Changelog
See the history of new features, improvements, and fixes for CodeQuest.work SEO.
Published SEO Lab Article: 'Google May 2026 Core Update — What Google Officially Stated, Backed by CodeQuest.work's Real Data'
We read Google's effectively three-line official statement on the May 2026 core update (rolled out May 21, 2026) closely. We cross-check 'there are no specific recovery actions' and 'a ranking drop does not necessarily mean anything is wrong with your pages' against CodeQuest.work's measured data on structured data and AIO citations. Includes three things not to do during the rollout, and a three-channel view to watch instead (GSC, GA4, SEO audit tool).
Published SEO Lab Article: 'SPA Sites Visible to Google But Invisible to AI'
SEO crawlers (Googlebot, Bingbot, Applebot) have adopted evergreen JavaScript rendering. AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) don't officially declare JS execution in their documentation. We reviewed each crawler's official documentation to examine whether SPA (CSR) content may be invisible to AI — covering SSR/SSG migration decisions and the minimum mitigations available.
Published SEO Lab Article: 'Do AI Referral Sources Differ in Article Genre?'
Tracking referral traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and OpenAI Search via GA4 surfaced a clear separation of article genres by AI source. We share what we observed, why it should not be casually generalized, and several interpretive hypotheses.
Added Monthly Trend Graph to Keyword Research
Keyword suggestions now display a 12-month search trend sparkline alongside search volume. Click to expand for a detailed chart showing seasonal variations and trend changes. A CPC (Cost Per Click) column has also been added as a reference for keyword commercial value.
Added Filter & Sort for Keyword Suggestions
Added minimum search volume and minimum CPC filters plus sortable columns to the suggest tab. Efficiently narrow down actionable keywords from large candidate lists.
Added Research Tools Shortcut to Dashboard
Added a 'Research Tools' button to the dashboard quick actions. Access keyword research, search volume analysis, and competitor keyword research with one click.
Improved Dashboard Mobile Layout
Optimized the mobile layout of check history cards. URL, date, score, and action buttons now display properly on narrow screens. Also added a visible note showing the 1-year history retention period.
Published 5 SEO Lab Articles
Published 5 new research articles in SEO Lab. Topics include verifying llms.txt GEO effectiveness with CDN logs, auditing our own tool's check items from an AIO perspective, fact-checking Domain Power 'common knowledge' with Google official sources, verifying AIO citation gaps from outside organic rankings, and examining structured data's role after FAQ rich results deprecation. All analyses are based on real data.
Published 3 SEO Guide Articles + Structured Data Guide Revamp
Published 3 new guides: how domain power works and how to improve it, how to boost rankings by rewriting content, and how to research competitor keywords for free. Also completely revamped the structured data guide — added a visual diagram explaining the differences between structured data, JSON-LD, Schema.org, and rich results, AI search (AIO/GEO) effectiveness, and Article/LocalBusiness implementation examples.
Added Competitor Keyword Research
Added a 'Competitor KW' tab to the Keyword Research tool. Enter a competitor domain to see their Google-ranked keywords, search positions, estimated traffic, and page URLs. Discover content gaps and plan your SEO strategy. Available on Basic plan and above.
Reorganized Navigation by Tool
Restructured the hamburger menu and footer into 'Tools' and 'Feature Guides'. The three main tools — SEO Check, Keyword Research, and Domain Power — are now directly accessible.
Published 3 SEO Lab Articles
Published 'SEO Lab' articles sharing cross-tool analysis processes using GA4, CodeQuest.work SEO, and GSC. Three articles cover CTR analysis of tool-based content, diagnosing the impression/click gap on a new domain, and separating causation from correlation in structured data impact. Each demonstrates the observation → hypothesis → verification → analysis workflow with real data.
Published 11 SEO Guide Articles
Published practical guide articles for each SEO check item. Covers title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, structured data, OGP tags, image alt text, canonical tags, internal links, Core Web Vitals, XML sitemaps, and llms.txt. Each article includes a free checker tool you can use right away.
Google Account Login & Signup
You can now log in and sign up with your Google account in addition to email. Linking your existing email account with Google is also supported.
