Your website might look pretty but if it’s not bringing in traffic, leads, or sales, chances are you’re making some serious SEO mistakes. And before you roll your eyes and say, “but I’ve done my SEO Sarah!” – trust me, I’ve seen it all.
I’ve audited more websites than I can count, and I keep seeing the SAME frustrating errors pop up. Businesses spending thousands on fancy designs but completely ignoring the stuff that actually gets them found on Google (and clients).
So let’s break down 15 of the most common SEO mistakes businesses make (yes, even yours), plus how to fix them.
Biggest Mistake: Not Optimising Images Properly
Images make your website look beautiful, but if you’re uploading them straight from your camera roll or stock photo site without a second thought, you’re killing your SEO.
A slow-loading website is one of the biggest reasons visitors bounce – and Google hates high bounce rates.
If your images are still named IMG_98347.jpg, Google has no clue what they’re about. It’s like trying to find a file on your laptop named Document(1).pdf – pure chaos.
Skipping compression makes things worse, turning your site speed into a sluggish mess. And ignoring alt text? That’s not just bad for accessibility – it’s a missed SEO opportunity.
To fix it, rename your images with descriptive, keyword-rich filenames (handmade-ceramic-mug.jpg instead of IMG1234.jpg).
Compress before uploading using a tool like https://compressjpeg.com/ to keep quality high but file size low and to compress even more you can convert from jpeg to WebP https://cloudconvert.com/jpeg-to-webp
Always add alt text – describe the image in plain English and naturally drop in keywords (“Handmade ceramic mug in blue glaze”). If you want a full seo checklist for images read the blog post.
Ignoring Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions
Meta titles and descriptions are literally the first thing people see when they find you on Google. So why are so many businesses out here leaving them blank or using the default “Home” and “Services”?!
I mean Google is good but it’s not psychic.
If you don’t tell it what your page is about, it’ll grab random text from your site, and trust me – it’s never the part you’d actually want to show up.
Instead of: “Home | Sarah Worboyes” (What even is this? A law firm? A bakery? A cult?)
Try: “WordPress Website Designer, SEO Expert And Dubsado Certified Specialist” (Boom – clear, keyword-rich, and clickable.)
And let’s talk about meta descriptions. If you’re skipping them, you’re throwing away a prime opportunity to get people to actually click on your site. Think of it like your Tinder bio—if it’s boring, no one’s swiping right.
A bad meta description: “Welcome to our website. We offer a variety of services to help your business grow.” (Zzzzz.)
A good one: “WordPress website designer, SEO and Dubsado Certified Specialist, Sarah Worboyes helps business owners to elevate their online presence. Book a free consultation call.”
Short, sharp, and actually makes people want to click.
Fix it NOW > If you’re using WordPress, RankMath or Yoast SEO makes this easy – go update your titles & descriptions before I lose my mind.
3. Cramming All Your Services Onto One Page – The Biggest SEO Mistake
This one breaks me!
If your services page is basically a never-ending scroll of “We do this, and this, oh and also this, plus this other thing!” – you are confusing the hell out of both Google and potential clients.
Google ranks pages based on specific search terms.
If you’re trying to target web design, SEO, branding, social media, content writing, and funnel building all on the same page, guess what? You’re ranking for exactly… none of them.
Instead, each service needs its own dedicated page with a clear H1, relevant keywords, and proper internal linking. More pages = more chances to rank.
And let’s talk about user experience. Imagine walking into a restaurant, asking for a menu, and getting a single, four-metre-long scroll of text listing everything from sushi to burgers to lasagne. Overwhelming, right? Your website visitors feel the same when they land on a services page that’s a messy free-for-all. If they have to hunt for what they need, they’re leaving.
You can see from my own website, that I’ve broken down my three core services (Website Design, SEO, and Dubsado Setup) and then also given them a dropdown with separate pages on the specific services within those core categories.
So, break it up. Give every service its own space. Link between them properly. Let Google (and humans) navigate your site without frustration. Simple. Effective. Necessary.
4. Forgetting H1 Tags (Or Using Five of Them)
H1s are like the title of a book – Google reads them first to figure out what the page is about. If you skip them, Google is left guessing. And Google does not like to guess.
But equally painful? Websites with multiple H1s on the same page. It’s like walking into a meeting where five people are shouting different agendas at the same time. Google is confused, your SEO suffers, and somewhere out there, an SEO expert (me) sheds a tear.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Make sure every page has ONE (and only one) H1. This should be the main title of the page and include a relevant keyword.
