5 SEO Issues That Might Not Really Be Issues At All In 2025

As a business owner in 2025, you’ve probably received countless emails from so-called marketing experts warning you that your website is failing to perform and your SEO needs improvement. These emails often come loaded with scary terms, automated audits, and vague promises of results. While some of the issues flagged might have merit, many are based on outdated practices, flawed tools, or outright misinformation designed to pressure you into buying services you might not need.

To help you navigate this minefield of misinformation, we’ve put together this updated guide for 2025. Below, we break down five of the most common SEO myths still being circulated in free website audits and explain what really matters.

 

1. Missing H1 Header Tags

One of the most common red flags in unsolicited SEO reports is the claim that your site lacks an H1 header tag. H1 tags are used to define the main heading of a page. They help organize content and improve accessibility. Google has made it clear that while H1s help structure your content, they are not a primary ranking factor. Your page won’t be penalized if one is missing and many automated audit tools incorrectly report missing headers, making this an unreliable metric. Using the H1 tag effectively can still provide benefits in 2025. 

 

How to Check for H1 Tags Yourself

1. Navigate to any primary page on your website (such as the home, service, or product pages).
2. Press CTRL + U (Windows) or Command + Option + U (Mac) to view the page’s source code.
3. Use CTRL + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac) and search for <h1>.

 

If you find an <h1> tag, the audit tool’s claim is likely incorrect. If not, consider adding one, but focus on making it meaningful for users, not just bots. Ensuring your content is engaging, informative and structured properly is far more important than worrying about a missing H1 tag.

 

Bottom Line: H1 tags play a role in organizing content and improving user experience by signaling what a page is about. But they’re not a silver bullet for SEO. Search engines care far more about clear, relevant content that serves the reader. So while proper heading structure matters, focus first on creating high-quality content that’s easy to understand and genuinely useful.

 

2. Long Meta Descriptions (and Google’s Dynamic Snippets)

Another common warning from free audits is that your meta descriptions are too long, too short, missing, or duplicated. Meta descriptions provide users with a preview of your page content in search engine results. While this can affect how your listing appears in search results, it doesn’t directly impact your Google ranking. 

 

Key SEO Updates for 2025:

Google is now dynamically rewriting meta descriptions more often than ever, pulling snippets directly from your page that better align with a user’s search intent. This means the meta description you write might not be what shows up in search results.

While meta descriptions don’t directly impact rankings, they still matter—a lot. Their main role is to improve click-through rates by making your link more compelling and relevant. Focus on writing clear, helpful summaries that align with what people are actually searching for.

 

Best Practices:

• Write compelling, user-focused descriptions.
• Include your main keyword naturally.
• Keep it under 160 characters for better visibility, but don’t obsess over exact length.

 

Example: 

Bad: “We offer a variety of services to help businesses with all of their needs.”

Better: “Fast, reliable HVAC services in Austin. Expert AC repair, furnace installs, and 24/7 emergency support—keep your home comfortable year-round.”

 

Bottom Line: Don’t stress if Google doesn’t show your exact meta description.
Google often rewrites meta descriptions to better match the user’s search query, pulling content directly from your page that it sees as more relevant. This is normal—and it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.

What you can control is writing a strong, compelling meta description that accurately reflects your content and aligns with user intent. Even if it’s not always displayed as-is, it still plays a role in influencing how search engines understand your page and can boost your click-through rate when it is shown. Think of it as a pitch to the reader: keep it clear, relevant, and benefit-focused.

 

3. Long Title Tags: Think Beyond the 60-Character Rule

A title tag is the clickable headline that appears in search engine results and browser tabs. It tells both users and search engines what a page is about, and is still a significant SEO ranking factor. Automated audit tools often flag title tags longer than 50-60 characters as problematic. This guideline is more about display than SEO performance. Google still truncates long titles in search results. In 2025, Google reads and indexes your entire title tag, so longer, keyword-rich titles can still be beneficial.

 

Best Practices:

• Keep title tags descriptive and natural-sounding.
• Ensure brand trust signals are included in titles (e.g., business name, credentials, and expertise).

