There is no passing score that holds across SEO tools. A score is each tool's checklist completion rate, and tools count different items with different weights. Two things are worth tracking: whether the score went up from last time on the same tool and plan, and which items score zero. Fix in this order: items scoring zero, structured data that fits the page, then guideline items like length. A high score does not promise rankings.
What an SEO Score Is: A Tool's Checklist Completion Rate
An SEO score summarizes, often out of 100, how well a page meets the checks a tool has chosen. It is not a number Google assigns for ranking. Lining up how two tools score shows why the same page gets different numbers. Here is Google's Lighthouse (the audit behind Chrome DevTools and PageSpeed Insights) next to Direbase's SEO check.
| Lighthouse（v13.5） | Direbase | |
|---|---|---|
| What is scored | 10 audits (structured data is a manual check worth 0) | 45 checks grouped into 4 categories |
| Weight per item | Nearly equal, except "page can be indexed" alone is about 30% | Each item has its own weight (1–20 points) |
| How an item is judged | Pass or fail | Partial credit (e.g. title length earns 7, 4, or 2) |
| Official caveat | Many factors that affect ranking are not scored | Items tied directly to ranking are 5 of 100 points |
In Lighthouse's configuration, the "page can be indexed" audit is weighted so that failing it alone cuts the SEO score by more than 30%. The other nine audits share equal weight. Lighthouse itself notes that many factors that may affect search ranking are not scored there.
So a tool's score means how many of the basics that tool chose are in place. Read it for which items lost points, not for a pass mark.
Inside the 100 Points: Only 5 Tie Directly to Ranking
Direbase's SEO check scores four categories: structured data (38), basic SEO (29), content (20), and technical SEO (13). Regrouping the same 100 points by what each item affects gives three layers.
| Layer | Points | Items | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 5 pts | HTTPS, mobile-friendly, page speed | Items Google lists under page experience. Fix first if any score 0 |
| How it looks in search | 73 pts | Title, meta description, h1, OGP, structured data, content length, image alt, external links | Whether it gets clicked or qualifies for rich results. It does not promise a position |
| Site health | 22 pts | Heading structure, canonical, internal links, sitemap, llms.txt, redirects, etc. | Whether anything blocks crawling or canonicalization |
Most of the points go to how the page looks in search and whether the site is healthy. That's not a shortcut — it's what can be verified from a page's HTML. Big ranking factors such as links, content quality, and fit with search intent can't be scored from one page's HTML.
In its page experience documentation, Google says good Core Web Vitals scores don't guarantee top rankings. Treat an SEO score the same way: as a check that the basics are in place.
On Direbase, the Maximum Depends on the Plan
Direbase always shows the score out of 100, but the number of items scored depends on the plan. Unscored items add nothing, so the reachable maximum is:
| Plan | Max reachable | What's added |
|---|---|---|
| Free (incl. not signed in) | 83 | Technical SEO and OGP are not scored |
| Entry | 92 | Adds OGP, HTTPS, mobile-friendly, page speed |
| Basic | 94 | Adds sitemap and llms.txt |
| Pro | 100 | Adds security headers, redirects, image optimization, and more |
An 80 on the free plan means you met nearly all of its 83 reachable points — not that you "only got 80". Always compare results measured on the same plan. Other tools may also score different items in free and paid versions, so the same logic applies.
Once You Find Deductions, Decide the Order
Two pages with the same score can need very different work. Going in this order handles the highest-value fixes first.
1. Fix items scoring 0 (missing) first
A missing canonical, missing OGP, or no h1 is a present-or-absent problem: little effort, clear effect. If anything in the ranking layer (HTTPS, mobile-friendly, page speed) scores 0, handle it before everything else.
2. Fix structured data only where it fits the page type
Structured data carries 38 points, so it is tempting to add more of it first. But Google prohibits marking up content unrelated to the focus of a page. Mark up an article as an article and a product as a product — only what is actually on the page. Adding unrelated types to raise the score backfires.
3. Leave "guideline" items alone when you have a reason
Title and meta description lengths are scored against lengths that tend not to be cut off in search results. Google says there is no limit on how long a title element can be, so if the title still makes sense when truncated, the deduction can stay. Having the main term early in the title matters more.
Real Results: What to Fix at 94 and at 84
Two pages from another site we run, audited with Direbase's SEO check (Pro plan, max 100) in August and October 2026. They are 10 points apart, but the decisions are completely different.
Page A (home page)：94
Deductions: 37-character title (4/7), alt text on 98% of images (3/4), 1 point off each for structured data type coverage and best practices
Decision: Leave it. Nothing scores 0 and every deduction is partial credit. The main term is early in the title, so it reads fine when cut
Page B (author profile)：84
Deductions: No canonical (0/4), no OGP (0/4), 52-character title (2/7), 133-character meta description (4/6)
Decision: Fix canonical and OGP first (8 points, both missing). Shorten the title only if truncation changes its meaning
Page A has 6 points of headroom, but all partial credit; fixing them changes almost nothing visible. Page B has two missing items that affect how it looks when shared and how its URL is canonicalized. Priority comes from whether anything scores zero, not from the total.
Common Ways to Misread an SEO Score
Comparing scores across tools
A 90 in Lighthouse and a 90 in Direbase count different items with different weights. Only compare scores from the same tool under the same conditions.
Comparing scores from different plans
On Direbase the free plan tops out at 83. An 80 on Free and a 90 on Pro are about the same in terms of completion.
Adding structured data to raise the score
Marking up content that is not on the page, or types unrelated to its focus, violates Google's guidelines. The score goes up, but the page can become subject to a manual action.
Expecting 100 points to raise rankings
Google says even good Core Web Vitals scores don't guarantee top rankings. SEO scores are the same: they show whether the basics are in place. Check rankings separately in Search Console.
After Fixing, Measure With Rankings and Impressions
An SEO score is good for confirming a fix landed, but it is not a measure of impact. Compare the page's rankings, impressions, and CTR before and after in Search Console. See how to verify SEO changes in Search Console, and the SEO audit checklist for what a score doesn't cover.
Direbase's SEO score check explains how to fix each deducted item, and shows fix code once you sign up. Your history is kept, so you can follow the score over time on the same plan.
Related Tools
Sources (checked October 16, 2026)
- Lighthouse (v13.5.0) — SEO category scoring config (default-config.js)
- Google Search Central — Understanding page experience in Google Search results
- Google Search Central — General structured data guidelines
- Google Search Central — Influencing title links in Google Search
Direbase's weights and per-plan maximums are as of October 16, 2026.
FAQ
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Written by
今井政和SEO Director / Frontend Developer
SEO Director with 20+ years of web industry experience. Creator of Direbase and the official WordPress plugin "ORECTIC SEO CHECK." Author of a book on web strategy inspired by Edo-era merchant principles.
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