- Use H2s, H3s, and H4s properly. These are your subheadings, helping structure your content in a way that’s easy to read (for both humans and Google).
Check your site NOW. If your homepage’s H1 says “Welcome to Our Website”, congratulations – you’ve just wasted the most important on-page SEO element. Fix it ASAP.
Simple rule: One page. One H1. Make it count.
5. Skipping Keyword & Competitor Research
If your keyword strategy is basically “Eh, I’ll just write about what I think people search for” – STOP. RIGHT. THERE. Because while you’re out here winging it, your competitors are using actual data to outrank you.
SEO isn’t a guessing game. If you don’t know:
- What your ideal clients are actually searching for
- Which keywords your competitors are already ranking for
- Where the real gaps are in your industry
…then you’re just hoping for results instead of engineering them. And hope is NOT a strategy.
So what should you do? Keyword research and competitor analysis.
Sounds fancy, but it’s simple:
- Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to spy on your competitors (ethically, of course).
- Find out what keywords they’re ranking for – and which ones they’re missing.
- Look at their top-performing content and figure out how to do it better.
Once you’ve got that intel, you’re not just throwing keywords around blindly – you’re creating content that actually has a shot at ranking. Strategy > guesswork, always.
6. Thinking SEO Is Only About What’s on Your Website
If you’ve been laser-focused on tweaking titles, adding keywords, and obsessing over your H1s (good job), but your own website is only part of the job.
You see, SEO isn’t just about what’s ON your site. Off-page SEO (aka backlinks) plays a massive role in how Google ranks you.
It’s basically like someone recommending you. They’re telling Google “this person is credible”.
Let’s break it down:
- Backlinks = Trust. When high-quality websites link to you, Google sees it as a vote of confidence. More votes = better rankings.
- No backlinks = No authority. If your site has zero links from other websites, Google basically shrugs and moves on.
However…not all backlinks are created equal. A link from Forbes? Amazing. A link from some sketchy directory site? Not so much.
So how do you actually start building backlinks?
- Guest post on relevant blogs in your industry.
- Get featured in online publications (HARO is your friend).
- Create useful content that people want to link to – think guides, resources, case studies, and data-backed posts.
- Or you can buy them from reputable companies like RhinoRank
7. Ignoring Technical SEO
Technical SEO isn’t sexy, but if your website is full of broken links, missing metadata, or takes longer to load than a 2005 dial-up connection, Google doesn’t care how great your content is – it’s not ranking you.
If your site has:
- Broken links that send visitors straight to a 404 Page Not Found (frustrating for them, bad for your SEO).
- Duplicate H1s or missing meta tags that make Google question what your pages are even about.
- A painfully slow load speed that drives people (and rankings) away before they’ve even read a word.
…you’re making it harder for search engines (and actual humans) to trust your site.
Run an SEO audit using SEMRush or Screaming Frog, fix any broken links, make sure every page has ONE H1 and unique meta tags, and for the love of rankings, speed up your site. A slow website is a one-way ticket to high bounce rates and lost conversions. Install caching, optimise images, and use Seraphinite Accelerator to get your load speed from a C to an A in seconds.
8. Not Having a Blog
I don’t know who started the rumour that “blogging is dead,” but let me be crystal clear: it’s very much alive – and still one of the most powerful ways to grow your business.
In fact, 75% of internet users still read blogs, and I can tell you from personal experience, it’s the biggest way I’ve grown my email list and converted clients to date.
And for those thinking AI has “ruined” blogging and SEO? Nope. If anything, AI-driven search (like ChatGPT and Perplexity) is making well-optimised blogs even more important.
Here’s why blogging is still (and always will be) an SEO goldmine:
- It helps you rank for more keywords – Every blog post is a new opportunity to show up in search results.
- It builds trust and authority – People buy from businesses they trust, and blogs prove you know your stuff.
- It grows your email list (and your revenue) – Every blog is a chance to add a lead magnet, invite readers onto your list, and nurture them into paying clients.
Stuck on what to write about? Go and check out my blog on How To Come Up With Blog Post Ideas; 13 Easy Ways To Never Run Out Of Blogging Content.
9. Neglecting Google My Business
Too many business owners ignore Google My Business (GMB) because they think it’s only for local, brick-and-mortar businesses.
Wrong.
I run an online business, and my GMB profile still brings in traffic, builds credibility, and helps me rank higher in search.
