The widget provides three main scores to evaluate the SEO quality of a webpage. These scores help you understand different aspects of SEO and what you need to improve to rank higher in search engine results.

SEO Difficulty - This is a cumulative score that indicates how difficult it is to rank at the top for a specific search query. It combines the On-Page Difficulty, Off-Page Difficulty, and includes a bonus for branded queries.
Off-Page Difficulty - This score measures the backlink strength of the top 10 pages that rank for the search term. It’s a score out of 100 and indicates how much domain authority you need to compete with these top pages.
On-Page Difficulty - This score measures how well the content of the top 10 pages is optimized for the search term. It’s also a score out of 100 and reflects the quality of on-page SEO elements like keywords, meta tags, and content structure.

Installation and Setup

Open Chrome Web Store: Launch your Chrome browser and navigate to the Chrome Web Store.
Search for the Extension: In the search bar, type "SEO Score Matrix Chrome Extension by Writesonic" and press Enter.
Add to Chrome: Click on the extension from the search results and then click the "Add to Chrome" button.
Confirm Installation: A pop-up will appear asking for confirmation. Click "Add Extension" to complete the installation.
Once the extension is installed, it will appear as an icon in the Chrome toolbar. No additional configuration is required. Simply click on the icon to start using the extension.

Understanding the SEO Score Matrix Extension

Off-Page Difficulty

Off-Page Difficulty measures the backlink equity of the top 10 pages that rank for a specific search query. Backlink equity refers to the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a webpage. High-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites can significantly boost a page's ranking in search engine results.

How Off-Page Difficulty is Calculated

Backlink Analysis: The extension analyzes the backlinks of the top 10 pages that rank for the search query. It looks at factors such as the number of backlinks, the domain authority of the linking sites, and the relevance of the backlinks to the content.
Scoring: Each of the top 10 pages is given a score out of 100 based on their backlink equity. Pages with more high-quality backlinks receive higher scores.
Averaging: The scores of the top 10 pages are then averaged to determine the overall Off-Page Difficulty score for the search query. A higher average score indicates that it will be more challenging to compete with the existing top-ranking pages without acquiring similar or better-quality backlinks.

On-Page Difficulty

The On-Page Difficulty score is calculated by evaluating how well the top 10 pages are optimized for a specific search term. This involves checking several on-page SEO factors using a set of rules, each of which is assigned a certain number of points. The cumulative points from these rules determine the overall On-Page Difficulty score. This score helps gauge how well-optimized the content is for the search term.

Breakdown of SEO Factors and Their Points

Exact Search Query in Title (15 points):

Is the exact search query (or its plural) present in the page title?
If the exact search term (or its plural) is present in the page title, the page gets 15 points.
For example, if the search term is "weight loss diet," the title must include these exact words in the same order to get the full points.

Exact Search Query in URL (5 points):

Is the exact search query (or its plural) present in the URL?
If the exact search term (or its plural) is present in the page URL, the page gets 5 points.
For example, a URL like "http://domain.com/weight-loss-diet-info.html" would get the points.

Exact Search Query in Description (5 points):

Is the exact search query (or it's plural) present in the description?
If the exact search term (or its plural) is present in the page description, the page gets 5 points.
The description must include the exact words in the same order. For example, if the search query is "weight loss diet," the three words have to be found in the page description, in the same order to be given the 5 points.

Broad Search Query in Title (25 points):

Is the broad search query (or its plural) present in the page title)?
The tool checks the page title for the presence of each word in the search term. Points are awarded based on how many words from the search term are found.
For example...
- If the search term is "weight loss diet" and the title includes "weight" and "loss" but not "diet," it would get 2/3 of 25 points (approximately 16.66 points).
- If only a single word is found, say "weight," then it will award 1/3rd of 25 points - i.e., 8.33 points
- If all three words are found, then it will award all 25 points.

Broad Search Query in URL (10 points):

Is the broad search query (or its plural) present in the URL?
Similar to the title, the tool checks the URL for each word in the search term. Points are awarded based on the number of words found.
For example, if the URL includes "weight" and "loss" but not "diet," it would get 2/3 of 10 points (approximately 6.66 points).

Broad Search Query in Description (10 points):

Is the broad search query (or its plural) present in the description?
The tool checks the page description for each word in the search term. Points are awarded based on the number of words found.
For example, if the description includes "weight" and "loss" but not "diet," it would get 2/3 of 10 points (approximately 6.66 points).

Special Descriptions (30 points):

Has Google highlighted keywords in the description, or is the description data special?
If Google shows a special description for the result, such as tabular data, a list of items, or review data, the page gets 30 points.

Interpreting the On-Page Difficulty Score

The On-Page Difficulty score is a cumulative measure of how well the top 10 pages are optimized for the search term. A higher score indicates that the content is well-optimized, making it more challenging to outrank these pages. Conversely, a lower score suggests that there is room for improvement in on-page optimization, providing an opportunity to rank higher with better-optimized content.

By understanding and leveraging the On-Page Difficulty score, you can identify areas for improvement in your content and develop a more effective SEO strategy to enhance your website's ranking for specific search terms.

SEO Difficulty

SEO Difficulty is a cumulative score that helps gauge how challenging it is to rank at the top for a specific search query. This metric combines several factors to provide a holistic view of the competitive landscape for a given keyword. Understanding SEO Difficulty can help you prioritize your SEO efforts and develop a more effective strategy.

Components of SEO Difficulty

On-Page Difficulty (35%)
Off-Page Difficulty (65%)
Brand Query Difficulty (20% bonus)

Breakdown of Components

On-Page Difficulty (35%)

On-Page Difficulty measures how well-optimized the top 10 pages are for the search query. This includes factors like keyword usage, content quality, meta tags, and internal linking. A high On-Page Difficulty score indicates that the top-ranking pages have highly optimized content, making it harder to outrank them without similar or better optimization.

Off-Page Difficulty (65%)

Off-Page Difficulty assesses the backlink equity of the top 10 pages that rank for the search query. This metric considers the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to these pages. A high Off-Page Difficulty score means that the top-ranking pages have strong backlink profiles, requiring you to build high-quality backlinks to compete effectively.

Brand Query Difficulty (20% bonus)

Brand Query Difficulty is an additional factor that considers branded queries. If a search query includes a well-known brand, it can be more challenging to rank for that query due to the brand's established authority and recognition. This component adds a 20% bonus to the overall difficulty score for branded queries.

How is SEO Difficulty Calculated?

The SEO Difficulty score is calculated using the following formula:

Interpreting SEO Difficulty

Low SEO Difficulty: Easier to rank for the search query. You can achieve higher rankings with moderate on-page and off-page SEO efforts.
Medium SEO Difficulty: Requires a balanced approach with good on-page optimization and a solid backlink strategy.
High SEO Difficulty: Challenging to rank for the search query. You will need excellent on-page optimization, a strong backlink profile, and possibly a well-known brand to compete effectively.