What a Local SEO Technical Audit in Boise Actually Finds (and the Numbers That Matter)

The Findings That Come Up Again and Again

Most technical SEO audits turn up the same handful of issues, whether the site is brand new or ten years old. Some are quick fixes, and others take more digging. Here are the findings we see most often and what they actually mean for your site.

One broken link that looks like dozens of errors

A broken link in your header, footer, or menu can appear as an error on every page, even though there’s only one link to fix. That’s why we look for the cause rather than just counting errors. Google notes that URLs returning a 4xx error aren’t indexed, and previously indexed URLs can eventually be removed. But the more immediate problem is often a visitor clicking a link and ending up nowhere.

A mobile speed score you shouldn’t panic over

PageSpeed Insights gives you two types of information. Lab data comes from a simulated page load, while field data reflects real Chrome users over the previous 28 days. Google also explains that scores can change between tests because of network conditions and devices, even when nothing on your website has changed. Read Google’s explanation here.

A five-point change in your score isn’t necessarily a reason to worry. Look at the pattern across several tests and the metrics behind it. Google’s Core Web Vitals targets, measured at the 75th percentile of real page loads, are Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less, Interaction to Next Paint of 200 milliseconds or less, and Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.1 or less. For lab scores, 90 or higher is good, 50 to 89 needs improvement, and below 50 is poor. See the Core Web Vitals thresholds if you’d like to check yours.

Your mobile experience matters, too. Google uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking, so missing content or poor mobile performance can affect how your site appears in search.

Images with no alt text

Missing alt text is often an easy fix. Google uses it alongside the surrounding content to understand an image, and screen readers use it to describe images to people who can’t see them. Be specific and useful. For example, “Dalmatian puppy playing fetch” tells someone more than “puppy.” Avoid adding keywords that don’t belong, since Google warns against keyword stuffing. You can find more in its image best practices.

A scary-looking flag that turns out to be nothing

An error in Google Search Console or a crawl report can look serious at first. Sometimes, though, it’s an old record for a page that no longer exists. Google says it eventually stops using URLs that begin returning errors. This is where experience matters. A tool might flag fifty issues, but only a handful may need attention. The goal is to figure out which ones actually matter.

Pages that compete with each other, or that Google can’t pick between

Duplicate or nearly identical pages can come from URL variations, tracking parameters, or two pages targeting the same search, which is often called keyword cannibalization. It isn’t a penalty, but Google may struggle to decide which page to show. We check that your canonical tags, internal links, redirects, and sitemap point to one preferred version, and that each page has its own clear focus.

Pages blocked by accident

A leftover noindex tag or robots.txt rule from a redesign can keep an important page out of Google even though it looks perfectly normal to visitors. It’s an easy problem to overlook unless someone checks for it.

Redirect chains and loops

Over time, a website can collect redirects that lead to more redirects. Those extra steps slow visitors down and make search engines follow a longer path. When possible, the old URL should point directly to the final page.

Orphan pages

An orphan page is a page with no internal links pointing to it. It might be a service page, location page, or older blog post that still exists but is difficult for visitors and search engines to discover.

Sitemap problems

Your sitemap should contain the pages you want Google to index. We often look for old redirects, deleted URLs, noindexed pages, or outdated sitemap files. Google’s limit is 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed per sitemap file, which most small businesses won’t come close to. Still, keeping yours accurate matters.

Insecure or mixed content

When an HTTPS website still loads certain images, scripts, or other resources over HTTP, visitors may see browser warnings. These mixed-content issues often come from old URLs that were never updated.

Heading and page structure problems

Missing H1 headings, multiple competing H1s, or headings used only to change text size can make a page harder to follow. Clear headings help visitors, screen readers, search engines, and AI tools understand how your content is organized.

Plugin and script bloat

WordPress websites can accumulate plugins, page builders, and tracking scripts over the years. Some load on every page whether they’re needed or not, which can slow things down, especially on mobile. Sometimes the best fix is removing what you no longer use rather than installing another optimization plugin.

Thin, duplicated, or missing page titles and descriptions

Generic or repeated page titles such as “Home” or “Services” don’t tell people much about what they’ll find. Each page needs a clear, relevant title that reflects its content and the way people search. We also check for missing, duplicated, or thin meta descriptions.

Structured data errors

Structured data, or schema markup, can be missing, broken, or inconsistent with what’s visible on the page. For a local business, that might mean the address or phone number in the markup doesn’t match the website or Google Business Profile.

What Else a Technical SEO Audit Checks

Those are some of the most common findings. A thorough technical SEO audit also checks the following areas to make sure everything works together.

Can Google find and read your pages?

We review your robots.txt file, sitemap, and indexing settings to see whether Google can access your important pages. A setting left over from a redesign can block a page without changing how it looks to visitors.

Are your status codes and redirects clean?

Moving or deleting a page needs the right response. Google recommends a permanent redirect, such as a 301 or 308, when a move is final, and a temporary redirect when it isn’t. We also check for unnecessary redirect steps that send people on a detour. See Google’s redirect guidance for more detail.

Does your mobile site match your desktop site?

Because Google uses the mobile version of your website for indexing, important information shouldn’t disappear on smaller screens. Google recommends keeping your content, headings, image alt text, titles, descriptions, and structured data consistent across mobile and desktop. Missing mobile content can affect search traffic. Here’s Google’s mobile-first indexing guidance.

Are your internal links working?

We check for broken internal links and pages with no links pointing to them. Even a useful page can be difficult for visitors and search engines to find if nothing else on your website leads to it.

What’s Different About a Local Audit

A local SEO audit looks beyond the website itself. For a Boise business, that means checking whether your name, address, and phone number match across your website, Google Business Profile, and local directories. We also review the areas you serve, the usefulness of your location and service-area pages, and whether your profile is complete. Just as importantly, we look at the businesses appearing alongside you in Google Maps, since those competitors aren’t always the same ones you see in regular search.

Crawl Budget Probably Isn’t Your Problem

Some audit reports make crawl budget sound like a major concern for every website. Google’s guidance is primarily aimed at very large sites, such as those with a million or more unique pages that change regularly or around 10,000 pages changing daily. Those aren’t exact thresholds, but most Boise business websites are nowhere near them. For a smaller site, keeping your sitemap current and reviewing the Page Indexing report is usually more useful than worrying about crawl budget. Here’s Google’s crawl budget guidance.

What You Can Check Yourself in 30 Minutes

You can catch some common problems yourself without buying software. Set aside about 30 minutes and start with these checks.

Click through your own site

Open the links in your header and footer, including your social media icons. A broken link in one of these areas can affect every page.

Look at it on your phone

Visit your website on your phone. Make sure the content is there, nothing is cut off, and pages don’t take too long to load.

Run PageSpeed Insights a few times

Run more than one test. When real-user data is available, pay attention to it rather than focusing on a single lab score.

Check Google Search Console

Open the Page Indexing report and check your sitemap. If an important page isn’t indexed, find out why before making changes.

Look for missing alt text

Look through your most important pages and check whether informative images have useful descriptions.

How We Approach Technical Audits

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