SEO Writing Checker: Fix SEO & Readability Issues Before You Publish

You ever hit publish, feel pretty good about a post, and then two weeks later you realize…

It is not ranking. People are bouncing. And the one person who actually read it emailed you to say there’s a typo in the headline.

That is the annoying part about content. The writing can be decent, the topic can be right, and still the page just quietly fails.

Most of the time it is not some mysterious Google thing. It is basic stuff you could have caught before you published.

Thin sections. Missing keywords in the places that matter. Titles that sound fine but do not match search intent. Walls of text. Clunky sentences. And that one paragraph where you accidentally used three different terms for the same thing so neither humans nor crawlers know what you mean.

That is what an SEO writing checker is for.

Not a magical score. Not a little green light that makes Google love you. Just a practical system to catch SEO and readability issues while you still have time to fix them.

This post is basically my pre-publish checklist, plus the stuff I see most teams ignore until it is too late.

What an SEO writing checker actually checks (and what it should)

A lot of “checkers” are just keyword density calculators pretending to be smart.

A good SEO writing checker should look at three layers:

1) Search intent and topic coverage

Does the page actually answer the query?

Not in a vague way. In a “if someone searched this, would they stop searching after reading this” way.

It should nudge you to cover:

• The obvious subquestions people have
• Definitions and quick context (without turning into a Wikipedia rewrite)
• Steps, examples, comparisons, common mistakes
• A clear conclusion or next step

In addition to these aspects, it's crucial to incorporate an EEAT content checklist into your SEO strategy. This checklist will help ensure your content aligns with Google's standards for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T), which are vital for improving your site's ranking on search engine results pages.

2) On page SEO basics

The unsexy stuff that still matters:

• Title tag and H1 alignment
• Headings that are structured and descriptive
• Keyword usage in early paragraphs (naturally)
• Meta description (not a ranking factor, but a click factor)
• Internal links to relevant pages
• External references where helpful
• Image alt text when it makes sense

If you want a dedicated page level audit for this, use an on page checker like this: on-page SEO checker. Even when you think your page is fine, it usually finds something small and stupid. Those small things add up.

3) Readability and “will a human finish this” signals

This is where most SEO content dies.

A checker should flag:

• Long paragraphs that should be split
• Repetitive phrases
• Passive voice overload (not always bad, just often a sign of weak writing)
• Sentences that are too long to follow
• Missing transitions, abrupt jumps, or sections that feel empty
• Overuse of jargon when simple words would do

Also. Grammar. Not because Google is judging your commas, but because readers do. If you need a quick cleanup pass, run it through a tool like this grammar checker and then still read it yourself once. Out loud if you can. You will catch weird rhythm immediately.

The pre publish workflow I actually use (and it is not complicated)

This is the part people skip because they are in a rush.

But if you do this every time, your hit rate goes up.

Step 1: Check the headline against intent, not your ego

Ask:

• Is the keyword or topic obvious?
• Does it promise a specific outcome?
• Would someone click this over the other 10 results?

Sometimes you write a clever headline. And it is fun. But it is not the job. The job is clarity.

If your post is “SEO Writing Checker” and your title is “Polish Your Words Like a Pro”, you are basically hiding from search.

Step 2: Scan the first 200 words

The opening is where people decide if your page is worth their time.

Fix:

• Slow intros
• Overexplaining the obvious
• “In today’s world” filler
• Missing context for what the page will help them do

I like intros that do three things fast:

1. Call out the problem
2. Show the consequence
3. Promise the fix

You can be casual. Just do not be vague.

Step 3: Check headings like you are skimming on a phone

If your H2s are generic, your content usually is too.

Bad headings:

• “Introduction”
• “Benefits”
• “Conclusion”

Better headings:

• “What an SEO writing checker should catch before you publish”
• “How to fix keyword targeting without ruining the writing”
• “Readability fixes that lower bounce rate”

Headings are for readers and for Google. That overlap is real.

Step 4: Do the “coverage” pass

This is where an SEO writing checker earns its keep.

Look for missing pieces:

• Do you explain the concept?
• Do you show how to apply it?
• Do you give examples?
• Do you mention mistakes and edge cases?
• Do you add a mini checklist?

If your post is 1500 words but still feels “thin”, it is usually because it repeats one point 6 times instead of adding the next logical thing a reader needs.

Step 5: Internal linking pass (the easiest win that people ignore)

Internal links do a few things:

• Help Google understand your site structure
• Spread authority to important pages
• Keep readers moving

And they are free.

In this post, for example, if you are building a process around consistent content production, I would point you to a platform that combines checking, editing, and publishing workflows. That is basically the pitch of SEO software. The key is that it is hands off. Strategy, writing, optimization, scheduling, publishing. Less juggling.

If you want to go deeper on page improvements specifically, this guide is useful: improve page SEO.

And if you are comparing tools you already know, these are helpful reads:

• SEO Software vs Surfer SEO
• SEO Software vs Jasper

Those comparisons tend to clarify what you actually need. A writing assistant. Or an SEO system. Big difference.

