Your Rank Math SEO score is the number out of 100 you see on every WordPress post when the Rank Math plugin is installed. It’s a checklist score: it tells you how many on page SEO boxes you’ve ticked. I aim for 70+ on every client post and 80+ where it reads naturally. Here are the nine settings that get you there, and why chasing 100 is usually a mistake.
What the Rank Math SEO score actually measures
Rank Math runs a set of tests on your post: is the focus keyword in the title, the meta description, the URL, the first part of the content and the subheadings? Is the post long enough? Are there links, images and short paragraphs? Each passed test adds to the score.
What it doesn’t measure is whether the post is any good. A high score won’t rank a post nobody wants to read, which is why I treat 70 as the floor and the reader as the target.
1. Put the focus keyword at the start of the title
Rank Math wants the keyword in the first half of the SEO title. Keep the title under 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in Google.
2. Add a number, a power word and a sentiment word
These three title tests catch a lot of people out. “7 Simple Fixes”, “Costly Mistakes”, “Proven Way”. It sounds gimmicky, but a specific, punchy title also tends to get more clicks.
3. Keyword in the meta description and the slug
Write a meta description under 160 characters that includes the keyword and tells the reader what they’ll get. Keep the slug short and make sure it includes the keyword too.
4. Use the keyword in the first sentence
Rank Math checks the first 10% of the post. Putting the keyword in the opening sentence passes the test and tells the reader straight away they’re in the right place.
5. Use it in at least two subheadings
Work the keyword or a close variant into two of your H2 or H3 headings. Don’t force it into every heading.
6. Write 900 words or more
Rank Math rewards longer posts. Full marks only come at 2,500 words, but for most local business topics 900 to 1,200 genuinely useful words is the sweet spot.
7. Link in and link out
Add at least three internal links (a service page, a location page, a related post) and one followed external link to a genuine authority, like a government or trade body page.
8. Add images with keyword alt text
At least one image, ideally three or four. Name the hero image after the slug and include the keyword in its alt text where it reads naturally.
9. Add a table of contents and an FAQ block
Rank Math’s own TOC block passes the table of contents test. Its FAQ block adds FAQ schema. Both make longer posts easier to scan.
What this looks like on real sites
When I took over one client’s October blog schedule, their scheduled posts were scoring between 14 and 74. All of them were rebuilt to these rules and re-checked before going back on the schedule. For another client, a batch of five posts all landed between 73 and 79 out of 100, with every keyword and schema check green.
Why not aim for 100?
A perfect Rank Math SEO score needs 2,500 words and the keyword in every subheading. For a post about garden office planning or cleaning a dental surgery, that usually means padding. Padded posts are worse to read, and readers leaving quickly isn’t a signal you want.
Pass the tests that make the post clearer. Skip the ones that make it worse.
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FAQ
Does a higher Rank Math score mean higher rankings?
Not directly. Rank Math says so itself. It’s a checklist for on page basics, not a ranking guarantee.
What’s a good Rank Math SEO score?
70+ is solid. 81+ shows green. Above that, focus on the reader rather than the number.
Should I use the same focus keyword on two posts?
No. Rank Math flags it, and two posts competing for one keyword usually means neither ranks well.
