Contents (21)
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.
If you want to check your whole website beyond SEO, read my guide to the WordPress audit.
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.
Newsletter
WordPress know-how by email
New guides and practical tips on WordPress, Elementor and WooCommerce. No spam, unsubscribe any time.