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WordPress SEO Readiness Assessment
Website: ___________________________ | Assessment date: ___________________________ | Carried out by: ___________________________
With this assessment you evaluate the SEO readiness of your WordPress website. Award points per category. At the end you'll see where action is needed.
Scoring Scheme
| Score |
Status |
Description |
| 2 points |
✓ Fully optimised |
Best practices fully implemented |
| 1 point |
◐ Partially optimised |
Basics in place, room for improvement evident |
| 0 points |
✗ Not optimised |
Critical SEO gap, immediate action needed |
1. Technical SEO Basics (Max. 12 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| XML sitemap present and submitted to Google Search Console |
______ |
|
| robots.txt correctly configured (important pages not blocked) |
______ |
|
| SSL certificate active, complete HTTPS redirect set up |
______ |
|
| Permalink structure SEO-friendly (e.g. /%postname%/) |
______ |
|
| Website connected to Google Search Console and Google Analytics |
______ |
|
| No indexing blocks (e.g. „Discourage search engines“ disabled) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 1: |
______ / 12 |
|
2. On-Page SEO & Content Optimisation (Max. 14 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Title tags optimised (under 60 characters, keyword included) |
______ |
|
| Meta descriptions present and compelling (approx. 155 characters) |
______ |
|
| Heading structure correct (one H1 per page, H2-H6 logically structured) |
______ |
|
| Keyword research carried out and target keywords defined |
______ |
|
| Content high-quality, unique and aligned with user intent |
______ |
|
| Images given alt tags (descriptive and keyword-relevant) |
______ |
|
| Internal linking built strategically (meaningful anchor texts) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 2: |
______ / 14 |
|
3. Core Web Vitals & Performance (Max. 12 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) under 2.5 seconds |
______ |
|
| First Input Delay (FID) / Interaction to Next Paint (INP) optimised |
______ |
|
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) under 0.1 (stable layouts) |
______ |
|
| Page load time under 3 seconds (desktop and mobile) |
______ |
|
| Images optimised and compressed (WebP, lazy loading active) |
______ |
|
| Caching solution implemented (server- or plugin-based) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 3: |
______ / 12 |
|
4. Mobile SEO & Responsiveness (Max. 8 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Website fully responsive (mobile-first design) |
______ |
|
| Mobile usability test passed (Google Search Console) |
______ |
|
| Touch elements sufficiently large and easy to use |
______ |
|
| No blocking interstitials or pop-ups on mobile |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 4: |
______ / 8 |
|
5. Crawling & Indexing (Max. 10 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| No critical crawl errors in Google Search Console |
______ |
|
| Canonical tags set correctly (duplicate content avoided) |
______ |
|
| No 404 errors or broken links (or correctly redirected) |
______ |
|
| Important pages in the index (site: query), unimportant ones noindex |
______ |
|
| Paginated content marked up correctly (rel=“next/prev“ or canonical) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 5: |
______ / 10 |
|
6. Structured Data & Rich Snippets (Max. 8 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Schema markup implemented (e.g. Article, Organization, LocalBusiness) |
______ |
|
| Rich snippets tested and validated (Google Rich Results Test) |
______ |
|
| Breadcrumb markup present (if navigation is used) |
______ |
|
| FAQ schema implemented on relevant content |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 6: |
______ / 8 |
|
7. User Experience (UX) & Engagement (Max. 10 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Clear navigation and page structure (max. 3 clicks to any content) |
______ |
|
| Call-to-actions (CTAs) clearly recognisable and compelling |
______ |
|
| Bounce rate and time on page within an acceptable range (Analytics) |
______ |
|
| No disruptive pop-ups or aggressive advertising |
______ |
|
| Readability optimised (font size, line spacing, contrast) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 7: |
______ / 10 |
|
8. Content Quality & Freshness (Max. 10 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| No duplicate content (internal or external) |
______ |
|
| No thin content (every page offers real value) |
______ |
|
| Content updated regularly (especially important pages) |
______ |
|
| Multimedia elements embedded (images, videos, infographics) |
______ |
|
| E-A-T signals present (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 8: |
______ / 10 |
|
9. WordPress SEO Plugin & Tools (Max. 8 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| SEO plugin installed and configured (e.g. Yoast, RankMath, AIOSEO) |
______ |
|
| SEO plugin up to date and updated regularly |
______ |
|
| Open Graph tags present for social media |
______ |
|
| Analytics and tracking implemented correctly (GDPR-compliant) |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 9: |
______ / 8 |
|
10. Local SEO (if relevant) (Max. 8 points)
| Criterion |
Points (0-2) |
Notes |
| Google Business Profile fully completed and optimised |
______ |
|
| NAP data consistent (Name, Address, Phone across all platforms) |
______ |
|
| Local Business schema markup implemented |
______ |
|
| Local keywords integrated into content and meta tags |
______ |
|
| Subtotal Category 10: |
______ / 8 |
|
Total Score
| Category |
Points achieved |
Max. points |
| 1. Technical SEO Basics |
______ |
12 |
| 2. On-Page SEO & Content Optimisation |
______ |
14 |
| 3. Core Web Vitals & Performance |
______ |
12 |
| 4. Mobile SEO & Responsiveness |
______ |
8 |
| 5. Crawling & Indexing |
______ |
10 |
| 6. Structured Data & Rich Snippets |
______ |
8 |
| 7. User Experience (UX) & Engagement |
______ |
10 |
| 8. Content Quality & Freshness |
______ |
10 |
| 9. WordPress SEO Plugin & Tools |
______ |
8 |
| 10. Local SEO (if relevant) |
______ |
8 |
| TOTAL SCORE: |
______ / 100 |
|
SEO Readiness Rating & Recommended Action
| Score range |
Readiness level |
Recommended action |
| 90–100 points |
SEO Champion |
An excellent SEO foundation! Focus on continuous content optimisation, link building and ranking monitoring. Regular audits to maintain the level. |
| 75–89 points |
SEO-Ready |
A very good starting position. Make smaller optimisations in weaker areas. Prioritise Core Web Vitals and content quality. |
| 50–74 points |
Needs Improvement |
A solid basis, but significant gaps exist. Prioritise technical SEO and on-page optimisation. Tackle performance topics. |
| Under 50 points |
Critical State |
A comprehensive SEO overhaul is required! Start with the basics: XML sitemap, title tags, meta descriptions, SSL, Core Web Vitals. Professional support recommended. |
Top 5 Quick Wins (prioritised by impact)
- Optimise title tags & meta descriptions: A quick change with a high impact on CTR.
- Compress images & add alt tags: Improves performance and accessibility.
- Switch fully to SSL & HTTPS: A ranking factor and a trust signal.
- Create & submit an XML sitemap: Ensures complete indexing.
- Test Core Web Vitals & enable caching: A direct impact on rankings (Google Page Experience Update).
Next Steps & Action Plan
Immediately (this week):
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
Short term (1 month):
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
Medium term (3 months):
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________________________
Next SEO assessment scheduled for: ___________________________ | Responsible: ___________________________
This assessment is based on current WordPress SEO best practices and Google guidelines. I recommend repeating it quarterly. That way you respond to algorithm updates in good time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a WordPress SEO Readiness Assessment?
It checks whether your WordPress website meets the technical and content basics for good rankings. In short: is your website ready for Google?
Which SEO basics are checked?
Meta tags, page structure, load time, mobile optimisation, internal linking, XML sitemap, robots.txt and structured data.
How do I improve my SEO assessment result?
Install an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath. Optimise images. Improve load time. Regularly publish good content with relevant keywords.