8 Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

A well-optimized website can bring you targeted traffic for years to come, but even the best strategies can be derailed by common mistakes.

The great news is that many of these mistakes are easy to correct if you know what they are.

In this article, we’ll cover eight SEO mistakes that could be holding your site back, and how to fix them for better search visibility and long-term success.

What are the common SEO mistakes?

Below are the most common SEO mistakes small businesses make, from technical mishaps to content misfires, plus quick fixes to keep your strategy on track.

1. Technical Issues

Technical SEO is the foundation of any successful search strategy. If search engines can’t crawl your site or users get frustrated by slow load times, even the best content won’t save you. These are three common technical pitfalls and how to fix them fast:

a. Bad crawlability pages

Search engines need access to your pages before they can rank them. Sounds simple, right? But crawlability issues caused by broken links, poor site architecture, or blocked pages can quietly sabotage your rankings.

Think of it like this: If a search engine’s bot tries to browse your site and keeps hitting dead ends, it won’t index your content properly. And if your pages aren’t indexed, they’re invisible in search results.

How do you fix it?

Run a crawl audit. Similarweb’s Site Audit tool maps out your site structure, pinpoints skipped pages, and flags errors so you can patch them up. Fixing these issues early means more of your pages make it into search results, translating to better visibility and organic reach.

This can be accessed by going to the Crawl Overview in the Similarweb Site Audit tool. The report will give you data about the crawled URLs, all pages by status code, uncrawled URLs, and more.

b. Site speed

Ever clicked on a website that took forever to load? Exactly. You probably bounced within seconds.

So what slows sites down?

• Unoptimized images: Large file sizes eat up bandwidth
• Excessive scripts and plugins: More code = longer load times
• Lack of browser caching: Every visitor reloads everything from scratch

To diagnose speed issues, Similarweb’s Site Audit tool runs performance checks and reveals slow-loading pages and the possible fixes that you can do.

Via the Site Audit report, click on Experience and then Page Speed to get an overview of the site speed issues.

Some quick wins include compressing images, turning on browser caching, and reducing unnecessary scripts.

Bottom line? A fast site keeps users interested, reduces bounce rates, and beefs up your ranking, which is a win-win.

c. Unmobile-friendly

Mobile traffic now dominates the web, but many websites still aren’t optimized for small screens. If users have to pinch, zoom, or struggle to browse your site, they’ll bounce, guaranteed.

Worse? Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search rankings. That means an unoptimized site could be getting penalized without you even realizing it.

How to check if your site is mobile-friendly:

• Test different devices: Does your site load properly on phones and tablets?
• Check touch elements: Are the buttons too small or too close together?
• Look at layout stability: Does the content move unexpectedly as it loads?

Similarweb’s Site Audit tool identifies these non-responsive pages and provides actionable fixes for better mobile performance. This isn’t just about rankings—it’s about user experience, accessibility, and brand loyalty.

On the Site Audit report, click on Indexability and then Mobile Indexability. Via this dashboard, you’ll get an overview of any mobile-related issues on your site.

2. Content issues

SEO is about structure, clarity, and delivering exactly what search engines and users expect, not just about keywords and backlinks.

But here’s the thing: even the best-intentioned content can run into trouble. Duplicate pages, weak writing, keyword stuffing—these can quietly sabotage your rankings.

Here are five mistakes when creating content for SEO and how to reverse them fast.

a. Duplicate content & keyword cannibalization

Duplicate content confuses search engines. Instead of strengthening your visibility, it dilutes your rankings by forcing Google to choose between competing pages. The result? Keyword cannibalization—when multiple pages target the same keyword and undermine each other in search results.

It’s like splitting votes in an election. Instead of one strong candidate, you end up with several weak ones.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Implement a keyword mapping strategy to assign unique search terms to each page
• Merge similar content through 301 redirects or a canonical tag to signal which page should rank
• Use Similarweb’s Site Audit tool to scan for duplicate content and competing pages. This report can be found by clicking on Uniqueness via the Site Audit report. This dashboard will show your unique data and all the critical information that you need such as pages with duplicate descriptions, titles, and body

A clean content strategy ensures that each page has a clear, defined purpose to strengthen its authority in the SERPs instead of fighting for attention.

b. Bad content

Search engines are smarter than ever. If your content lacks depth, originality, or credibility, it might not rank at all (which is even worse than underperforming.)

Google’s E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) play a critical part in content evaluation. If your content lacks these, user interaction drops, bounce rates spike, and rankings sink.

These are the recommended ways to fix it:

• Create data-backed content that demonstrates expertise. Incorporating original research, case studies, and expert insights helps establish authority. Additionally, linking to credible sources that support existing studies or research strengthens E-E-A-T and strengthens the reliability of your content.
• Optimize for interaction by making content digestible by using headings, bullet points, and internal links to keep readers moving through your site.

Use Similarweb’s Keyword Generator to identify high-intent keywords and build content around them. This can be accessed by clicking on Keyword Research and then clicking on Keyword Generator under Keyword Explorer

Authority isn’t built overnight, but with the right data and structured planning, your content can dominate search results while keeping your readers interested.

c. Keyword stuffing

In the past, stuffing a webpage with keywords was an easy way to rank. Today? It’s a guaranteed way to tank your search performance. Overloading content with keywords not only makes it unreadable but also triggers spam filters in Google’s algorithm.

Search engines look for relevant content that answers the search intent.