Step 6: Readability pass (make it easier, not “dumber”)

This is the pass where you turn decent writing into easy reading.

Fixes that almost always help:

• Break paragraphs at 2 to 4 lines
• Turn long sentences into two sentences
• Replace abstract words with concrete ones
• Add quick examples
• Cut repeated phrases

And yes, sometimes you just delete a whole paragraph because it is saying nothing. That is fine. Strong posts are often shorter than the first draft.

Step 7: Final “SEO sanity” pass

Before you publish, confirm:

• One clear primary topic
• Title and H1 match
• H2s cover the subtopics
• A few natural mentions of the main phrase, not stuffed
• Related terms included where relevant
• One or more internal links
• One external link if it genuinely adds value
• Images are not massive and slow

Then publish.

Common SEO writing mistakes that a checker should catch (but you still need to care)

Mistake 1: Keyword targeting that is too broad

If your post tries to rank for “SEO”, you are going to have a bad time.

You want:

• A specific query
• A clear audience
• A narrow promise

A checker should flag when your content is drifting into unrelated territory. But you can also feel it. If half the article could be pasted into another post with a different title, it is too broad.

Mistake 2: Writing for robots, then hoping humans will tolerate it

This is where you see the same phrase repeated 27 times.

Google does not need that. Humans hate that. And it often ranks worse anyway because engagement signals are poor.

Use your keyword naturally. Use synonyms. Use related terms. But do not chant.

Mistake 3: No actual examples

A lot of SEO content gives advice without showing it.

Instead of: “Improve readability by shortening sentences.”

Show: Original: “In order to effectively improve the readability of your content, it is recommended that you shorten your sentences.” Better: “Shorten sentences. Your readers will move faster.”

Examples are sticky. They also make your content feel more trustworthy.

Mistake 4: Ignoring the “middle of the post”

Intros get attention. Conclusions get written. The middle is where people zone out.

Your checker should highlight sections that are too long, repetitive, or low information.

In practice, you fix that with:

• Subheadings
• Bullets
• Small “mini conclusions” after a section
• A quick story or a quick mistake to avoid

Mistake 5: Publishing without a content system behind it

One good post is nice.

But organic growth usually comes from consistent publishing, topic clusters, internal linking, and keeping content updated. The boring stuff. The compounding stuff.

If you are trying to scale without hiring an agency, a platform like SEO software is built for that. It scans your site, builds a keyword and topic plan, writes articles, and auto publishes on a schedule. Which is basically what people say they want when they say “I want SEO but I do not want to manage it every week.”

What to look for in an SEO writing checker tool (a quick buyer’s guide)

Not every team needs the same thing. But here is what I would look for.

Must have

• On page SEO checks (titles, headings, keyword placement, internal links)
• Readability checks (sentence length, paragraph length, repetition)
• Ability to edit and rewrite quickly
• Clear suggestions, not just a score

Nice to have

• Topic clustering or content strategy suggestions
• Internal linking automation
• Multilingual support if you publish globally
• Publishing workflow (calendar, scheduling, CMS integration)

This is why a lot of people end up moving from “checker tools” to platforms that do the whole loop. Research to writing to optimization to publishing.

If you want an editor that is built around SEO, not just writing, take a look at an AI SEO editor. The difference is subtle until you use it for a month and realize you are spending way less time fixing drafts.

Also worth browsing if you are evaluating the broader landscape: AI writing tools. The space is crowded and honestly a little noisy, so having a sane overview helps.

A simple SEO writing checker checklist you can copy

Here. Save this and run it before you publish anything.

SEO

• The page targets one clear query
• Title is specific and matches intent
• H1 matches or complements the title
• H2s cover the main subtopics people expect
• The keyword appears naturally in the intro
• Related terms are included where relevant
• Meta description is written (and clicky)
• At least 2 internal links to relevant pages
• Images have helpful alt text where appropriate

Readability

• Paragraphs are short enough to skim
• Sentences are not constantly long
• Jargon is explained or removed
• Examples are included
• Repetition is cleaned up
• The post has a clear conclusion or next step
• Grammar and spelling are clean

If you want, you can run the SEO side with an on-page SEO checker and the writing cleanup with a grammar checker. Then do your human pass. That last part matters more than people admit.

Before you hit publish, do this one last thing

Open an incognito window. Search the keyword. Click the top three results.

Now ask yourself, honestly:

• Does my post answer the query faster?
• Is it easier to read?
• Does it give something the others did not?

If the answer is no, do not publish yet. Fix the weak spots. Add the missing section. Tighten the intro. Improve the headings. Add internal links.

Then publish.

And if you are at the point where you want this whole process to be mostly automated, from strategy to writing to scheduling, that is basically what SEO software is for. Less “did we check everything”, more “content is shipping and improving over time.”

That is the goal. Not perfect posts. Just consistently good ones that rank and actually get read.