semantic phrases woven into the article.
Weight
Automated
RULE 03
Matches search intent
The article format matches what searchers of this phrase actually want.
Weight
Judgment review — coming
RULE 04
Beats the competing pages
Closes the specific gaps left open by pages already ranking for this phrase.
Weight
Judgment review — coming
Phase 2 of 5
Structure & readability
Can a person read it without effort? Length, paragraphs, sentences, headings, voice and flow.
6 rules Total weight 14
RULE 05
Article length
At least 800 words, ideally between 1,500 and 2,500.
Weight
Automated
RULE 06
Short paragraphs
No paragraph runs longer than 3 to 4 sentences.
Weight
Automated
RULE 07
Sentence length
Average sentence length under 20 words.
Weight
Automated
RULE 08
Heading structure
Exactly one H1, H2s for sections and H3s beneath them, with a heading at least every 250 to 300 words.
Weight
Automated
RULE 09
Active voice
Passive constructions stay under 10% of sentences.
Weight
Automated
RULE 10
Transition words
At least 30% of sentences carry a transition word.
Weight
Automated
Phase 3 of 5
Keyword optimisation & placement
Is the keyphrase where search engines look for it, and does the copy still read naturally?
3 rules Total weight 8
RULE 11
Keyphrase frequency
The focus keyphrase appears roughly 3 to 5 times per 1,000 words, and reads naturally.
Weight
Automated
RULE 12
Critical placements
The focus keyphrase appears in the title, H1, first 100 words, slug, meta description, at least one H2, and an image alt.
Weight
Automated
RULE 13
Synonyms and variations
Related phrasings appear alongside the exact keyphrase, proving topical depth.
Weight
Automated
Phase 4 of 5
On-page technical elements
The parts of the page that become your search listing: title, description and URL.
3 rules Total weight 8
RULE 14
SEO title length
Under 60 characters, with the keyphrase near the front.
Weight
Automated
RULE 15
Meta description
Between 150 and 160 characters, containing the keyphrase and a reason to click.
Weight
Automated
RULE 16
URL slug
Short and descriptive, containing the keyphrase, with filler words removed.
Weight
Automated
Phase 5 of 5
Media & linking
Images, the links that tie the article to the rest of your site, and the sources it cites.
3 rules Total weight 5
RULE 17
Images and alt text
At least 3 relevant images in a long article, every one with descriptive alt text, each file under 100KB.
Weight
Automated
RULE 18
Internal links
Between 2 and 4 links to other relevant articles on the same site.
Weight
Automated
RULE 19
Outbound citations
One or two links to high-authority, non-competing sources.
Weight
Automated
Scoring
How the score is worked out
No hidden formula. Each rule is worth its weight, and the result of the check decides how much of that weight the article earns.
Pass
Full credit
The article did what the rule asks. It earns the rule's whole weight.
Warn
Half credit
Close, but not quite: a title that fits yet hides the keyphrase at the end, for example.
Fail
No credit
The rule was missed. The audit records why, and what to change.
Skipped
Left out
A rule that could not be assessed is removed from both sides of the sum, so it neither helps nor hurts.
The overall score
Points earned divided by points available, times 100, rounded. A heavier rule moves the score more than a light one.
Phase scores
The same sum is done for each of the 5 phases, so a weak area cannot hide behind a strong one.
The 75 line
Articles that score under 75 stay drafts for human review. That holds even when auto-publish is switched on.
Straight talk
What the rulebook does not pretend
- Two rules are waiting for a reviewer. “Matches search intent” and “Beats the competing pages” need judgment, not counting. That review is not built yet, so both are skipped today and left out of the score.
- Images are yours to add. TrySEO does not generate images. The images rule is there because a long article needs them, and it will keep costing points until the article has them.
- A first article has nothing to link to. Internal links point at articles you have already published in the project, so that rule only starts passing once you have some.
- A high score is not a ranking. The rulebook measures on-page quality, the part you control. Nobody can promise where Google will place a page.
Want to see where the audit sits in the whole process? Read how TrySEO works, or check the FAQ.
Put your next article through the rulebook
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