API Key Issuance Now Available on All Plans
API key issuance, previously limited to Entry and above paid plans, is now available on all plans including Free. You can start integrating with the WordPress plugin right after creating an account.
SEO Diagnostic Report PDF Export
You can now export check results as a professional PDF report. Up to 7 pages including cover page, executive summary, detailed check items, prioritized improvement suggestions, and Core Web Vitals analysis. Use it as an attachment for client proposals. Available on all paid plans (Entry and above).
Results Screen Now Leads with the 3-Layer Score
The results hero now prominently displays the 3-layer score (Ranking Signals, SERP Appearance, Technical) aligned with Google's official criteria. The overall score circle remains on the left but is now smaller and sits side-by-side with the 3 layers, so the moment you open the results you can see which area to focus on improving.
3-Layer Score Display Aligned with Google's Official Criteria
SEO scores are now broken down into 3 layers: Ranking Signals (HTTPS, mobile-friendly, page speed), SERP Appearance (title, description, OGP, rich results), and Technical (crawlability, sitemap, security). Based on ranking factors officially documented by Google Search Central, this breakdown makes it easy to see which area to prioritize. The overall 100-point score is still shown as before.
Core Web Vitals Integrated into Ranking Layer Score
Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) — Google's officially documented ranking factors — are now reflected in your SEO score. Once the PageSpeed Insights result arrives after a check, the previously response-time-based 'Page Speed' item is automatically replaced with a Core Web Vitals-based evaluation, updating the Ranking layer score to more closely match Google's actual assessment. Available on all plans.
Spammy Structured Markup Warning Added
We now automatically detect cases where structured data declares FAQs, product prices, or review ratings that aren't actually displayed on the page, and show them as warnings. Such markup violates Google's guidelines and can lead to rich result removal or manual actions. The warnings don't affect your score — they're shown purely to alert you. Currently covers FAQPage, Product.offers.price, and AggregateRating patterns.
Structured Data Score Rebalanced Toward Rich Results
Rebalanced the structured data score to emphasize Rich Results Eligibility — the factor that actually produces visible rich results (FAQ, breadcrumbs, product info, etc.) in Google search results. Its weight increased from 8 to 20 points. Meanwhile, checks that used to reward simply placing WebSite/Organization types were reduced in weight. This improves evaluation accuracy for structured data that delivers real SEO benefit.
Improved Structured Data & Sitemap Detection Accuracy
Fixed an issue where structured data nested inside WebPage or Article (such as BreadcrumbList) was not being detected. Sitemap detection from robots.txt is now more resilient, handling multiple sitemap entries, comment lines, and BOM-prefixed files. All 21 Google-supported Rich Result types are now recognized correctly.
WordPress Plugin Listed on WordPress.org
Our WordPress plugin 'ORECTIC SEO CHECK' is now listed on the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Install it with one click from 'Plugins → Add New' in your WordPress admin. Details: https://wordpress.org/plugins/orectic-seo-check/
Shareable URL for Check Results
Click the share icon in your dashboard check history to generate a shareable link. Recipients can view your SEO score and check items without logging in. Perfect for client proposals and team collaboration.
Unread Badge Added to Dashboard Changelog Button
The 'Changelog' button on the dashboard now shows an unread count badge. When new updates are available, a red badge indicates the number of unread entries. Opening the changelog page resets the badge.
WordPress Plugin Released
Released 'CodeQuest SEO Check' plugin for one-click SEO diagnosis from WordPress admin. Shows 100-point score across 4 categories: Structured Data, Basic SEO, Content, Technical SEO. API key integration for paid plan usage. Free download: https://github.com/masakazuimai/codequest-seo-check-plugin
API Key Authentication Added
Generate API keys from your dashboard. Authenticate via X-API-Key header from WordPress plugin or external tools to use your plan's check quota. Available on Entry plan and above.
Weekly Reminder Extended to All Plans
Weekly report reminders now available for Free and Entry plans. If no checks were performed in the past 7 days, a reminder email is sent every Monday at 10:30 JST.
SEO Badge Embed Feature Added
Score 85+ and you can get an SEO badge embed code from your dashboard. Paste it on your portfolio or website to showcase your SEO score. Toggle ON/OFF anytime.
