---
title: Website Technical SEO Fixes — 2026-02-24
type: article
created: '2026-02-24'
updated: '2026-02-24'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-02-24-weekly-call-w-sebastian-124924068.md
tags:
- cordwainer
- seo
- wordpress
- gravity-forms
- smtp
- callrail
- technical-seo
layer: 2
client_source: The Cordwainer
industry_context: senior-living
transferable: false
---

# Website Technical SEO Fixes — 2026-02-24

Discussed during [[wiki/meetings/2026-02-24-weekly-call-sebastian|Weekly Call w/ Sebastian — 2026-02-24]]. A set of technical and on-page fixes identified for the Cordwainer website to improve SEO health and form reliability.

## Overview

A site audit surfaced several structural and technical issues on the Cordwainer website: orphaned pages with no internal links, incorrect H1 tags, broken form notifications, and an unresolved SMTP configuration problem. These were prioritized alongside [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/2026-02-24-google-ads-optimization|Google Ads optimization]] and [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/2026-02-24-content-strategy-surfer-seo|content improvements]] as part of the broader effort to drive leads and fill beds.

---

## Issues & Resolutions

### 1. Orphan Pages

**Problem:** Several pages have no internal links pointing to them, making them invisible to crawlers and users.

**Pages affected:**
- Respite Care
- Professional Events (link via "Request a Brochure" in footer)

**Fix:** Add footer links to each orphaned page. For "Request a Brochure," create a footer entry that links directly to the relevant page so it is no longer isolated.

**Owner:** Sebastian Gant (via Eshock)

---

### 2. H1 Tag Corrections

**Problem:** Incorrect H1 tags exist across multiple pages on the site.

**Fix:** Audit and correct all H1s site-wide.

**Owner:** Sebastian Gant (via Eshock)

**Note:** Mark ran an additional crawl the morning of this call and identified further issues. A follow-up crawl should be run after fixes are applied — it typically takes 3–4 crawl cycles to reach a clean state.

---

### 3. Form Migration: WP Forms → Gravity Forms

**Problem:** WP Forms is not sending admin notification emails. The site previously used Gravity Forms before switching to WP Forms, likely in an attempt to resolve this same issue — but the root cause was never fixed.

**Root cause:** WordPress sends email natively via PHP, which almost never works reliably. The underlying SMTP configuration is broken.

**Fix:**
1. Revert to Gravity Forms (Sebastian / Eshock)
2. Fix SMTP configuration so outbound email works correctly (Mark)
3. Test admin notifications end-to-end after both changes are applied

**Owners:**
- Sebastian Gant — switch forms plugin, configure Gravity Forms
- Mark Hope — resolve SMTP issue

> "I think there's an issue with their SMTP which needs to be addressed right away. But Gravity Forms needs to be there. We don't want this form that's on there now." — Mark Hope

---

### 4. SMTP Configuration

**Problem:** WordPress is using PHP mail, which is unreliable and is the likely cause of all outbound email failures (including form notifications).

**Fix:** Configure a proper SMTP connection for the WordPress installation.

**Owner:** Mark Hope

**Dependency:** Must be resolved before Gravity Forms notification testing is meaningful.

---

### 5. CallRail Setup

**Decision:** Start with **static numbers** rather than dynamic number swapping.

**Rationale:** Dynamic number insertion can confuse customers who expect to see a consistent phone number. Static numbers avoid this friction while still enabling call tracking.

**Owner:** Sebastian Gant

---

### 6. Minor Content/UI Fixes

The following small issues were also flagged during the call:

| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Blog post CTA button reads "RSVP" | Change to "Learn More" |
| One blog page displays a trophy image | Remove the incorrect image |

**Owner:** Sebastian Gant (via Eshock)

---

## Action Items

- [ ] Add internal links for Respite Care page and "Request a Brochure" footer link (@Sebastian Gant)
- [ ] Fix H1 tags across the site (@Sebastian Gant / Eshock)
- [ ] Switch forms from WP Forms to Gravity Forms and test notifications (@Sebastian Gant / Eshock)
- [ ] Configure SMTP for WordPress; verify Gravity Forms admin emails send correctly (@Mark Hope)
- [ ] Set up CallRail with static numbers (@Sebastian Gant)
- [ ] Change blog CTA from "RSVP" to "Learn More" (@Sebastian Gant / Eshock)
- [ ] Remove trophy image from blog page (@Sebastian Gant / Eshock)
- [ ] Run new site crawl after fixes are applied (@Mark Hope)

---

## Related

- [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/2026-02-24-google-ads-optimization|Google Ads Optimization — 2026-02-24]]
- [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/2026-02-24-content-strategy-surfer-seo|Content Strategy: Surfer SEO — 2026-02-24]]
- [[wiki/clients/current/cordwainer/_index|Cordwainer Client Overview]]