Content score takes a page and a target query, compares it against the pages currently winning that query, and returns a score with the reasoning attached.
The score is the headline. The breakdown underneath it is the reason to open the page.
What the breakdown gives you
- —Terms
- The concepts the winning pages cover, with how much you use each one against how much you need to
- —Length
- Your word, heading and paragraph counts against targets derived from the current results, not a fixed rule
- —Structure
- Whether the page answers the query where a reader and an engine will find it, rather than several screens down
- —Coverage
- Which parts of the topic the page handles and which it leaves out
This is the view that says why a page scores badly. A number on its own tells you to try harder; the breakdown tells you which three concepts to add and where.
The targets are competitive, not absolute
There is no universal right length for a page, and any tool that claims one is guessing. The targets here come from the pages currently ranking for your query, which means they move when the results move.
A two thousand word target does not mean long content is better. It means the pages winning this particular query happen to be that long, usually because the topic needs it.
A page scoring in the high range is competing. Past that point you are adding terms for the tool rather than the reader, and readers are what convert. Use the breakdown to find genuine gaps, not to fill a bar.
Using it before you publish
The cheapest time to fix a page is before it exists. Run the score against a draft, read which concepts are missing, add the ones that belong, publish.
Doing it the other way round, publishing and then optimizing, works but costs a cycle of waiting to see whether the page ranked before you learn it was never going to.
Using it on existing pages
Score the pages that matter commercially first. Then score the ones already being cited in Sources, because a page the engines already reach for is the shortest distance to being reached for more.
Where it connects
Auto-Optimize acts on the breakdown automatically. An assistant connected over MCP can read the breakdown and explain it back to you.
Need help?
Write to us and a person answers. See the frequently asked questions first if your question is a common one, or get in touch for anything else.