Google prioritises GMB listings in search results, so whether you have a physical location or work remotely, a well-optimised profile gives you more visibility – and more chances to get found by potential clients.
At the very least, claim your profile, update your details, and start collecting reviews.
Not sure where to start? I break it all down in this guide to optimising your GMB profile. Go set yours up – no excuses!
10. Keyword Stuffing
If you’re still cramming the same keyword into every sentence, hoping Google will magically rank your page higher, it’s time to let that go.
Keyword stuffing hasn’t worked for YEARS, and these days, it’s more likely to get you penalised than boost your rankings.
Nobody wants to read something like:
“Looking for the best wedding photographer in London? Our London wedding photography services are perfect for anyone needing a wedding photographer in London.” (MAKE IT STOP.)
Google’s algorithm is smarter now.
Instead of stuffing exact-match keywords everywhere, focus on answering search queries naturally and using variations.
Think quality over quantity. Google rewards content that’s useful, well-written, and answers real questions – not keyword-packed nonsense.
11. No Internal or External Links
If your website has zero links between pages, Google has no clue how to crawl it – and visitors have nowhere to go.
Internal links guide people (and search engines) through your site – so if your blog doesn’t link to your services, you’re literally blocking traffic from converting.
External links (to other websites) also boosts credibility by showing Google you’re referencing solid sources (no, they won’t send people away).
You’ll notice I’ve sprinkled them throughout this post.
12. Not Submitting Your Sitemap to Google
Just because you published a page doesn’t mean Google knows about it.
If you haven’t submitted your sitemap to Google Search Console, you’re basically hoping it stumbles across your site by accident.
Your sitemap is a list of all the pages on your website – it helps Google find, crawl, and index them faster. Without it, some of your pages might never show up in search results (yes, really).
Here’s how to do it:
[add video here]
13. Not Optimising for Mobile
If your website is a pain to use on a phone – text too small, buttons impossible to tap, everything shifting around like a bad game of Tetris – Google is not ranking you.
Mobile-first indexing means Google looks at your mobile site first, so if it’s a mess, your rankings will tank.
- Run your site through a Mobile-Friendly Test – if it fails, that’s your sign to sort it out.
- Make sure text is readable, buttons are tappable, and menus actually work without needing a magnifying glass.
- Test it on your own phone – if you have to pinch and zoom, so does everyone else (and they won’t bother).
Most people browse on mobile. Don’t make it hard for them.
14. Ignoring Schema Markup
Ever noticed some search results look fancier than others – star ratings, FAQs, event details? A bit like how mine looks in the example below:
That’s schema markup. And if you’re not using it, you’re missing an easy way to make your site pop in Google search.
Schema helps Google understand your content better and can get you those juicy rich snippets (which = more clicks).
If you use WordPress, install RankMath (free plugin) to generate schema for blogs, services, and FAQs automatically. It takes minutes and can make a huge difference in how your site appears in search results.
15. Treating SEO Like a One-and-Done Task
If you’ve “done your SEO” once and never looked at it again, that’s why your rankings aren’t where they should be.
SEO isn’t a box you tick – it’s an ongoing strategy.
Google updates its algorithm constantly, competitors are optimising their content, and search trends shift all the time. If you’re not keeping up, you’re falling behind.
Here’s what staying on top of SEO actually looks like:
- Checking your rankings & analytics regularly – what’s working, what’s not, and what needs adjusting?
- Refreshing old content – blogs, service pages, even your homepage copy. If it’s outdated, Google will notice.
- Building backlinks & internal links
- Keeping up with search trends – are people searching differently? Are there new keywords to target? SEO evolves, and so should your strategy.
Bottom line? SEO isn’t a one-off task, it’s a long game. The businesses that keep optimising are the ones that keep ranking.
Final Thoughts
If you read through this list thinking, Oh crap, I’m definitely guilty of a few of these… – you’re not alone.
Most businesses are making at least some of these mistakes.
The good news? SEO is fixable. The bad news? It’s not a one-time thing.
Google isn’t some static rulebook – it’s constantly evolving. If you don’t keep up, you fall behind.
And if you’d rather spend your time growing your business instead of wrestling with Google, I’ll do it for you. With my Full-Service SEO, I handle everything: competitor research, site fixes, content strategy, link building – all the stuff that moves the needle. No generic advice, no cookie-cutter tactics, just SEO tailored to YOUR business.