Security Enhancements
Strengthened authentication and access control to improve resilience against external attacks.
Local SEO Audit Added
Added a Local SEO audit section to SEO check results. Automatically checks 5 items: LocalBusiness schema, phone number (tel: link), address, Google Maps embed, and region keywords. Helps maximize MEO effectiveness through website-side optimization.
Site-wide Diagnosis Feature Added
Enter a domain to diagnose SEO scores for all major pages at once. Pages are sorted by lowest score first, so you can prioritize improvements. Free plan: 3 times/month (5 pages).
Changelog Button Added to Dashboard
Added a changelog link button to the dashboard header. Quickly check new features and improvements.
Plan-based Max Score Note Added to Results
Added a note below the score display showing 'Your plan's max score is XX points.' Makes it clear that upgrading unlocks more check items and a higher possible score. Includes a link to the pricing page.
Type Coverage Score Calculation Fixed
Fixed an issue where having all 3 foundation types (WebSite, Organization, BreadcrumbList) did not properly contribute to the type coverage score.
SEO Check LP Enhanced with FAQ and Optimized Headings
Added 8 frequently asked questions with accordion display to the SEO Check page. Section headings optimized for 'SEO Score Checker Tool' search queries.
Query Fan-out Candidate Tool Added
Added a 'Fan-out' tab to the Keyword Research Tool. Automatically expands a single keyword into related queries by search intent (Questions, Reviews, Cost, Pros & Cons, Tools, Learning). Get query candidates directly useful for content planning and article structure.
SEO Score Now Plan-based
Redesigned scoring so Pro plan achieves a perfect 100 points. Free=83, Entry=92, Basic=94, Pro=100. Lower plans show minus points for unchecked items, making the upgrade value clear.
llms.txt Check & Code Generation Added
Added llms.txt diagnostic for AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.). Basic+ checks file existence and format; Pro also checks .well-known path. Code generation now auto-generates recommended llms.txt templates.
Marketing Checklist (PDF) Added
A practical 27-item checklist covering competitor analysis, strategy, content, LP/email, social media, and reporting. Download from the dashboard. Available in Japanese and English.
Monthly Search Volume & Ranked Keywords Added
Suggest keywords now display monthly search volume, CPC, and competition. A new Ranked Keywords tab shows which keywords a domain ranks for, with position and volume data. Clickable column headers for sort toggle. Search volume available on Entry+, ranked keywords on Basic+.
Advanced SEO Guide Added (Paid Plans Only)
Score pattern diagnosis, all 8 technical SEO items explained, Core Web Vitals practical tips, structured data strategies, domain power tactics, competitor comparison how-to, and industry-specific checklists. Available on Entry plan and above.
How to Use & Metrics Guide Added
A new guide page explaining SEO scores, Core Web Vitals, and Domain Power metrics — what they mean, how to read them, and how to improve. For beginners to intermediate users.
Enhanced Domain Power Results (Domain Age, Advice & SEO Score)
Added domain age (years since registration & registration date), personalized advice based on score, and SEO score display to domain power check results.
Security Enhancements
Strengthened overall security including authentication, communication, and access control.
Enhanced Co-occurrence Extraction (Multi-URL Analysis & PDF Export)
Analyze co-occurrence words from up to 10 URLs simultaneously with side-by-side comparison. Results can be exported as a PDF report. Available on Entry plan and above.
4-Tier Pricing Plans (Entry Plan Added)
Now offering Free / Entry (¥980/mo) / Basic (¥2,980/mo) / Pro (¥9,800/mo). Entry plan includes 30 checks/month, 500 suggests/month, heading extraction, co-occurrence analysis, and CSV download.
Keyword Research Tool (3 Features Integrated)
Bulk suggest keywords, heading structure extraction, and co-occurrence word analysis combined in a tabbed UI. Useful for content creation and SEO keyword research.
Improved Font Readability Across All Pages
Unified minimum body text size to 16px and rebuilt heading/label size hierarchy. Improved reading experience especially on mobile devices.
Major Technical SEO Enhancement (5 New Checks)
Added security headers audit, redirect chain detection, sitemap analysis, tech stack detection, and image optimization check. Total check items expanded to 45+.