Content analysis that checks every keyphrase.

What content analysis is for

Content analysis is a second pair of eyes while you write. It doesn’t decide whether a page will rank, and it can’t judge whether your advice is good or your product is worth buying. What it can do is check the things writers forget under deadline: whether the phrase you want to rank for appears in the title, whether the description says what the page is about, whether the text is readable on a phone, and whether you’ve already written another page aimed at the same search.

Rilea SEO runs these checks in the editor as you type. This page explains how to choose what to check for, what each check looks at and why, how the readability and inclusive-language analyses work, and how to use the results without writing for a score instead of for people.

Choosing a focus keyphrase

Everything starts with the focus keyphrase: the search you most want this page to appear for. A good one is specific enough that the page can genuinely be the best answer for it, and common enough that people actually search for it.

• Match the page’s purpose. A product page might target “linen duvet cover”. A guide might target “how to wash a linen duvet cover”. Trying to rank one page for both usually means it does neither well.
• Use the words your readers use. If customers say “sofa” and your catalogue says “settee”, the keyphrase should follow the customers.
• One page per keyphrase. Rilea SEO warns you when you’ve already used a keyphrase on another page, because two of your own pages competing for the same search tends to weaken both.

Related keyphrases and synonyms

Most pages are found through several related searches, not one. Rilea SEO lets you add up to four related keyphrases alongside the focus keyphrase, plus synonyms. A guide to washing a linen duvet cover might add “linen bedding care”, “can you tumble dry linen” and “how to soften linen”. Synonyms such as “duvet” and “comforter” are counted as matches, and word forms are matched too, so “wash”, “washing” and “washed” all count.

With related keyphrases, the aim is to make sure they’re covered naturally, not to repeat each one in every heading.

The SEO checks, explained

Rilea SEO runs more than 20 checks against your keyphrases. They fall into a few groups.

Placement

• SEO title. The keyphrase in the title is one of the clearest signals of what the page is about. Putting it near the start helps, because searchers scan the beginning of titles.
• Meta description. Including the keyphrase in the description helps searchers recognise the page as a match, and search engines often highlight matching words.
• URL. A short, readable URL containing the keyphrase is easier to understand and to share.
• Introduction. Mentioning the keyphrase in the first paragraph confirms early that the page is on topic.
• Subheadings. Using the keyphrase or related phrases in some subheadings shows the structure covers the topic.
• Image alt text. Describing at least one relevant image with the keyphrase helps image search and accessibility.

Use across the page

• Density. The keyphrase should appear often enough to show the topic, but not so often that the text reads unnaturally. Rilea SEO counts word forms and synonyms, so you don’t need to repeat the exact phrase.
• Distribution. A keyphrase that appears five times in the first paragraph and never again is a sign the rest of the page has drifted. The check looks at how evenly it’s spread.
• Text length. Very short pages rarely answer a question fully. Rilea SEO sets a minimum word count, and a higher target for cornerstone content.

Links and uniqueness

• Internal links. Linking to related pages on your site helps readers and search engines move through your content.
• Outbound links. Linking to a useful outside source where it helps shows the page is connected to the wider web.
• Previously used keyphrase. The warning when the same keyphrase is already the focus of another page on your site.

Title quality

Rilea SEO checks the title’s pixel width, so it won’t be cut off in search results, and notes whether it includes a number or a strong, specific word. These are suggestions, not rules. A plain, accurate title is better than a clickbait one.

Readability, explained

Readability analysis looks at how easy your text is to read, especially on a small screen. It isn’t about simplifying ideas. It’s about removing the friction that makes readers give up.

• Flesch Reading Ease. A score based on sentence length and word length. Higher scores mean easier reading. Technical topics will naturally score lower, and that’s fine if your audience expects it.
• Sentence length. If too many sentences run long, the check flags it. Long sentences aren’t wrong, but a run of them is tiring.
• Paragraph length. Long paragraphs look like walls of text on a phone. Breaking them up at natural points helps.
• Subheading distribution. Long stretches of text without a subheading are hard to scan. Subheadings also help readers jump to what they need.
• Passive voice. Too much passive voice makes text vaguer and longer. “We ship orders within two days” is clearer than “Orders are shipped within two days”.
• Transition words. Words such as “because”, “however” and “for example” connect ideas and make text flow.
• Sentence variety and word complexity. Repeated sentence openings and a high share of long, complex words both make text harder to follow.