 

Example of a Good Title Tag: “Austin HVAC Services | Reliable Heating & Cooling Experts | CoolAir Solutions”

This might get trimmed in the search results, but the full context still helps with indexing.

 

Avoid:

• Keyword stuffing “Best HVAC Austin Heating Cooling AC Repair Austin TX”. Search engines are smart enough to recognize when you’re overloading a tag with keywords just to rank.
• Generic phrases without value “Welcome to Our Website”.

 

Bottom Line: Your title tag is one of the most important signals for both Google and your audience. It should clearly communicate what the page is about, using language that’s relevant, accurate, and aligned with the user’s search intent. Don’t just focus on making it short—focus on making it useful. A good title builds trust, sets clear expectations, and encourages people to click. Treat it like your first impression in search results—because that’s exactly what it is.

 

4. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals: A Critical SEO Factor

Site speed remains a key ranking factor—and a user experience essential. That said, the link between site speed and SEO performance is often misunderstood. Google continues to prioritize fast-loading websites because speed directly affects how users interact with a page. Slow sites lead to higher bounce rates, lower engagement, and lost conversions. From an SEO perspective, faster sites are easier for search engines to crawl and index, which can also positively influence rankings. In 2025, Google places even more emphasis on Core Web Vitals—metrics that measure real-world user experience.

 

Key Factors to Optimize:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How fast the main content loads. It should be within 2.5 seconds.
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Replacing First Input Delay (FID), INP measures overall responsiveness by tracking the time between a user interaction and the next visual update. An INP under 200 milliseconds is considered optimal.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures how visually stable your page is as it loads. A low CLS means elements don’t unexpectedly move around, creating a smoother, more user-friendly experience.

 

CLS Scoring Guidelines (per Google):

• Good: 0.1 or less
• Needs Improvement: Greater than 0.1 and up to 0.25
• Poor: Above 0.25

 

Example:

If elements on your page shift around a lot while it’s loading (like buttons or images jumping), your CLS score goes up. Keeping it ≤ 0.1 ensures a visually stable experience.

 

Bottom Line: Site Speed is still as important as ever. But in 2025, don’t just rely on quick fixes like caching or image compression. While those are helpful, business owners should take a broader approach to site performance. Tools like the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights offer deeper insights into how real users experience your site. These tools highlight specific performance issues—like slow load times, layout shifts, or input delays—that may not be obvious at first glance. By using them regularly, you can prioritize the changes that will have the biggest impact on user experience and SEO, instead of applying generic solutions.

 

5. NAP Audits & Local SEO Changes

Many SEO companies perform regular NAP (Name, Address, Phone) audits to ensure your local listing and business information is consistent across the web. Ensuring your (NAP) information is consistent across the web remains important. You’ve probably seen audits warning you about inconsistent NAP data, but many automated tools still misinterpret minor discrepancies (e.g., “Street” vs. “St.”).

 

Key Updates for 2025:

• Google has rolled out AI-driven enhancements, making business profiles even more dynamic.
• Regularly updating your Google Business Profile with posts, Q&As, and customer engagement boosts local search visibility.
• Reputation management and review responses now play an even bigger role in local ranking.

 

Bottom Line: NAP consistency still matters, but it’s no longer just about matching addresses line-for-line. In 2025, local SEO is more dynamic—driven by how active, accurate, and engaging your online presence is. Regularly update your Google Business Profile, respond to reviews, and make sure your business info is not only correct but also current. Google’s smarter algorithms now look beyond basic data and reward businesses that stay active, trustworthy, and responsive across local platforms.

 

Final Thoughts: Stay Informed, Stay Smart

These five issues are among the most common red flags raised in unsolicited SEO audits—but they’re far from the only tricks spammy marketers use to create panic and urgency. Many of these audits are built to sound alarming, even when the problems they highlight are minor or misrepresented. Before acting on any unexpected SEO warning, pause and verify. Not every alert requires a fix—and some could do more harm than good.

Need clarity? Our team is here to give you honest, data-driven insights—no scare tactics, no pressure. Just real guidance that helps your SEO work smarter.