13 Common SEO Mistakes header image with icons for search and analytics

SEO is essential to growing your website’s visibility and organic traffic, but many businesses make mistakes that undermine their efforts. These mistakes can be costly, leading to poor search rankings, decreased user engagement, and lost revenue. 

Drawing from real-world scenarios and our own experience, we’ll walk you through 13 common SEO mistakes and show you how to avoid or fix them using clear, actionable steps to ensure your SEO works effectively.

1. Ignoring Mobile Optimisation

Mobile page with small text, slow speed, and large images indicating poor mobile optimisation.

With more users browsing on mobile devices than desktops, Google has shifted to mobile-first indexing. If your site isn’t optimised for mobile, you could lose rankings and traffic. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly by doing the following:

  • Use Responsive Design: This allows your website to adjust to different screen sizes.
  • Check Mobile Usability in Google Search Console: Identify mobile-specific issues such as touch elements that are too close together or text too small to read.
  • Test Your Mobile Page Speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check load times and optimise performance for mobile users.
  • AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): Consider implementing AMP for faster mobile page load times, especially for content-heavy pages.

2. Poor crawlability

Website with blocked pages and crawl errors due to robots.txt and broken links

Search engines need to be able to crawl and index your site effectively to rank your content. However, many websites—especially those with large volumes of content—suffer from poor crawlability, meaning that search engines can’t easily discover or index all their pages. This can seriously impact how much of your site appears in search results.

What we did was:

  • Optimised the robots.txt file: Ensuring that the pages that should be indexed were accessible and none of the important pages were being accidentally blocked.
  • Fixed broken links: We used tools like Screaming Frog to crawl the site and locate broken internal and external links. Once these were resolved, the overall site architecture became cleaner, and search engines could crawl it more efficiently.
  • Added internal links to orphaned pages: Some high-value pages weren’t being crawled simply because they had no internal links. We ensured search engines could discover and index them by creating relevant internal links from other pages.

3. Over-optimising for Keywords (Keyword Stuffing)

Example of keyword stuffing with repeated keywords highlighted in red and a ranking drop

Keyword stuffing—overloading your content with target keywords—was once a common tactic. However, it now leads to poor readability and user frustration, which can result in penalties from search engines. Instead of stuffing keywords, focus on these techniques:

  • Use Semantic Keywords: Include related terms and synonyms naturally in your content.
  • Answer User Intent: Focus on providing comprehensive, valuable content that answers users’ questions directly.
  • Check Keyword Density: Use tools like Yoast SEO or SEMrush Writing Assistant to check keyword density and readability.
  • Prioritise User Experience: Write for humans, not search engines. Your content should read naturally and provide value to the reader.

4. Poor Internal Linking Structure

Website structure showing broken internal links and orphaned pages not linked correctly

Internal linking helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the importance of different pages. Without proper internal links, important pages may not get indexed or ranked as effectively as possible.

Here’s how to improve your internal linking structure:

  • Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Ensure your anchor text is relevant and descriptive, indicating what the linked page is about.
  • Link to High-Priority Pages: Regularly link to key pages (such as product or category) from within your content.
  • Create a Logical Structure: Organise your internal links to follow a hierarchy, directing users from broader topics to more detailed content.
  • Use Tools: Tools like Screaming Frog can help you audit your internal links and identify broken links or orphaned pages.

5. Failing to Keep Content Updated

Example of outdated content with broken links, old statistics, and low traffic

Outdated content can lead to a drop in rankings over time. Search engines prefer fresh content because it’s more likely to be relevant to users. If you don’t update your content, it may lose its authority, have broken links, or contain outdated information, leading to a poor user experience.

To keep your content fresh:

  • Perform Regular Content Audits: Use tools like ContentKing or Screaming Frog to crawl your website and identify old or outdated pages.
  • Refresh Statistics and Links: Update old statistics, replace broken links, and add new insights to existing articles.
  • Re-optimise Keywords: Use updated keyword research to ensure your content targets the latest search trends.

6. Using Duplicate or Thin Content

Duplicate content example with a warning

Duplicate content confuses search engines and may lead to ranking penalties. Thin content, or pages with little value, can also negatively impact SEO performance by offering poor user experiences.

Here’s what to do:

  • Identify Duplicate Content: Use Copyscape or Siteliner to find and address duplicate content across your site.
  • Consolidate Thin Pages: Merge similar pages or add value by expanding thin content to include more detail, visuals, or multimedia.
  • Canonical Tags: If you must have duplicate content (e.g., due to product pages), use canonical tags to signal the preferred version to search engines.

7. Neglecting Image Optimisation

Unoptimised large images causing slow page load times and missing alt text warnings

Images are important for user experience, but unoptimised images can hurt your website’s performance by slowing down page load times. Since page speed is a key ranking factor, uncompressed or improperly formatted images can significantly negatively impact SEO.

Optimise your images by:

  • Compressing Images: Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to reduce file sizes without compromising quality.
  • Use Proper File Formats: Opt for JPEG for high-quality images and PNG for images with transparent backgrounds.
  • Add Alt Text: Include descriptive alt text to help search engines understand the image content and improve accessibility.
  • Leverage Lazy Loading: Use lazy loading techniques to only load images as they are needed when users scroll through the page.