Inclusive language

The inclusive-language check highlights words and phrases that could exclude or offend some readers, and suggests alternatives. Like the readability checks, it’s guidance. Context matters, and sometimes the flagged word is exactly right, so read the suggestion and decide.

The Google preview

Above the checks, Rilea SEO shows how your page will look in search results on desktop and mobile. The title meter measures pixel width rather than characters, because that’s how search engines decide where to cut a title off. The description meter warns you when the description is too short to be useful or long enough to be truncated. Seeing the result as a searcher would helps you write a title and description people actually want to click.

Using the scores well

The results are there to help you prioritise, not to grade your writing. A few habits keep them useful:

• Fix problems before polishing. A missing keyphrase in the title matters more than one extra transition word.
• Don’t chase green for its own sake. If adding the keyphrase to another subheading would make it read awkwardly, leave it. Search engines reward pages that help people.
• Use synonyms instead of repetition. If the density check asks for more, a natural variation is usually better than the exact phrase again.
• Read it aloud. The readability checks catch patterns. Reading aloud catches everything else.

Cornerstone content

Cornerstone content is the small set of pages you most want to rank: your main guides, key service pages or category overviews. Marking a page as cornerstone in Rilea SEO raises its word-count target, so the analysis expects more depth, and boosts it in internal link suggestions, so other posts are more likely to link to it. Choose a handful of cornerstone pages, keep them up to date, and link to them from related posts.

Content analysis on Shopify

Rilea SEO for Shopify runs the same keyphrase, readability and inclusive-language checks in its editor, with product-specific checks added: at least three images, alt text on every image, no descriptions copied from other products, price and availability present, and SKUs on every variant. It can also analyse your whole catalog in one run, so you can find the products that need work most.

Languages

The readability and inclusive-language analyses are written for English and work best on English content. If you publish in another language, rely most on the placement checks and the Google preview, and treat the readability suggestions as rough guidance.

Optimising a post you’ve already published

Content analysis is just as useful on old posts as on new ones. Many sites get more from improving existing pages than from writing new ones. A simple routine:

1. Pick the right posts. Start with pages that already get some search traffic but sit just off the first page of results. Google Search Console’s Performance report shows which queries each page appears for.
2. Set the keyphrase to match reality. If Search Console shows the page mostly appears for a slightly different phrase than you intended, consider making that the focus keyphrase, or adding it as a related one.
3. Work through the placement checks. Make sure the title, description, URL and introduction reflect the keyphrase. Avoid changing the URL of an established page unless you must; if you do, Rilea SEO creates the redirect for you.
4. Fill the gaps. Add sections that answer the questions people searching that phrase are likely to have, and use related keyphrases in the new subheadings where they fit.
5. Add internal links. Use the link suggestions to link to the post from newer, related content, and from your cornerstone pages if it’s relevant.
6. Let search engines know. If you’ve made substantial changes, let IndexNow notify participating search engines and request indexing of the page in Search Console.

Common mistakes

• Stuffing the keyphrase. Repeating the exact phrase in every paragraph makes text hard to read and doesn’t help rankings. Use synonyms and natural variations.
• Targeting a phrase the page can’t satisfy. A product page won’t rank for a “how to” search, however well optimised. Match the keyphrase to what the page offers.
• Ignoring the description. It doesn’t directly affect rankings, but it affects whether people click. Write it for the searcher.
• Rewriting every title at once. Changing many titles in one go makes it hard to tell what helped. Improve your most important pages first and watch the results.
• Forgetting mobile readers. Most searches happen on phones. Check the mobile preview and keep paragraphs short enough to read comfortably on a small screen.
• Optimising once and forgetting. Searches and competitors change. Revisit your cornerstone pages every few months and update them where the information has moved on.