20 Common Technical SEO Issues Killing Your Website Rankings

Are you struggling to get more people to visit your website? It might not be your fault! There are some tricky and common technical SEO issues that could be holding you back.

In this guide, we’ll talk about the 20 most common technical SEO issues that might be hurting your website’s chances of getting noticed, and we’ll give you easy tips to fix them.

Here are the SEO issues we are going to cover in this post:

1. Slow Page Speed
2. Mobile Responsiveness
3. Broken Links and Redirects
4. Duplicate Content
5. Missing or Incorrect XML Sitemap
6. Incorrect Robots.txt File
7. Thin Content
8. Incorrect Use of Canonical Tags
9. Non-Optimized Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
10. Image Optimization Issues
11. HTTPS Issues
12. Structured Data Markup Errors
13. Orphaned Pages
14. URL Structure Problems
15. Excessive 404 Errors
16. Inefficient Crawl Budget Allocation
17. Internal Linking Issues
18. Non-Optimized Anchor Text
19. Incorrect Hreflang Implementation
20. Lack of Mobile-First Indexing Readiness

What is Technical SEO?

Alright, imagine your website is like a stage where you’re putting on a show. You’ve got your actors, which are your content and keywords, doing their thing in the spotlight. But behind the curtains, you’ve got this team of technical experts making sure everything backstage is in tip-top shape.

They’re the ones making sure the stage lights come on at the right time (that’s your website speed), they’re adjusting the set to fit different venues (that’s your mobile responsiveness), and they’re making sure all the actors know their cues (that’s your site structure and internal linking).

Oh, and they’re also the ones making sure the audience can find their seats easily (that’s your URL structure), and they’re keeping an eye out for any security threats or sneaky bugs (that’s your HTTPS and security).

So, while your content is what grabs the audience’s attention, it’s this backstage crew of technical SEO that ensures everything runs smoothly and your website gets the attention it deserves from search engines and visitors alike.

1. Slow Page Speed:

Slow page speed can negatively impact user experience, leading to higher bounce rates and decreased engagement.

Additionally, search engines like Google consider page speed as a ranking factor, meaning faster-loading pages are more likely to rank higher in search results.

How to Check:

You can check your website’s page speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom Tools.

These tools provide insights into your page load times and offer suggestions for improvement.

How to Fix:

To improve page speed, you can:

• Optimize images by compressing them and using appropriate formats.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files to reduce their file sizes.
• Enable browser caching to store frequently accessed resources locally.
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute your website’s content across multiple servers worldwide.
• Consider upgrading your hosting plan to a faster server or utilizing a reliable hosting provider.

2. Mobile Responsiveness:

With the majority of internet users browsing on mobile devices, having a mobile-responsive website is crucial for providing a seamless user experience.

Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search results, so ensuring mobile responsiveness can positively impact your search engine rankings.

How to Check:

You can check your website’s mobile responsiveness by simply viewing it on various mobile devices and screen sizes.

Additionally, Google offers a Mobile-Friendly Test tool where you can enter your website URL to see if it meets mobile usability standards.

How to Fix:

To make your website mobile-responsive, you can:

• Use responsive web design techniques to ensure your site adjusts dynamically to different screen sizes.
• Test and optimize your website’s layout, font sizes, and button sizes for mobile devices.
• Avoid using Flash and pop-ups that may not work well on mobile devices.
• Prioritize content and features that are essential for mobile users.
• Utilize meta viewport tags to control the scaling of your web pages on mobile devices.

3. Broken Links and Redirects:

Broken links and redirects can harm user experience by leading visitors to dead ends or irrelevant pages.

From an SEO perspective, they can also negatively impact your website’s crawlability and indexing, as search engine bots may struggle to navigate your site effectively.

How to Check:

You can check for broken links and redirects using various tools like Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, or online broken link checkers. These tools will scan your website and identify any broken links or redirect chains.

How to Fix:

To address broken links and redirects, you can:

• Regularly audit your website for broken links and fix or remove them promptly.
• Update internal links whenever you make changes to your site’s URL structure or content.
• Use 301 redirects to permanently redirect outdated URLs to relevant pages.
• Implement custom 404 error pages to provide helpful navigation options for users who encounter broken links.
• Monitor your website’s performance and regularly check for new broken links or redirect issues.

4. Duplicate Content:

Duplicate content can confuse search engines and dilute the authority of your website.

It can also lead to lower search rankings as search engines may struggle to determine which version of the content to index.

How to Check:

You can check for duplicate content using tools like Siteliner, Screaming Frog, or Copyscape. These tools will identify pages with identical or very similar content.

