SEO Test Score vs. The Reality

I Got a Good SEO Score. Now what?

Summary of this article:

 

*  SEO tests find technical problems, but they cannot predict Google rankings.

*  A high score only means your website passed that test’s specific checks.

*  Tests cannot judge whether your content is helpful, original, or worth reading.

*  Recommendations like adding keywords, words, or headings should not be followed blindly.

*  Use SEO tests to find problems, then compare your website with higher-ranking competitors. (Read the full article)

A woman kicking an @ sign - comic style drawing. This article is about SEO test score

1. What Is An Seo Test?

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2. Here’s Where I Think SEO Test Scores Get Confusing

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3. A Computer Can Test A Page, But…

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4.  5 Very Common SEO Recommendations Might Not Work

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5.  Maybe Your St. George Competitors Have Better Websites

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Are SEO Tests Are Worthless?

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While looking online for why your website isn’t providing leads you come across a site that will do an seo test on your website. You do the test. It comes back with a score of 85. That’s pretty good, right? Well, maybe.

The test tells you a few items you need to fix on your website, so you get to it and presto-chango your website’s ranking. Opps, no it’s not.
You look on Google. Your site is still not showing up. The competition is prominent, front and center.

You took the test, you did the fixes and…nothing.

What is actually happening? This is what we’ll explore.

1. What Is An Seo Test?

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SEO tests look at webpages and check for things it has been programmed to find.

It checks for a title and description. It looks for headings, links that aren’t functioning, and images without descriptions. It will also check if your website loads properly, works on a cellphone, and can be found by Google.

Those are important things to check. If something’s not working on your website, you’ll want to know so you can fix it.

But none of that tells you whether Google should rank your website at the top of search.

2. Here’s Where I Think SEO Test Scores Get Confusing

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After your website is tested and you receive a high score, you’ll probably think, “That’s great.”

But what does that high score actually mean?

It’s similar to the tests we took in school. The number you receive is for passing the things that particular SEO test checked. A different SEO test could give you a different score.

But it doesn’t tell you where Google is going to rank you.

My experience is that SEO tests are useful in that they locate glaring problems with your website. This can be the push you need to make corrections. You can’t get instant gratification with the changes you make but in the long run it can help. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

3. A Computer Can Test A Page, But Can It Tell If The Page Is Actually Good?

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This is important to understand.

SEO tests can check what is previously mentioned. And it can count your headings, keywords, images, links, and the exact number of words.

    • But can it tell whether those words are worth reading?

    • Do you answer questions potential clients search for?

    • Do you sound like an authority on topics?

    • Do you provide useful and unique information or do you sound like every other website?

When you ask Google a specific question, you want an answer to that question.

You may get a high score, but is what you wrote actually useful to someone looking for an answer?

4.  After The Test: 5 Very Common SEO Recommendations Might Not Work (Don’t do these unless your really sure)

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SEO tests can provide some good recommendations, but that doesn’t mean you need to follow them all.

“Use Your Keyword More”
You can but does that improve the page?

“Write More Words”
If writing more words makes the article better, do it. If not, then all it does is make the article longer and probably less likely to be read.

“Change Your Title”
Will the title length or keyword placement get the customer to click on it? You need to take that into consideration before changing it.

“Add More Headings”
Headings can be useful. They make a page easier to read by breaking it into sections. You can decide if this helps. You’ll see that my webpages have a lot of headings (each box has an H2 heading tag). I don’t know if it helps but the webpages are easier to read and navigate.

5.  Sorry To Be The One To Tell You This, But Maybe Your St. George Competitors Have Better Websites

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Try this. Search Google for the phrase you want your website to rank for. Visit the websites that show up above yours.

Look over their information.

Is it better?

*  Do they provide good answers to questions? (Fixable.)

*  Does it seem like they have more experience? (They probably don’t. That was just what the website led you to believe.)

*  Is their website easier to use than yours? (This can be fixed.)

*  Are other websites mentioning or linking to them? (Getting links from other similar business sites is doable.)

*  Are there local businesses more established in the area? (This doesn’t matter if you have a good website with good SEO and AI optimization.)

Don’t just copy what the other websites are doing. Give Google something better to work with.

For example, the articles on this site are created to be either unique or contrarian in their view points. Google seems to like them because they are indexed immediately upon posting them. 

Can you add something that they don’t have? Look and change what you can explain better. What experience do you have that can be added?

I did a search for Littleton co SEO and looked on a couple of sites and found this article: “How AI, SEO & Smart Tools Are Transforming Denver Web Design.” So that article has been written, but an opposing view point has not. For example: “AI, SEO & Smart Tools Are Transforming The Internet. What negative effects will this have over the next 3 years?”

Google may simply have more reasons to rank those websites above yours. You need to give Google more and better reasons to choose you.

Are SEO Tests Are Worthless?

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Nope.

SEO tests are a useful way to find problems you need to address. In fact, I have two SEO test sites that I use for every website that comes across my desk.

Look at what the test revealed and decide what needs fixing, adding, or changing.

Just remember, a good SEO score and a good website aren’t necessarily the same thing.

If you want professional help to revise your website’s SEO, call me, Don: (435) 879-1239

For more information on websites and Google, read this article:

* Why Is My Website NOT Showing on Google (& How to Fix It) — Crafty Copy

“Ugh, WHY is my website not showing on Google?!”

Lots of business owners end up asking themselves this question at some point (so, if it makes you feel a teensy bit better, you’re not alone).

But I get your disappointment.

Maybe you thought all you needed was to create a quick website, churn out a few words per page, and people would have magically started finding it?

Well, the last part can still be true in a few months, but if your website isn’t showing up on Google just yet, you first need to fix some common problems.

So, to help you understand why some websites show up on Google and others don’t, let’s start with a simple, jargon-free overview.

Why Is My Website NOT Showing on Google (& How to Fix It) — Crafty Copy

*  We Analyzed 4 Million Google Search Results. Here’s What We Learned About Organic Click Through Rate – Backlinko

About the owner of this website:

A picture of the owner of out of the box seo

My name is Don Glasgow

I built my first website in 2001. I ranked that site almost immediately for "St. George real estate. Yes, I live in St. George, UT.

I've built many more websites since then.

I also have an enormous amount of knowledge on how to get a website to rank.

As of this writing I manage six websites.