15 Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Are You Sabotaging Your Own SEO?

SEO is complex, and even experienced marketers fall into traps. We've audited thousands of sites, and these are the 15 most common errors we see.

1. Ignoring Mobile Optimization

With Mobile-First Indexing, your mobile site is your main site. If it's slow or broken, you lose ranking everywhere.

2. Buying Backlinks

Just don't. It violates Google's guidelines and can lead to a manual penalty that de-indexes your site. Focus on earning links naturally.

3. Duplicate Content

Copy-pasting product descriptions or blog posts confuses search engines about which version to rank. Use canonical tags to fix this.

4. Thin Content

Pages with 50 words of fluff won't rank. Google wants comprehensive answers. Aim for depth and value.

5. Slow Page Speed

If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, 40% of users leave. Compress images and minify code.

6. Broken Links (404s)

Linking to dead pages frustrates users and wastes "link juice." Regularly audit your internal and external links.

7. Keyword Stuffing

"We offer cheap SEO services because cheap SEO services are good." This worked in 2005. Today, it gets you penalized. Write naturally.

8. Missing Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

These are your first impression in search results. Leaving them empty is like leaving a book cover blank.

9. Incorrect robots.txt Configuration

We've seen sites accidently block Google from crawling their entire site. Always double-check your robots.txt file.

10. Not Using Analytics

If you aren't tracking traffic with Google Analytics and Search Console, you're flying blind. You can't improve what you don't measure.

11. Targeting the Wrong Keywords

Ranking for "shoes" is impossible for a new site. Ranking for "best waterproof running shoes for hiking" is achievable. Focus on long-tail keywords.

12. Forgetting Image Alt Text

Missing alt text hurts accessibility and misses a chance to rank in Google Images.

13. Poor Internal Linking

Orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them) are hard for Google to find. Link your content together logically.

14. Neglecting Local SEO

If you're a local business, you need a Google Business Profile. Ignoring this is leaving money on the table.

15. Expecting Overnight Results

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It typically takes 3-6 months to see significant traction. Patience is key.

How to Check Your Site Instantly

You could check these manually, or you could do it in 10 seconds.

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