Technical SEO Case Study: 850% Health Score Boost

Explore our technical SEO case study on Visit Seattle. See how a massive SEO audit achieved an 850% health score win.

Visit Seattle is a nonprofit that connects tourists with over 750 local businesses. Their mission drives economic growth through tourism promotion for Seattle and King County.

Their website suffered from major technical SEO issues and bloat. Plus, their organic search traffic plummeted after Google’s August Core Update.

We partnered with Visit Seattle to fix these issues fast. Our SEO experts did a thorough website audit to reclaim their momentum.

This case study shows how our effective SEO strategy improved their site health by 850%.

We’ll reveal our step-by-step search engine optimization strategies. You’ll see the exact process we used to solve the technical errors and prune 70% of their web pages.

The best part? These same SEO techniques can work for your website, too.

Let’s explore how we did it.

The Challenges Visit Seattle Faced

Visit Seattle’s website hid a mountain of technical problems. Our audit exposed the challenges we faced and why it mattered.

SEO Problems, Challenges, and Pain Points

Our SEO audits revealed six core problems crushing Visit Seattle’s performance. These issues affected rankings, traffic, and user experience.

The Impact of These SEO Challenges

The technical SEO problems created three urgent business setbacks.

Here’s how the issues affected Visit Seattle’s growth:

• Reduced Visibility: The site struggled to rank for high-value tourism keywords. This limited their reach to potential Seattle visitors.
• Missed Opportunities: Outdated and unoptimized content hindered SEO efforts. This led to lost rankings and potential partnerships.
• Lower Engagement: Low-quality and irrelevant pages caused friction. This led to low engagement rates and session duration.

Visit Seattle’s SEO Goals

Visit Seattle set clear targets for the SEO project:

Our SEO Strategy and Solutions

Visit Seattle needed quick results. We developed a clear action plan to resolve their technical SEO problems and got to work.

Let’s break down each step of our process.

Project Timeline

Our team completed this project in 8 weeks. We started making changes Sep 17 and completed on Nov 15.

• Sitemap audit and first technical SEO audit: 3 weeks
• Content audit and post technical SEO audit: 5 weeks

SEO Analysis Tools Used

SEO Tool	Purpose
Screaming Frog	Technical site crawler and auditing
Ahrefs	Backlink analysis and keyword research
Google Analytics 4	User behavior and traffic data
Google Search Console	Search performance tracking

Step 1: Technical SEO Audit

We started with a complete website analysis using Screaming Frog and Ahrefs. These SEO tools crawled every page to find technical problems.

This initial technical audit of the website uncovered 58,785 errors holding the site back.

We organized each error by SEO impact. High-priority issues went first.

Our team also built a dashboard for fixing technical issues. This kept the project focused and efficient. The Visit Seattle team could also keep track of our progress.

Step 2: Sitemap Optimization

We ran a sitemap audit using Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and a custom dashboard. Our audit exposed a bloated structure that impacted SEO performance.

Visit Seattle started with 29 sitemaps full of outdated and duplicate content. These pages made it harder for search engines to crawl and index high-priority pages.

Sitemap Cleanup Process:

1. Cut from 29 sitemaps to 6 core sitemaps to streamline the site architecture
2. Removed 13 outdated and broken sitemaps, wasting Google’s crawl budget
3. Noindexed 8 unnecessary sitemaps to ensure only relevant pages appear in search results
4. Added canonical tags to 1,611 member listings, causing duplicate content conflicts

This streamlined sitemap structure improves crawl efficiency and focuses on indexing high-value pages.

How? It guides search engine bots to relevant content for better rankings.

Step 3: Content Audit

Our content audit dug deep into Visit Seattle’s website performance. We needed precise data to make informed decisions about every page.

We combined Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Google Analytics 4, and Google Search Console data for a complete analysis.

We looked at organic traffic trends over 12 months. This data guided our content strategy.

We sorted every URL into clear action categories:

Action	Description
Keep	High-performing pages driving results
Update	Relevant pages needing optimization
Consolidate	Similar content to merge
Remove	Poor-performing pages hurting site quality
Noindex	Pages with internal value only

 

The audit revealed which content connected with visitors. It also showed us where to focus our SEO efforts for maximum impact.

For example, pages with zero traffic, backlinks, and engagement got axed. Whereas, high-traffic pages with poor engagement need updates.

