GBP/Local-First Audit Mode (No-Website Clients)

Implemented: MC #102861 (2026-06-03)
Driver: First real client Smoke House Hadžići (no website, GBP-only) via partner Asmir
Status: PASS — type-check, build, validate:phase4, validate:phase5, validate:gbp-local

Overview

The SEO Readiness Portal now supports clients who do not have a website and rely solely on Google Business Profile (GBP) as their primary online presence. This is a common scenario for small local businesses (restaurants, trades, services).

When a client is detected as no-website, the audit runner switches into GBP-first mode and runs a different checklist tailored to local optimization best practices.

Detection Logic

No-website mode is activated when:

intake.hasWebsite === false (explicit opt-in), OR
site.canonicalUrl is empty or blank (implicit)

The detection is implemented in src/lib/audit/runner.ts function isNoWebsiteMode(site, intake).

New Intake Fields (Optional, Non-Breaking)

Three new fields have been added to the Intake type (src/lib/workspace/types.ts):

Field	Type	Purpose
`hasWebsite`	`boolean?`	Explicit override: when false, forces no-website mode even if canonicalUrl is not empty
`gbpClaimed`	`boolean?`	Whether the business owner has claimed the GBP listing
`gbpManagerAccess`	`boolean?`	Whether ALAI/partner has been added as a manager to the GBP listing

All three are optional and undefined-safe. Existing fixtures and validations are unaffected.

GBP-First Checklist (12 Checks)

When no-website mode is active, the audit runs the following checks instead of website-dependent checks:

Check ID	Severity	Category	Description
`intake-not-submitted`	P1	evidence	Intake must be submitted or reviewed before workspace is review-ready
`gbp-first-strategy`	P1	local	Strategy finding: recommends GBP-first approach + optional simple-site later
`gbp-not-claimed`	P0	local	Business owner has not claimed the GBP listing → cannot manage or optimize
`gbp-manager-access-missing`	P1	local	ALAI/partner not added as manager → cannot perform optimization work
`gbp-claim-status-unknown`	P1	local	Claim/manager status not confirmed → action recommended to clarify
`gbp-nap-url-missing`	P1	local	GBP URL not recorded → NAP consistency cannot be verified
`gbp-primary-category-missing`	P2	local	Priority services missing → cannot determine correct GBP primary category
`gbp-hours-not-confirmed`	P2	local	Business hours not confirmed → can reduce customer trust
`gbp-photos-not-confirmed`	P2	local	Photos not confirmed → profiles with photos attract more engagement
`gbp-review-routine-not-confirmed`	P2	local	Review response routine not set → important trust/engagement signal
`gbp-posts-not-confirmed`	P2	local	GBP posts activity not confirmed → posts keep profile active and relevant
`missing-priority-services`	P2	content	Priority services missing → needed for page/backlog recommendations
`missing-competitors`	P2	content	Competitor list missing → needed for manual review context
`access-status-unknown`	P2	evidence	Analytics/Search Console access status unknown

Total: 12 checks in no-website mode vs. 6 in standard website mode.

Skipped Website-Dependent Checks

The following checks are conditionally skipped in no-website mode:

httpsCanonicalCheck — requires canonicalUrl
domainMatchCheck — requires canonicalUrl and domain

These are replaced by the GBP-specific checks above.

Report/Backlog/Export Flow

GBP-first findings flow through the existing report/backlog/export workflow with no changes:

Findings are categorized (new local category introduced)
Backlog conversion works as normal
Markdown export includes all GBP findings
No-ranking disclaimer is preserved

Validation Scripts

A new fixture script validates the no-website path:

npm run validate:gbp-local

This runs scripts/validate-gbp-local.ts which:

Creates a test client with empty canonicalUrl
Runs the local audit in no-website mode
Asserts exactly 12 checks are run
Confirms gbp-first-strategy finding is present

Existing validations remain unchanged and passing:

npm run validate:phase4 — standard website path (6 checks)
npm run validate:phase5 — report generation

GBP API Integration (Deferred)

Important operator note: This is a manual-input MVP. The portal does not integrate with the Google Business Profile API to fetch live data (photos count, reviews count, hours, etc.).

All GBP checks rely on:

Intake fields (gbpClaimed, gbpManagerAccess, googleBusinessProfileUrl)
Intake notes (hours/photos/reviews confirmed via text patterns)

Live GBP API integration is a follow-on scope, likely in parallel with Google Search Console/Analytics integration (MC #102806 deferred).

Safe Defaults

All GBP checks follow a fail-closed philosophy:

If a field is undefined or unknown → emit an "action recommended" finding (P1 or P2)
Never emit a false pass

Example: if gbpClaimed is undefined, the check emits gbp-claim-status-unknown (P1) asking the operator to confirm with the client.

Implementation Evidence

Source: src/lib/audit/runner.ts lines 124-437
Types: src/lib/workspace/types.ts lines 54-63
Fixture: scripts/validate-gbp-local.ts
Validation: npm run validate:gbp-local passes
Build: npm run type-check and npm run build pass

Summary

The SEO Readiness Portal now handles two client profiles:

Website clients (existing path) — 6 checks, website-dependent validation
No-website / GBP-only clients (new path) — 12 checks, GBP-first optimization

Detection is automatic based on canonicalUrl or explicit hasWebsite flag. Both paths use the same report/backlog/export workflow. No breaking changes to existing fixtures or validations.