Top 7 On Page SEO Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Is your website attracting traffic, but visitors aren’t converting into customers? Are you falling behind in the ranking competition? Is Google still not pushing your website to the top, even after all your efforts?

If these or similar issues concern you, chances are you’re making some major mistakes that are holding back your business. This blog covers the Top 7 On Page SEO Mistakes and their solutions. We won’t beat around the bush; let’s jump straight into the most common mistakes you might be making and how to fix them.

1. Poor Indexing or Crawling

It’s important for search engines to index your website. No matter how much effort you put into your content or other aspects of SEO, if search engines aren’t indexing or crawling your site, nothing else will matter.

What causes poor indexing, and how can you fix it? Poor indexing or crawling can result from broken backlinks, incorrect or missing index tags, and several other issues. To fix this, use Google Search Console to check for crawl errors and indexing problems. Ensure your robots.txt file isn’t blocking important pages, and avoid duplicate content that could confuse search engines.

2. Poor Website Structure

A confusing website layout not only frustrates users but also makes it harder for search engines to understand your content hierarchy. If your navigation is messy or your URLs are all over the place, both rankings and conversions can suffer.

To Fix It, try to categorize your content, keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich, and make sure important pages are no more than 3 clicks deep from the homepage.

3. Slow Page Loading

If your site loads slowly, it’s an immediate turn-off for users. In fact, with Google’s focus on user experience now being one of the most crucial On page SEO factors, you simply can’t overlook the importance of providing a fast, seamless experience on your website.

What causes pages to load slowly, and how to fix them? Several factors can be to blame, and heavy images are one of the most common. If you’re uploading large images without resizing them, your site speed will likely suffer.

Another culprit could be an excessive number of plugins; while plugins add great functionality to WordPress, too many can drag down performance. Therefore, ensure your website loads quickly so users can navigate between tabs and pages effortlessly, giving them the best possible experience.

4. Wrong Keywords Ranking

Not every keyword is made for you. Don’t try to target every popular or high-ranking keyword, especially if you’re just starting out. For a startup, it’s wiser to focus on long-tail keywords with low competition. Short-tail keywords are much harder to rank for unless you’re already at the top of your market.

So, what’s the smartest move? Optimize locally. Local on page search engine optimization can help you attract targeted traffic and generate leads. For example, a keyword like “best party dress for kids under $200” can directly connect your ideal audience with your products or services.

If you’re already a pro in your industry, then you can confidently start targeting short-tail keywords.

5. Neglecting Content Quality

Content is king, and if you’re not focusing enough on it, it’s high time you start. Agencies that prioritize quantity over quality run a high risk of being overlooked by Google.

With the updated algorithm, search engines have become much smarter; they no longer fall for keyword stuffing or low-quality content that doesn’t align with the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) principle.

So, how do you fix this? Obviously, by delivering exceptional content that makes readers say “wow.” Just remember, while keywords are important, they should be used naturally within the content, never forced.

6. Not Knowing the Searcher's Intent

Knowing what the user is interested in is the whole game, and Google knows it better than you. Although it’s challenging, it’s crucial to win, or at least come close, to sustain your position in the ranking competition.

Search intent (or query intent) is essentially about showing the user relevant content. You need to provide exactly what they’re looking for. After all, your ultimate goal is to satisfy customers by answering their queries.

So, how do you find out what the user is looking for? Start by carefully analyzing the search query, checking top-ranking websites, examining SERPs, considering the stage of your buyer’s journey, and researching keywords using tools like SEMrush or Google Keyword Planner.

7. Poor Internal Linking

Internal linking connects different web pages within your website. It’s a crucial part of On Page SEO Optimization, yet often overlooked. Internal links guide users to the information they’re looking for. With people’s attention spans shrinking year after year, they’re unlikely to explore your site further if they can’t easily find the page they need through internal links.

So, how do you do it effectively? Add internal links that connect relevant content, and avoid linking to unrelated pages just for the sake of linking. Analyze the potential queries a user might have when landing on your page, and link them to helpful, related resources. Focus on connecting relevant and trending content to not only improve navigation but also win back traffic from your competitors.

Conclusion

Now you know the potential mistakes you might be making while doing SEO, and you also know how to fix them as explained above. So, what are you waiting for? Start your journey toward optimizing your web pages the right way.

Still confused about how to do it? Let the experts at Seoraft handle it. We’ll do all the hard work for you, delivering a well-optimized website that ranks well and drives results organically.