Step 4: Content Pruning

Our content pruning focused on removing pages that hurt Visit Seattle’s SEO performance. We used data from our content audit to make strategic cuts.

The pruning process required careful planning to avoid sudden traffic drops. We checked each page for potential value before removal.

For example, business essential and high-traffic pages about Seattle stayed live.

Our pruning strategy paid off. We cut site bloat from 8,466 pages to 2,535 pages. This 70% reduction ensures search engines focus on Visit Seattle’s best content.

Step 5: Site Structure Improvement

We simplified Visit Seattle’s site architecture to amplify rankings and user experience.

The old maze of pages turned into an easy path. Visitors and crawlers now find what they need. No dead ends. Less friction. Better usability.

A win for users and search engines!

Why it matters? Search engines can understand content relationships better. More efficient crawling can multiply rankings, traffic, and brand awareness.

The simplified structure also provides users with a seamless experience. That means visitors explore more of Seattle. Attractions, events, guides, and businesses are easy to find.

Results of our SEO Audit

Numbers tell the real story. Our 8-week SEO campaign delivered significant improvement.

The site health score jumped 850%. Thousands of errors vanished. The bloated website became a lean ranking machine.

Let’s break down the exact SEO results.

Key SEO Improvements

Here are the numbers to prove technical SEO success:

Organic Traffic

Organic traffic shifted during our cleanup. Monthly visits moved from 143,532 on Sep 17 to 136,340 on Nov 14.

This 5.01% traffic dip makes sense. We removed thousands of pages to improve overall site quality.

Before and After Comparison Results

Metric	Sep 17	Nov 14	Change
Health Score	8	76	+850%
Total Technical Issues	58,785	13,609	-76.9%
Pages with Errors	7,817	616	-92.1%
Total Sitemaps	29	6	-79.3%
Total Pages in Sitemap	8,292	1,844	-77.8%
Total Website Pages	8,466	2,535	-70%
Organic Traffic	143,532	136,340	-5.01%

What These Results Mean for Visit Seattle

The technical SEO headways created five big wins for the client’s website:

Improve Your SEO with Gravitate

Your website might face similar technical SEO problems. Our team will find and resolve issues holding your site back.

We deliver results through:

• Technical SEO audits that find hidden errors
• Data-driven solutions that improve site health
• Detailed reporting that shows real progress

Ready to improve your technical SEO?

Schedule a free 30-minute strategy call. We’ll review your site and share opportunities for growth.

Book Your Free Discovery Call

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Technical SEO and Content Audit FAQs

You have questions about our technical SEO case study? We have answers. These FAQs explain the basics and show how proper optimization grows your business.

What Is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO involves optimizing a site to improve search engine crawling, indexing, and ranking. It ensures a strong foundation for better visibility in search engine results.

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

Technical SEO is important because it solves issues that hold back your rankings, organic traffic, and revenue. A technically sound site loads fast, works on all devices, and is easy for search engines to index.

What Is a Content Audit?

A content audit reviews your indexable pages to evaluate performance. It shows which pages deliver value, support your goals, and meet SEO standards. Use these insights to determine which pages to keep, update, merge, or remove.

Why Is a Content Audit Useful?

A content audit is useful because it reveals which pages drive value and which need work. It shows exactly where to focus your SEO efforts. Regular audits also ensure your content stays relevant and aligned with your goals.

Will Removing Content Hurt My Rankings?

Removing website content will not hurt your rankings when done right. In most cases, deleting low-value content will improve your organic rankings. It keeps search engines focused on your best pages and drives better organic traffic.

How Does Google’s Core Update Impact Rankings?

Google’s Core Updates reward quality content and punish low-value pages. They prioritize relevance, search intent, user experience, and other ranking factors. Discover more about Google Core updates.

Can Gravitate Handle Large, Complex Websites?

Yes. Visit Seattle proves we handle sites with thousands of pages. No technical SEO project is too big or complex for our digital marketing agency. Book your free discovery call to see how we can grow your brand.

How Soon Can I See Results From an SEO Audit?

Results from an SEO audit can vary depending on the scope of work. Clients often see improvements within 2-3 months. Better crawling and indexing happen first. Rankings and traffic grow as changes take effect.

How Often Should I Get an SEO Audit?

We recommend getting an SEO audit at least once a year. Or when you notice drops in traffic, rankings, and site performance. Regular audits keep your website optimized and competitive.