Why Your SEO Audit Tool Is Lying to You
That 98/100 SEO score looks great. But it might be hiding real problems that affect your actual rankings.
James Wolf
Founder @ SlyDuck
The Vanity Score Problem
SEO audit tools love big numbers. "Your SEO score: 98/100!" But what does that number actually mean?
Usually: Your pages have title tags, alt text, meta descriptions. Basic technical checks pass.
What it doesn't tell you: Whether your content actually ranks, if pages are being crawled properly, what competitors are doing better.
What SEO Tools Miss
The Hard Stuff
- Crawl depth and coverage
- Content quality
- Backlink profile
- Real ranking performance
The Sample Size Problem
Most tools crawl 1% of your site. What's on the other 99%?
The Point-in-Time Problem
One-time audits are snapshots. SEO is ongoing.
What Actually Moves Rankings
- Content that matches intent - Actually answers what users want
- Backlinks - Still matter, still hard to get
- Technical foundation - Speed, mobile, crawlability
- User engagement - Click-through rate, time on page
A Better Approach
- Know what you're ranking for (Search Console)
- Audit continuously, not annually
- Prioritize by impact
- Track outcomes, not scores
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SlyDuck's SEO scans catch technical issues and track changes over time. Start scanning.
SEO monitoring that matters
SlyDuck scans what actually impacts rankings—technical foundation, AI crawler access, and ongoing changes. Not vanity scores.
Get Real SEO InsightsJames Wolf
Founder @ SlyDuck
Building SlyDuck: the growth dashboard for vibe coders. Builder, leader, Dad, creator.
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