You've built a website. Maybe you've even spent real money on it. But you're barely ranking on Google, and the traffic just isn't coming. What's going wrong?
In most cases, the answer isn't a lack of effort — it's a handful of fixable mistakes that are quietly undermining everything you're trying to do. Here are the five most common SEO mistakes we see, and exactly what to do about them.
Ignoring Page Speed
Google has been crystal clear: page speed is a ranking factor. A website that takes more than 3 seconds to load loses more than 50% of its visitors before they even see your content — and Google knows this. Slow sites rank lower, period. Compress your images, use a good hosting provider, and eliminate unnecessary scripts. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights will show you exactly what's dragging you down.
Missing or Weak Meta Descriptions & Title Tags
Every page on your site should have a unique, keyword-rich title tag (under 60 characters) and a compelling meta description (under 160 characters). These are what appear in Google search results, and they directly affect whether someone clicks on your result. Writing generic titles like "Home — My Business" is a wasted opportunity. Write titles that include your primary keyword and give users a reason to click.
Keyword Stuffing (or No Keyword Research at All)
There are two opposite failures here. Some businesses obsessively repeat the same keyword until the content reads like it was written by a robot — Google penalises this. Others write great content with no keyword research at all, optimising for terms nobody actually searches for. The fix: use a free tool like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find the exact phrases your customers are searching, then use them naturally in your headings, paragraphs, and page titles.
No Mobile Optimisation
Over 60% of all Google searches happen on mobile devices. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your site to determine rankings. If your website looks broken on a phone — tiny text, buttons too close together, images that overflow the screen — you are being penalised in search rankings across all devices, not just mobile. Every page must be fully tested and functional on a 375px-wide screen.
No Internal Linking Strategy
Many websites are a collection of isolated pages with no links between them. Internal links — links from one page on your site to another — help Google crawl and understand the structure of your site. They also keep visitors engaged longer, reducing your bounce rate, which is another positive signal to Google. Every piece of content you publish should link to at least two or three other relevant pages on your site.
How to Fix These SEO Issues
The good news? Every single one of these mistakes is fixable. Most of them don't require a specialist, just a deliberate, systematic approach. Start with a site audit using a free tool like Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs) or Google Search Console to identify the biggest problems first.
From there, prioritise page speed (it has the biggest immediate impact), then work through your title tags and meta descriptions page by page. Add internal links as you go. It's not glamorous work, but it's the foundation of any effective SEO strategy.
- Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights. Score above 80 on mobile.
- Check every page has a unique title tag with your primary keyword.
- Verify all pages have meta descriptions under 160 characters.
- Open your site on a real phone and check it thoroughly.
- Install Google Search Console and check for crawl errors.
- Add internal links: every page should link to at least 2 others.
The Long Game
SEO is not a switch you flip — it's a long-term investment. But avoiding these five mistakes is the difference between a website that quietly gains authority over time and one that languishes on page 7 forever. Fix the fundamentals, create genuinely useful content, and be consistent. Google rewards patience.
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