How to Fix:

To address duplicate content, you can:

• Consolidate similar pages into one authoritative page.
• Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of duplicate content.
• Rewrite content to make it unique and valuable to users.
• Ensure proper redirects are in place for any duplicate URLs.

5. Missing or Incorrect XML Sitemap:

An XML sitemap helps search engines crawl and index your website’s pages more efficiently.

Without a properly formatted XML sitemap, some pages may not get indexed, leading to lower visibility in search results.

How to Check:

You can check for XML sitemap errors using XML sitemap validator or by directly accessing your website’s XML sitemap URL.

How to Fix:

To address missing or incorrect XML sitemap issues, you can:

• Generate a new XML sitemap using a tool or plugin compatible with your website platform.
• Verify and submit your XML sitemap to search engines like Google via Google Search Console.
• Regularly update your XML sitemap to reflect changes in your website’s content and structure.

6. Incorrect Robots.txt File:

The robots.txt file tells search engine bots which pages they can and cannot crawl on your website.

Incorrectly configured robots.txt files can prevent search engines from accessing important pages, leading to indexing issues.

How to Check:

You can check your website’s robots.txt file by navigating to “yourdomain.com/robots.txt” and check if you have allowed or disallowed the URLs you need to.

How to Fix:

To address incorrect robots.txt file issues, you can:

• Review and update your robots.txt file to ensure it allows search engines to crawl important pages while blocking irrelevant or sensitive content.
• Use Google’s robots.txt tester tool to validate your robots.txt directives and identify any errors.
• Regularly monitor and update your robots.txt file as needed, especially when making changes to your website’s structure or content.

7. Thin Content:

Thin content refers to pages with low word count or shallow content that may not provide value to users or search engines.

Having thin content can harm your website’s search rankings and user experience.

How to Check:

You can check for thin content by manually reviewing your website’s pages or using tools like Screaming Frog or Semrush to identify pages with low word count.

How to Fix:

To address thin content issues, you can:

• Expand thin content pages by adding more relevant and valuable information.
• Consolidate thin content pages into more comprehensive, authoritative pages.
• Remove or no-index pages with little to no value to users.
• Improve internal linking to direct users to more relevant and valuable content.

8. Incorrect Use of Canonical Tags:

Canonical tags are used to indicate the preferred version of duplicate or similar content. Incorrect implementation of canonical tags can lead to duplicate content issues and confusion for search engines.

How to Check:

You can check for incorrect canonical tags by inspecting your website’s HTML code or using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify pages with conflicting canonical directives.

How to Fix:

To address incorrect canonical tag issues, you can:

• Review and update canonical tags to point to the correct version of duplicate content.
• Ensure consistent use of canonical tags across all relevant pages.
• Regularly monitor your website for changes that may affect canonical directives, such as URL structure updates or content migrations.

9. Non-Optimized Title Tags and Meta Descriptions:

Title tags and meta descriptions are essential for attracting clicks from search engine results pages (SERPs).

Non-optimized or missing title tags and meta descriptions can result in lower click-through rates and reduced visibility in search results.

How to Check:

You can check for non-optimized title tags and meta descriptions by inspecting your website’s HTML code or Detailed SEO Extension to check individual pages. You can also use tools like Screaming Frog to identify pages with missing or duplicate metadata on a bulk.

How to Fix:

To address non-optimized title tags and meta descriptions, you can:

• Write unique and descriptive title tags and meta descriptions for each page, incorporating relevant keywords and compelling calls-to-action.
• Ensure title tags and meta descriptions are within recommended character limits to display properly in search results.
• Regularly review and update title tags and meta descriptions to reflect changes in your website’s content or target keywords.

10. Image Optimization Issues:

Images play a crucial role in user experience and can impact page load times if not optimized properly.

Image optimization issues such as large file sizes or missing alt tags can negatively affect website performance and search engine rankings.

How to Check:

You can check for image optimization issues by inspecting your website’s HTML code or using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyze page load times and image optimization metrics.

How to Fix:

To address image optimization issues, you can:

• Compress images to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.
• Use descriptive file names and alt tags to provide context for search engines and improve accessibility for users.
• Serve images in next-gen formats like WebP to further reduce file sizes and improve page load times.
• Implement lazy loading to defer the loading of offscreen images and improve initial page rendering speed.
• Use TinyPNG or other similar WordPress plugins to optimize images efficiently.

11. No HTTPS Encryption:

HTTPS encryption is essential for securing user data and building trust with website visitors.