To fix this:

• Focus on semantic SEO: Instead of repeating the same phrase, use related terms that helps search engines understand what your content is about and structure it topically
• Refine your content with natural language processing (NLP): Write like a human, not a bot
• Use structured content maps so that keywords are positioned naturally within headings, meta descriptions, and body content, without overloading the page

A good keyword strategy is about where and how you use a phrase and not how many times you use it.

d. On-page SEO issues

Think of on-page SEO as your website’s blueprint. It helps search engines understand what your content is about. But when meta tags go missing, headings are misused, or site structures are cluttered, search engines struggle to index your pages correctly.

Missed on-page optimizations lead to low rankings, poor user experience, and lost conversions.

These are the best remedies:

• Audit your meta tags: Check that every page has a properly optimized title, meta description, and header tags (H1, H2, H3)
• Clean up your site structure: Internal linking should be intuitive as search engines reward sites that are easy to browse

Use Similarweb’s Site Audit tool to uncover missing elements, messy layouts, or duplicate metadata. You can access this report via the Site Audit tool by clicking on SEO Overview. This dashboard will have plenty of data, including your SEO health score and other relevant insights.

These small tweaks can make a huge difference. Better indexing leads to higher rankings, better user retention, and, ultimately, more conversions.

e. Oversized images

Google’s Core Web Vitals measure site performance, and oversized images often fail the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) test. This delays load times big time and tanks user experience.

Below are some of the best actions to take:

• Compress images without sacrificing quality by using formats like WebP instead of PNG or JPEG
• Implement lazy loading so images don’t slow down initial page rendering
• Use Similarweb’s Site Audit tool to identify and optimize large media files across your site

Fast-loading pages lead to better rankings, improved usability, and stronger engagement.

How to catch these SEO mistakes?

SEO mistakes can be sneaky. One day, your rankings are solid. The next? Traffic plummets. Catching these issues early stops small problems from turning into major headaches.

That’s where Similarweb’s suite of SEO tools comes in. They help spot, assess, and fix errors before they affect your search performance. Here’s how to stay ahead of the game:

1. Similarweb Rank Tracker

A sudden ranking drop is a red flag. It could mean algorithm updates, competitor moves, or SEO mistakes creeping in under the radar.

Similarweb’s Rank Tracker monitors daily keyword positions so you can quickly spot downward trends and take action. Whether it’s an underperforming page or shifting search intent, staying on top of rankings means adjusting strategies before rankings slip further.

Go to the keywords report in your Similarweb rank tracking campaign or create one if you haven’t yet. Here, you can see the ranking positions for your campaign’s keywords.

2. Similarweb Website Performance

When organic traffic starts dipping, it’s time to investigate. Is it seasonal? A Google update? Or is something broken on your site?

Similarweb’s Website Performance tool provides a big-picture view of your SEO health, tracking important metrics like organic traffic trends, referral sources, and competitor benchmarks. When you identify unexpected declines early, you can make changes fast and avoid major ranking losses.

Go to Website Analysis in the Website Research, look for Overview, and click on Website Performance.

3. Similarweb Site Audit tool

No matter how good your content is, technical problems can quietly sabotage rankings. Slow site speed? Broken links? Poor mobile experience? These issues send negative signals to search engines, leading to lower rankings.

Similarweb’s Site Audit tool scans your website for:

• Crawlability issues (so search engines can properly index pages)
• Site speed problems (which affect rankings and user experience)
• Mobile optimization gaps (because Google loves mobile-first sites)

A quick SEO health check makes sure that your site stays search-engine friendly, and that’s a big win.

4. Similarweb Keyword Generator

SEO is all about creating content that ranks and not just fixing errors. The problem is that many sites target the wrong keywords, which wastes time and effort.

With Similarweb’s Keyword Generator, you get data-backed keyword suggestions based on search volume, competition, and intent. No more guessing. Just high-performing topics that match what your audience is actually searching for.

Don’t wait for an SEO crisis

SEO mistakes can cost rankings, traffic, and conversions. The solution? Preventative monitoring. Similarweb’s SEO tools give you the visibility to catch problems before they snowball, keeping your site optimized, competitive, and ranking strong.

Want to stay ahead? Start using these tools today.

FAQs

How does page loading speed affect SEO?

Page speed is a ranking factor. A slow site frustrates visitors, and this could lead to higher bounce rates and lost engagement. Search engines notice this and push your site down the rankings. Faster load times improve user experience, reduce abandonment, and improve your mobile-friendliness, which is a big win for SEO.

Can meta descriptions contribute to SEO?

Absolutely. While meta descriptions don’t directly influence rankings, they drive clicks. Think of them as a mini ad for your page. A compelling, keyword-rich description entices users to click, and higher click-through rates (CTR) mean search engines see your site as relevant. More clicks mean better visibility.

How does user experience affect SEO?

User experience and SEO go hand in hand. Search engines prioritize sites that keep users engaged. If visitors stick around, scroll, and interact, search engines recognize your content as valuable. Good UX, such as fast navigation, clean design, and mobile optimization, all signal relevance, which beefs up your rankings and retention.

How does content freshness impact SEO?

Search engines love fresh content. Updating your pages with new insights, recent data, and better keyword optimization tells search engines your content is current and valuable. It also attracts repeat visitors, strengthens authority, and keeps your site competitive in search results.

Why is technical SEO important for search rankings?

Think of technical SEO as your site’s foundation. A well-structured, fast, and mobile-friendly website is easier for search engines to crawl and index. Structured data, optimized speed, and clean architecture improve visibility. This makes it effortless for both search engines and users to find what they need.