SEOPress's content analysis tool is designed to improve on-page SEO by checking a variety of important on-page SEO elements in a given piece of content, typically for WordPress posts or pages. The tool works by analyzing the content based on one or more target keywords that the user sets, then providing a detailed checklist with indicators (red, yellow, green) that reflect how well the content performs in each SEO factor. These elements are essential to optimize for better rankings and search engine visibility. Below are the key elements checked by SEOPress's content analysis:
Focus Keyword Usage
SEOPress checks how the focus keyword or keywords are used throughout the content. This includes the presence of the keyword in the text, the density (frequency relative to total word count), and placement in strategic spots such as headings and the URL (permalink). It verifies whether the keyword appears in headings of various levels (H1, H2, etc.) to ensure proper keyword targeting in the structure.
Meta Tags
The plugin analyzes meta title and meta description tags for their presence, length, and whether they include the focus keyword. It ensures the meta title is neither too short nor too long, which helps in achieving better display in search engine results. Similarly, the meta description is checked to be optimized in length and keyword inclusion, supporting click-through rates from search engine results pages (SERPs).
HTML Tags
SEOPress verifies essential HTML tags that search engines use to understand webpage content and index it properly. These include canonical URL tags to prevent duplicate content issues by defining the preferred version of a page's URL. It also checks for meta robots tags that instruct search engine crawlers on how to index the page (whether to index or noindex, follow links or nofollow, etc.).
Content Length and Word Count
The analysis evaluates the total number of words in the content and checks for the presence of enough unique, meaningful content. Typically, content length impacts SEO, as longer, high-quality content tends to rank better. SEOPress ensures that the content is not too short and encourages users to increase word count if necessary.
Keyword Density and Distribution
This component measures how many times the focus keyword appears and compares it to the overall word count to calculate keyword density in percent. Keyword stuffing is penalized, so SEOPress will flag excessive use, while too little keyword use might result in suboptimal optimization.
Internal Linking
SEOPress checks whether the analyzed content receives inbound internal links from other pages on the website. Internal links help distribute link equity and improve the SEO value of pages. Having at least one internal link pointing to the page is considered good practice for SEO.
Social Media Meta Tags
The tool verifies the presence of social sharing meta tags such as Open Graph and Twitter cards. These tags control how the content appears when shared on social platforms, including images, titles, and descriptions optimized for social visibility and engagement.
Headings and Structure
The plugin reviews the heading structure of the content to ensure it is logical and optimized. This includes checking that headings contain the focus keyword and are appropriately nested (e.g., H1, H2, H3). Proper heading use not only aids SEO but also improves readability for users.
Keywords in Permalink
SEOPress checks if the focus keyword is included in the URL or permalink of the page/post. URLs with relevant keywords are important signals for both users and search engines and contribute to better SEO rankings.
Structured Data (Schema)
The content analysis checks for the presence of schema markup or structured data associated with the content. Schema helps search engines understand the context of the content, enabling rich snippets and enhanced search results features.
Last Modified Date
SEOPress verifies if the content has been updated recently by checking the last modified date. Freshness signals to search engines that the content is maintained and potentially more relevant.
Image Alt Text
The tool checks the images embedded within the content to ensure that alternative text (alt text) is present and optimized, ideally containing focus keywords. Alt text is important for accessibility and helps search engines understand image content.
Meta Robots
SEOPress reviews meta robots settings to confirm that essential SEO directives like "noindex," "nofollow," "nosnippet," or "noimageindex" are not inappropriately set, which could negatively impact indexing or visibility.
Canonical URL Tag
It verifies if a canonical URL tag is present to prevent duplicate content issues by indicating the preferred URL version to search engines.
Content Freshness
The analysis encourages keeping content updated by checking if the post or page has been modified recently, boosting relevance and rankings.