Websites without HTTPS may be flagged as insecure by browsers and could experience lower search rankings.

How to Check:

You can check for HTTPS issues by navigating to your website and verifying that the URL displays “https://” and a secure padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.

Additionally, you can use tools like SSL Server Test or Google Search Console to identify SSL certificate errors or mixed content issues.

How to Fix:

To address HTTPS issues, you can:

• Install an SSL certificate on your web server to enable HTTPS encryption.
• Ensure all internal and external resources (e.g., images, scripts, stylesheets) are served over HTTPS to prevent mixed content warnings.
• Set up 301 redirects to redirect HTTP URLs to their HTTPS counterparts to ensure a seamless transition for users and search engines.
• Monitor your website for SSL certificate expiration and renew it promptly to prevent security warnings or interruptions in HTTPS encryption.

12. Structured Data Markup Errors:

Structured data markup provides search engines with additional context about your website’s content, helping them understand its relevance and improve rich snippet displays in search results.

Errors in structured data markup can prevent search engines from properly interpreting your content and may lead to missed opportunities for enhanced SERP features.

How to Check:

You can check for structured data markup errors using tools like Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool or the Rich Results Test in Google Search Console.

These tools will identify issues with your structured data markup and provide recommendations for improvement.

How to Fix:

To address structured data markup errors, you can: –

• Review and correct errors in your website’s structured data markup, ensuring it complies with schema.org guidelines and Google’s structured data policies.
• Test your structured data markup using Google’s Rich Results Test to validate its implementation and preview how it appears in search results.
• Monitor your website for changes that may affect structured data markup, such as updates to content or changes in structured data guidelines, and make necessary adjustments to maintain compliance.

13. Orphaned Pages:

Orphaned pages are web pages that are not linked to from any other page on your website, making them difficult for users and search engines to discover.

Orphaned pages may not get indexed or ranked by search engines, leading to lower visibility in search results.

How to Check:

You can check for orphaned pages by conducting a thorough audit of your website’s internal linking structure or using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify pages with no inbound links.

How to Fix:

To address orphaned pages, you can:

• Identify orphaned pages and add internal links to them from relevant pages on your website to improve their discoverability.
• Ensure your website’s navigation menu, footer, and sitemap include links to all important pages to facilitate user navigation and search engine crawling.
• Regularly monitor your website for new orphaned pages and update your internal linking strategy to prevent pages from becoming orphaned in the future.

14. URL Structure Problems:

A well-structured URL hierarchy improves website usability and helps search engines understand the organization of your content. URL structure problems such as lengthy URLs or dynamic parameters can negatively impact user experience and search engine crawling and indexing.

How to Check:

You can check for URL structure problems by reviewing your website’s URLs and assessing their readability, relevance, and consistency.

Additionally, you can use tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify URLs with issues such as excessive parameters or non-descriptive filenames.

How to Fix:

To address URL structure problems, you can:

• Simplify and optimize your URL structure by using descriptive keywords and organizing content into logical categories.
• Remove unnecessary parameters or session IDs from URLs to create cleaner, more user-friendly URLs.
• Implement URL redirects or canonical tags to consolidate duplicate or similar URLs and prevent URL fragmentation.
• Regularly review and update your URL structure to reflect changes in your website’s content or organization.

15. Excessive 404 Errors:

404 errors occur when a web page is not found, typically due to a broken or outdated link.

Excessive 404 errors can harm user experience and SEO, as they may indicate a lack of maintenance or attention to website quality.

How to Check:

You can check for excessive 404 errors using tools like Google Search Console or website crawling tools that identify broken links and missing pages.

These tools will highlight pages returning 404 errors and provide insights into their impact on user experience and search engine crawling.

How to Fix:

To address excessive 404 errors, you can:

• Review and fix broken links on your website by updating or removing outdated references to non-existent pages.
• Implement custom 404 error pages to provide helpful navigation options and redirect users to relevant content when they encounter a broken link.
• Monitor your website for new 404 errors and address them promptly to maintain a positive user experience and ensure search engines can crawl and index your website effectively.

16. Inefficient Crawl Budget Allocation:

Crawl budget refers to the number of pages search engines are willing to crawl and index on your website within a given timeframe.

Inefficient crawl budget allocation can prevent search engines from discovering and indexing important pages, leading to lower visibility in search results.

How to Check:

Though no one knows how Google calculates & allocates crawl budget for a website, it is recommended to keep an eye on your Google Search Console to get insights into crawl activity and crawl budget usage.

