What Is a Good SEO Score?
A good SEO score, if you are looking for a number, is usually in the 80 to 100 range out of 100. Scores in this range mean your website is considered strong, healthy, and follows most of the best practices for search engine optimization. But the real answer is a little more complicated than the number itself. You should really be asking, “What makes up a good SEO score and why do those things matter?”
Right away, you might think, “So if I hit 80 or higher, I am set,” but the truth is, this score is more of a guide than a final grade. It tells you where you stand compared to other sites. Higher scores mean fewer technical problems and better site health, which can help with search visibility. But sometimes, scoring high does not translate into more traffic or sales. And honestly, every SEO tool measures things in its own way.
How Is SEO Score Calculated?
SEO score is usually calculated by tools like Moz, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Sitechecker. Each one has its own method, so you might notice the score for your website changes, even in the same week, depending on which tool you use.
Most SEO tools check your site for:
- On-page factors (like title tags, headings, and keyword use)
- Technical factors (like site speed and mobile friendliness)
- Content quality (originality, keyword coverage, readability)
- Backlinks (who links to your site and how many links you have)
- Security issues (HTTPS status, other potential risks)
Some tools pay more attention to some factors than others. For example, if you use Moz, you see a “Page Optimization Score.” If you use SEMrush, you see a “Site Health” score.
If your site’s SEO score is above 80, you are doing many things right. If it’s below 60, you may have real problems holding your site back.
What Should You Really Aim For?
You might be tempted to focus only on hitting 100, but in real-world SEO, that does not always make sense. Here is why:
- Perfect scores are rare. Most successful websites do not score 100. They tend to live in the 80 to 95 range, and that is enough. Small technical quirks (or even just a few broken links) can keep you from 100, and fixing every last detail is usually not worth your time.
- Focus on progress, not perfection. If your score is 45 and you get it to 75, that jump means a lot. If your site is at 82 and you manage to get it to 89, that is solid progress too. The real value is in moving up, not just in the final number.
- Scores are relative. If your competitors regularly sit at 70, you do not need to obsess about hitting 99. You just need to be a step ahead.
Breaking Down the Different Parts of an SEO Score
To better understand how your score comes together, you can think of the main pieces:
| SEO Area | What It Includes | Common Issues |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Site speed, mobile readiness, broken links, HTTPS | Slow site, mobile errors, missing SSL |
| On-Page | Meta titles, headings, internal links, keyword usage | Missing tags, keyword stuffing, duplicate content |
| Off-Page | Backlinks, social mentions, authority | Few links, toxic links, spammy mentions |
| Content | Freshness, readability, keyword targeting | Thin content, outdated blog posts, awkward keyword insertions |
A drop in any of these areas can pull down your total SEO score.
A lot of people chase after a technical fix for every detail, but readers care more about the actual content and the answers you give them.
Good SEO Score vs. Good Website Performance
It is easy to assume that a high SEO score means you will rank higher in search engines or get more visitors. Sometimes it helps. But many top-ranked pages on Google do not always have perfect SEO scores in those tools.
Here is where things get tricky. SEO tools do not see the whole picture. They look at technical parts, structure, and sometimes backlinks. What they often miss is user behavior, brand signals, and real authority. For example, I have seen sites with scores in the low 70s outrank sites in the 90s. The reason? Better backlinks and stronger content, not perfect structure.
You might ask, “Should I chase a perfect score or should I focus on value for visitors?” Tough question, but if you have to pick, aim for real value.
How Do I Increase My SEO Score?
If your score is much lower than you want and you are not showing up in searches, it is a good time to look for fixes. These fixes depend on which part of the SEO score needs help.
Start with the basics:
- Fix broken links and dead pages (404s)
- Switch to HTTPS if your site is not secure yet
- Make sure your website works well on mobile devices
- Compress images to speed up your site
- Write real meta titles and descriptions for every page
- Clear up duplicate content problems
- Add more internal links between relevant pages
And, maybe this is obvious, but you can always use SEO tools to scan your site quickly.
A good SEO score is not magic; it is the result of steady improvements over time. You do not need to fix everything overnight, but small changes make a difference.
Does Google Care About SEO Scores?
Not exactly. Google does not use scores from any commercial SEO tool as a ranking factor. Those numbers are simply ways to track site health or to compare yourself to others.
What Google does care about is:
- Whether your site loads quickly
- If it works on mobile
- Whether content is clear and useful
- How trustworthy your backlinks are
An SEO score is a way to measure these things for yourself, nothing more. If you ever see a company promising a “guaranteed high SEO score = #1 Google ranking,” I would question their methods.
