RULE 01
One focus keyphrase
The article targets exactly one primary keyphrase.
Weight
Automated
SEO rulebook
The 23-point SEO rulebook every article has to pass
This is the checklist a careful human editor would run before publishing. EskeyRank runs it on every article it writes, scores the result from 0 to 100, and holds back anything that falls short.
Why a rulebook
AI should be held to an editor's standard
Google's spam policies target pages produced at scale mainly to manipulate rankings, with little value for the people reading them. Its guidance is just as clear that using AI is not the problem in itself: what counts is whether the content is helpful, original and made for people.
So the question is never “was this written by AI?”. It is “would a good editor have let this through?”. The rulebook turns that question into 23 checks with plain expectations, so an article is measured instead of assumed to be fine.
- 23 rules in 6 phases, each with a weight
- 21 automated checks today, 2 judgment reviews coming
- Every rule records what was expected, what the article did and how to fix it
Rulebook version 2.0
Worked example · not a real article
90
out of 100
Keyword & content strategy
100
Structure & readability
100
Keyword optimisation & placement
100
On-page technical elements
79
Media & linking
50
Originality, trust & answer readiness
100
16 pass
2 warn
1 fail
4 skipped
38 of 42 available points = 90. The mark on the left of the ring is the 75 line: this example clears it, so it would be allowed to publish. At 74 it would wait as a draft.
Phase 1 of 6
Keyword & content strategy
Is the article aimed at one thing, and does it cover the topic around it?
4 rules Total weight 10
RULE 02
Long-tail and related terms
Between 3 and 5 related long-tail or semantic phrases woven into the article, in any natural form.
Weight
Automated
RULE 03
Matches search intent
The article format matches what searchers of this phrase actually want: a guide, a comparison, a list, or a quick answer.
Weight
Judgment review — coming
RULE 04
Beats the competing pages
Closes the specific gaps left open by pages already ranking for this phrase.
Weight
Judgment review — coming
Phase 2 of 6
Structure & readability
Can a person read it without effort? Paragraphs, sentences and headings. Length is judged against the topic, never against a word count.
6 rules Total weight 8
RULE 05
Length fits the topic
As long as the topic needs and no longer: between half and twice the length of the pages that rank. There is no fixed word count.
Weight
Automated
RULE 06
Short paragraphs
No paragraph runs longer than 3 to 4 sentences.
Weight
Automated
RULE 07
Sentence length
Average sentence length under 20 words.
Weight
Automated
RULE 08
Heading structure
Exactly one H1, H2s for sections and H3s beneath them, with a heading at least every 250 to 300 words.
Weight
Automated
RULE 09
Active voice
Keep passive sentences rare, so the text says who does what. Editorial advice, not a ranking factor.
Advice only, never scored
Suggestion
RULE 10
Transition words
Connect sentences, so the article reads as an argument and not as a list of statements. Editorial advice, not a ranking factor.
Advice only, never scored
Suggestion
Phase 3 of 6
Keyword optimisation & placement
Is the keyphrase where search engines look for it, in whatever form reads naturally? There is no density target, only a ceiling against stuffing.
3 rules Total weight 7
RULE 11
Natural keyphrase use
The keyphrase appears where a writer would naturally use it, across the article. There is no frequency target; only stuffing is penalised.
Weight
Automated
RULE 12
Key placements
The focus keyphrase, in any natural form, appears in the SEO title, the H1, the first 100 words, the slug, the meta description and at least one H2.
Weight
Automated
RULE 13
Synonyms and variations
Related phrasings appear alongside the keyphrase, proving topical depth.
Weight
Automated
Phase 4 of 6
On-page technical elements
The parts of the page that become your search listing: title, description and URL.
3 rules Total weight 7
RULE 14
SEO title
Fits the search result without being cut (580 px or narrower, roughly 50 to 60 characters), and leads with the keyphrase.
Weight
Automated
RULE 15
Meta description
Fits the snippet (430 to 920 px, roughly 70 to 155 characters), says what the reader gets, and mentions the topic.
Weight
Automated
RULE 16
URL slug
Short, simple and readable: every meaningful word of the keyphrase, in order. Words that carry the intent ("how to", "best", "for") stay.
Weight
Automated
Phase 5 of 6
Media & linking
Images, the links that tie the article to the rest of your site, and the sources it cites.
3 rules Total weight 5
RULE 17
Images and alt text
Images where they help the reader, each with alt text that describes what it shows. Keywords do not belong in alt text unless the image shows that subject.
Weight
Automated
RULE 18
Internal links
At least 2 links to other relevant pages on the same site (3 in a long article). There is no upper limit.
Weight
Automated
RULE 19
Outbound citations
At least one link to an authoritative, non-competing source. There is no upper limit.
Weight
Automated
Phase 6 of 6
Originality, trust & answer readiness
Does the article say something new, can the reader see who stands behind it, and can a search engine lift an answer out of it?
4 rules Total weight 11
RULE 20
Information gain and original value
The article holds something the pages that already rank do not: own data, an original quote, a case study or first-hand insight.
Weight
Automated
RULE 21
Experience, expertise, authority and trust (E-E-A-T)
A named, linked author with credentials; first-hand experience in the first person; and a source for every statistic, with at least one primary source.
Weight
Automated
RULE 22
Structured data (Schema.org)
Valid JSON-LD that matches the visible page: Article or BlogPosting and BreadcrumbList always, FAQPage and HowTo where they apply.
Weight
Automated
RULE 23
Direct answers (featured snippets and AI Overviews)
Every question heading is followed at once by a 40 to 60 word answer, or a clean list of 3 to 8 items, that makes sense on its own.
Weight
Automated
Scoring
How the score is worked out
No hidden formula. Each rule is worth its weight, and the result of the check decides how much of that weight the article earns.
Pass
Full credit
The article did what the rule asks. It earns the rule's whole weight.
Warn
Half credit
Close, but not quite: a title that fits yet hides the keyphrase at the end, for example.
Fail
No credit
The rule was missed. The audit records why, and what to change.
Skipped
Left out
A rule that could not be assessed is removed from both sides of the sum, so it neither helps nor hurts.
The overall score
Points earned divided by points available, times 100, rounded. A heavier rule moves the score more than a light one.
Phase scores
The same sum is done for each of the 6 phases, so a weak area cannot hide behind a strong one.
The 75 line
Articles that score under 75 stay drafts for human review. That holds even when auto-publish is switched on.
Straight talk
What the rulebook does not pretend
- Two rules are waiting for a reviewer. “Matches search intent” and “Beats the competing pages” need judgment, not counting. That review is not built yet, so both are skipped today and left out of the score.
- No word count, no keyword density. Google has said for years that neither is a ranking factor. Length is compared with the pages that rank, and the keyphrase counts in any natural form. Only stuffing is penalised.
- Style advice is not scored. Passive voice and transition words are suggestions. A technical or legal article should not lose points for writing the way its readers expect.
- We never invent evidence. Original data, quotes and first-hand experience have to come from you. If you give the writer none, the originality and trust rules score lower, and that is the honest result.
- Images that fit the article. EskeyRank makes a cover and figures for each article and checks every image before it is used; you can also add your own. Alt text has to describe the image; the keyphrase is never required in it.
- A first article has nothing to link to. Internal links point at articles you have already published, so that rule is left out of the score until your website has three.
- A high score is not a ranking. The rulebook measures on-page quality, the part you control. Nobody can promise where Google will place a page.
Want to see where the audit sits in the whole process? Read how EskeyRank works, or check the FAQ.
Put your next article through the rulebook
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