It will show you the pages that are frequently crawled or neglected by search engines, indicating potential issues with crawl budget allocation.

How to Fix:

To address inefficient crawl budget allocation, you can:

• Optimize your website’s internal linking structure to prioritize important pages and distribute link equity more effectively.
• Remove or block low-value or duplicate content from being crawled by search engines using robots.txt directives or meta robots tags.
• Monitor crawl activity and crawl budget usage in Google Search Console to identify patterns or anomalies and make necessary adjustments to improve crawl efficiency.

17. Internal Linking Issues:

Internal linking helps search engines understand the hierarchy and relationships between pages on your website. Internal linking issues such as broken links or orphaned pages can prevent search engines from crawling and indexing your website effectively, leading to lower visibility in search results.

How to Check:

You can check for internal linking issues using tools like Screaming Frog or website crawling tools that analyze internal links and identify issues such as broken links or orphaned pages. Additionally, you can review your website’s navigation menu, footer, and sitemap to ensure they include links to all important pages.

How to Fix:

To address internal linking issues, you can:

• Fix broken links and update internal links whenever you make changes to your website’s URL structure or content.
• Ensure your website’s navigation menu, footer, and sitemap include links to all important pages to facilitate search engine crawling and user navigation.
• Use descriptive anchor text for internal links to provide context and relevance to search engines and users.
• Monitor internal linking metrics in Google Search Console to identify opportunities for improvement and optimize your internal linking strategy accordingly.

18. Non-Optimized Anchor Text:

Anchor text provides context and relevance to search engines and users about the content of the linked page.

Non-optimized anchor text, such as generic phrases or irrelevant keywords, can dilute the impact of internal links and harm your website’s search rankings.

How to Check:

You can check for non-optimized anchor text by reviewing your website’s internal links and assessing the relevance and descriptive nature of the anchor text used.

Additionally, you can use tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to analyze anchor text distribution and identify opportunities for optimization.

How to Fix:

To address non-optimized anchor text, you can:

• Use descriptive and relevant anchor text that accurately reflects the content of the linked page.
• Avoid using generic phrases or keyword stuffing in anchor text, as this can detract from the user experience and harm your website’s search rankings.
• Review and update internal links to ensure anchor text is consistent with your website’s content and target keywords.
• Monitor anchor text distribution in Google Search Console to identify trends or anomalies and optimize your internal linking strategy accordingly.

19. Incorrect Hreflang Implementation:

Hreflang tags are used to indicate the language and geographical targeting of web pages with similar content but intended for different audiences.

Incorrect hreflang implementation can lead to confusion for search engines and users, resulting in lower visibility for targeted audiences in search results.

How to Check:

You can check for incorrect hreflang implementation by reviewing your website’s HTML code or using tools like Google Search Console to identify pages with hreflang tags and verify their accuracy.

Additionally, you can use browser extensions or online tools to preview how hreflang tags appear in search results.

How to Fix:

To address incorrect hreflang implementation, you can:

• Review and correct errors in your website’s hreflang tags, ensuring they accurately reflect the language and geographical targeting of
  each page.
• Use hreflang tags consistently across all relevant pages to prevent conflicts or inconsistencies in search engine interpretation.
• Monitor hreflang annotations in Google Search Console to identify issues or errors and make necessary adjustments to improve targeting and visibility for international audiences.

20. Lack of Mobile-First Indexing Readiness:

Mobile-first indexing means that Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website’s content for indexing and ranking in search results.

A lack of readiness for mobile-first indexing can result in lower visibility and rankings for your website in search results, especially on mobile devices.

How to Check:

One of the best tools to check mobile friendliness, especially in bulk, is Bulk Mobile Friendly Test from Experte.com

This tool will assess your website’s mobile responsiveness for each and every page and provide recommendations for improvement.

How to Fix:

To address a lack of readiness for mobile-first indexing, you can:

• Ensure your website is mobile-responsive and provides a seamless user experience across all devices and screen sizes.
• Optimize your website’s content, images, and navigation for mobile users to improve engagement and usability.
• Implement structured data markup and meta tags to provide search engines with additional context about your mobile content and enhance visibility in search results.
• Monitor mobile usability metrics in Google Search Console and address any issues or errors to improve your website’s readiness for mobile-first indexing.

Key Takeaways:

Addressing technical SEO issues is crucial for improving website performance and search engine rankings. Regularly audit your website for these issues and fix them promptly to ensure optimal user experience and visibility in search results. Utilize various tools and techniques to identify and resolve technical SEO issues efficiently.