SEO Scores by Different Tools
Every major SEO tool has its own SEO scoring system. Here is a quick look at how they stack up:
| Tool | Name for Score | Score Range | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEMrush | Site Health | 0-100% | Technical SEO warnings, crawling issues |
| Ahrefs | Health Score | 0-100% | Technical errors found during site audit |
| Moz | Page Optimization Score | 0-100% | On-page factors (titles, headings, structure) |
| Sitechecker | SEO Score | 0-100% | Technical, on-page, and some off-page issues |
You might notice a site has a high Moz score, but a weaker score in SEMrush or Ahrefs. That does not mean something is wrong. These tools use different crawl depths, databases, and priorities.
I used to get calls from clients confused about their scores: “Hey, my Moz score is 85, but Sitechecker says 65. Which should I trust?” I usually tell them to pick one tool, stick with it, and use it to see progress. Jumping between tools just creates stress.
Comparing Your SEO Score to Competitors
One real use of SEO scores is to benchmark yourself against others in your field. Here is a simple way to do it:
- Pick three to five main business competitors
- Scan their domains in the same SEO tool you use for your own site
- Compare scores, but focus on technical issues and content gaps
- Do not obsess over the numbers. Look for clear weaknesses or strengths
If you notice you lag behind competitors in site speed or have more broken pages, those are quick wins. But, sometimes it pays to dig into why a competitor is ahead. Do they have a blog that drives a lot of links? Do they cover topics better? Those are bigger steps you may want to think about.
Can You Succeed Online with a "Bad" SEO Score?
Short answer, yes. There are plenty of sites with ugly SEO scores that get a lot of traffic and sales. That said, they usually have something else in their favor such as:
- Very strong brand recognition
- Lots of quality backlinks built over years
- Unique or valuable product
But for most people, lifting your SEO score helps you find and fix obvious problems faster.
You do not need perfect health on every audit but try to aim higher month by month. Momentum matters more than perfection.
Common Myths About SEO Scores
Let me clear up a few things I hear from clients:
- Myth 1: A higher SEO score equals higher traffic. Not always. A score is not a ranking on Google. It is just a technical checkup.
- Myth 2: You need to score 100 for success. Not true. Plenty of industry leaders rank well with scores in the 80s or even 70s, as long as the basics are strong.
- Myth 3: One bad score ruins your site. Again, not true. SEO is about the big picture. One missing meta tag or image with no alt text will not crash your site's search growth.
Sometimes people want shortcuts or one magic number, but SEO will never work that way.
When Should You Ignore the Score?
There are times when chasing a perfect score does not help and can even waste your time.
- If your business is growing, leads and sales are strong, and customers are happy, a small dip in score is often nothing to worry about.
- If the changes needed for a higher score will ruin your user experience or add extra steps for visitors, skip them. Google cares more about how people use your site than about minor technical tweaks.
- If a tool flags something as a problem, but you know it is not (like a privacy page missing a meta description), it is safe to leave it alone.
I have seen sites chase small improvements for months without results, simply because a tool said so. Not every suggestion is worth your energy.
Signs Your Score Is Hurting You
There are a few cases where a low SEO score means real trouble, and you should act:
- Organic traffic drops without clear reason
- Your site loads very slowly, especially on mobile
- Broken links everywhere (internal or external)
- Problems with crawling or indexing in Google Search Console
- Major warnings about security or mobile usability
If you notice more than one of these, your score is pointing to deeper problems. It is worth investigating.
How Often Should You Check Your SEO Score?
Monthly checks are usually enough for most websites. If you update your site daily or run a large store, you may want to check more often. But checking weekly, or worse, daily, leads to micromanagement and stress.
Treat the score like a checkup at the doctor. You want to keep tabs on your health, not obsess over every small fluctuation.
Tips For Maintaining a Good SEO Score
These are habits that keep your website in good standing:
- Stick to a regular publishing routine for blog and website content
- Update outdated content before it gets stale
- Run a monthly crawl of your site to look for new problems
- Remove or replace broken links fast
- Keep plugins, themes, and CMS updated if you use WordPress or something similar
- Pay attention to Google Search Console warnings for technical health
Some people think SEO is a one-time project, but honestly, it is more like a garden. Ignore it for a few months and bad things start to spread.
What Should You Aim For?
To answer the headline very directly:
- If you score 80+ on most mainstream SEO tools, you are on solid ground.
- It pays to aim for steady progress over a perfect number.
- Check scores alongside your actual traffic and sales, not in isolation.
In my experience, there are always one or two errors you just cannot get rid of or are not worth fixing. That is fine. The benefits of fixing big issues far outweigh the stress of perfect scores.
Finishing Thoughts
A good SEO score means your site is in good health, but it is not the finish line. Think of the score as a compass, not a destination. Use it to catch real problems, but do not let it control your roadmap. Focus on the basics of site structure, clear content, and user satisfaction. If you chase a higher score while making your site more helpful, results usually follow. But, if you miss the point and chase numbers for their own sake, you can waste a lot of effort without real results.
In the end, progress and practicality win out. Set your sights on healthy growth, but remember, nobody ever built a great business on scores alone. Keep the user first, check the technical boxes, and you will end up ahead.