8. Ignoring Page Speed Optimisation

Example of a slow-loading website with a progress bar stuck and poor page speed scores

Slow websites drive users away and increase bounce rates, which hurts your search engine rankings. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, so a slow website means poor SEO performance.

We’ve helped businesses improve page speed, and the results are always significant. One e-commerce brand we worked with had an impressive product line but struggled with slow page load times. We did a full audit, optimised their images, implemented lazy loading, and even shifted them to faster hosting. The outcome? Not only did their bounce rate drop, but they also saw an x increase in conversion rates. Page speed is often underestimated, but it directly affects both rankings and user experience.

To improve your page speed, here are other things you can implement in your website:

  • Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML: Use tools like UglifyJS and CSSNano to reduce code file sizes.
  • Enable Browser Caching: Use W3 Total Cache for WordPress or configure your server to leverage browser caching.
  • Optimise Server Response Time: Switch to faster hosting or use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) like Cloudflare to speed up delivery.
  • Test Page Speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom to measure your page speed and get improvement recommendations.

9. Not Optimising for Local SEO

Optimising for local search is crucial for businesses with a physical presence or those offering local services. Failing to optimise for local SEO means missing out on traffic from potential customers in your area.

Here’s how to get your local SEO in shape:

  • Claim and Optimise Your Google My Business Profile: Ensure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) is accurate and add business categories, photos, and customer reviews.
  • Use Local Keywords: Incorporate city, town, or regional keywords in your meta tags, URLs, and content.
  • Build Local Citations: Get listed in local directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and niche-specific directories.
  • Encourage Customer Reviews: Positive reviews improve your local ranking and attract more customers.

10. Overlooking Backlink Quality

Not all backlinks are beneficial. Spammy or irrelevant backlinks can lead to penalties from Google, while high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites improve your domain authority and rankings.

Build a strong backlink profile by:

  • Disavowing Toxic Links: Use Google Search Console to identify and disavow harmful backlinks.
  • Focusing on Quality, Not Quantity: Prioritise earning links from high-authority, relevant sites in your industry.
  • Conducting Regular Backlink Audits: Tools like Ahrefs or Moz Link Explorer can help you monitor your backlink profile and identify any toxic or spammy links.

11. Publishing Low-Quality Content 

Low-quality content is typically characterised by thin or generic information that lacks depth, authority, and relevance. Google assesses the quality of content through the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) framework, which is becoming an increasingly important signal in determining the credibility and ranking of web pages.

Google wants to prioritise content that offers in-depth, valuable insights to users. If your content is seen as generic or poorly researched, users are less likely to trust it, hurting your website’s credibility and SEO performance.

To improve content quality and align with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, follow these best practices:

  1. Demonstrate Expertise: Include detailed author bios that showcase their experience and qualifications. This boosts credibility, especially in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics like health, finance, or legal advice.
  2. Comprehensive and Well-Researched Content: Avoid short or shallow articles. Create content that deepens the subject matter, offering practical, unique insights. Use authoritative sources to back up claims.
  3. Update and Fact-Check Regularly: Ensure that your content remains up-to-date, especially in fast-moving industries. Fact-check information regularly to maintain accuracy.
  4. Improve Content Structure: Organize your content in a way that is easy to read and understand. Use headings, bullet points, and visuals to break down complex information.
  5. Incorporate User-Generated Content Carefully: While user-generated content (UGC) can add value, poor-quality UGC should be moderated or enhanced to maintain content standards.

Incorporating these strategies will ensure that your content is high-quality and signals expertise and authority to both users and search engines, aligning with the E-E-A-T framework to boost your SEO rankings.

12. Not Having a Clear SEO Strategy

SEO is a long-term effort that requires a cohesive strategy. Random actions without a plan can lead to inconsistent results and wasted resources.

Create a structured SEO plan by:

  • Conducting Keyword Research: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify high-value keywords.
  • Developing a Content Calendar: Plan your content creation based on seasonal trends and search volume data.
  • Regularly Auditing Your Site: Schedule periodic SEO audits to optimise technical SEO, backlinks, and content.
  • Set Clear Goals: Define your SEO goals regarding rankings, traffic, or conversion rates, and track progress over time.

13. Not Monitoring Website Performance Metrics

SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. If you’re not monitoring your website’s performance, you may be missing critical insights that can help you refine your strategy. A lack of data-driven decisions will hurt your long-term SEO goals.

Use the following tools to track and monitor your website’s performance:

  • Google Analytics: Track organic traffic, user behaviour, and bounce rates.
  • Google Search Console: Monitor search performance, crawl errors, and index coverage issues.
  • SEMrush or Ahrefs: Get detailed reports on your site’s rankings, backlinks, and keyword performance.
  • Set Alerts: Use tools like Google Data Studio to create SEO dashboards and automated alerts for traffic drops or ranking issues.

Conclusion

Avoiding these 13 common SEO mistakes is essential for improving your website’s search rankings, user experience, and organic traffic. By taking proactive measures and implementing the solutions provided, you can fix critical issues that could be holding your site back from its full potential.

Want to improve your SEO performance even more? Contact us today for a comprehensive SEO audit and tailored solutions to ensure your site performs at its best.