You can have great content and the perfect keyword strategy, but if your website is plagued with technical flaws, search engines won’t reward it.
The worst part is that these issues aren’t always obvious. They lurk beneath the surface and quietly drag down your rankings. These are the things you need to fix:
Technical SEO Issues
Slow Website Speed
People don’t have patience for sluggish sites. A report from Google shows that if a page takes more than three seconds to load, over 53% of visitors leave. That’s lost traffic, lost leads and lost sales.
Google doesn’t like slow websites, either. It prioritises fast-loading pages because speed directly impacts user experience. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose and fix speed issues.
Broken Links and 404 Errors
Every broken link on your site is a roadblock for both users and search engines.
When a visitor clicks a link expecting valuable content but ends up on a 404 error page, it signals poor maintenance and erodes trust. Google sees this, too. Search engines question its reliability if your site is littered with broken links.
Fixing broken links isn’t complicated. Run regular audits, redirect outdated pages to relevant content, and ensure every site link serves a purpose. However, if you’re not confident in fixing this technical issue, trust SEO experts from a leading digital marketing agency to get the job done right.
Poor Mobile Responsiveness
With over 60% of searches coming from mobile devices, a non-mobile-friendly site means lost traffic.
Google’s mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your site is the primary basis for ranking.
A mobile site that is difficult to navigate will lead to high bounce rates and lost opportunities.
Optimising for mobile includes using responsive design, ensuring buttons and menus are easy to use and improving load speeds specifically for mobile users.
Missing or Incorrect Schema Markup
Schema markup enhances search engines’ understanding of your content, making generating rich snippets such as reviews, FAQs and business details easier.
Despite its benefits, many websites lack proper schema implementation, missing opportunities for improved visibility. Implementing structured data correctly will lead to better search rankings and a more informative presence in search results.
Neglecting Content Quality Problems
Even the best technical SEO can’t compensate for poor content. Search engines are designed to prioritise valuable, relevant and well-structured information.
Rankings will suffer if a website lacks depth, originality or clarity. You’ll need to tackle;
Thin, Duplicate, or Irrelevant Content
Pages with minimal substance struggle to rank because they don’t satisfy search intent. Duplicate content – whether copied from external sources or repeated internally – creates confusion and weakens visibility.
Every piece of content should serve a purpose, addressing specific user needs while offering unique insights.
Lack of Blog Posts, Guides or Resources
Websites that rarely update their content risk stagnation. Search engines favour sites that consistently publish fresh insights, industry news and educational materials.
A well-maintained blog, comprehensive guides and resource pages build trust with both users and search engines. Ideally, you should invest some time in planning and repurposing content for your website every month. You can also hire SEO content writing experts to create quality content that’s both engaging and search engine-friendly.
Ignoring E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)
Google’s algorithm prioritises content from credible sources. Businesses must demonstrate industry expertise, reliability and transparency.
Author bios, external citations and well-researched articles establish trust. Without these elements, even a well-optimised website will struggle to gain traction.
Content is the core of SEO. A site filled with weak, outdated or irrelevant material will always lag behind competitors that consistently deliver real value.
Missing SEO-Friendly Elements
Missing key elements like optimised headings, relevant keywords, and compelling meta descriptions weakens your search visibility.
Headings guide both users and search engines, while well-placed keywords boost relevance. Meta descriptions influence click-through rates by enticing users to visit. Ensure each page is optimised correctly to maximise discoverability.
User Experience (UX) Neglect
Great content and technical SEO can only take a website so far.
Suppose users land on a site and struggle to navigate. In that case, they leave Google’s algorithm factors in user experience signals – such as bounce rate, session duration and site engagement – when determining rankings.
A website that frustrates users would lose both traffic and search visibility. This could be:
Difficult Navigation
Over 50% of potential sales are lost because visitors can’t find what they’re looking for. If users have to dig through cluttered menus or deal with broken internal links, they won’t stay long.
An intuitive structure, clear categories and a logical flow keep visitors engaged and encourage them to explore further.
No Clear Calls to Action (CTA)
SEO is only effective if it leads to meaningful action. Users typically leave a webpage within 10-20 seconds unless there’s a compelling reason to stay.
Effective CTAs – whether for a product purchase, newsletter signup, or contact form – guide visitors toward conversion instead of leaving them uncertain about what to do next.
Must Read: 5 Tips to Create a Click-Worthy CTA
High Bounce Rates Due to Poor Design or Irrelevant Content
A high bounce rate signals to search engines that a website isn’t meeting user expectations. According to a study by Contentsquare, the average bounce rate across industries is 47%, but poorly optimised websites often see rates exceeding 50%. Common reasons include:
- Slow loading speeds
- Excessive pop-ups
- Content that doesn’t match user intent
Improving page layout, enhancing readability, and ensuring content aligns with search intent will significantly reduce bounce rates.
