On-page SEO is the process of optimizing a website’s technical components in order to raise its search engine ranking and visibility.
On-page SEO can be challenging and error-prone, but it is a crucial component of any thorough SEO plan. While there are many aspects that go into search engine optimization, on-page SEO is essential in making sure that a website is found by search engines and is simple for them to access and crawl.
A website’s search engine performance can be hampered by a number of typical on-page SEO errors. Here are ten frequent SEO blunders to stay away from:
Lack of a mobile-friendly website
A website that is not mobile device optimized may be challenging to navigate and may load slowly, creating a bad user experience. Users may exit the website after only viewing one page as a result, resulting in a high bounce rate. The ranking of a website in search results might be adversely affected by a high bounce rate.
Additionally, Google has acknowledged that a ranking criterion for search results is how mobile-friendliness. This implies that a mobile-friendly website may score higher in search results than a non-mobile-friendly one.
There are a few measures you can do to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. One choice is to utilize a responsive design, in which the website’s layout adapts to the screen size of the device being used to access it. Making a distinct mobile version of the website is an additional choice.
It’s also crucial to check whether your website is mobile-friendly using tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. This will enable you to pinpoint any problems with your website’s mobile design and make the necessary corrections.
Slow-loading website
The user experience and search engine optimization (SEO) can both suffer greatly from a website’s poor loading speed. When a website loads slowly, visitors may become impatient and may leave after only viewing one page, which increases the website’s bounce rate. The ranking of a website in search results might be adversely affected by a high bounce rate.
Additionally, search engines take website speed into account when determining rankings. This implies that a website that loads slowly could appear lower in search results than a website that loads quickly.
A website’s loading time can be affected by a number of things. Large picture files, an abundance of JavaScript or CSS files, and a lack of website caching are a few examples.
There are a few actions you may do to increase the speed at which your website loads. Reducing the size of image files without compromising quality is one possibility. Another choice is to combine or minify the CSS and JavaScript files to reduce their overall amount. By saving frequently requested data in the user’s browser, website caching can also aid in enhancing a website’s loading time and make it load more quickly on subsequent visits.
It’s also crucial to often check how quickly your website loads using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights. This will enable you to pinpoint any problems with your website’s loading time and make the necessary corrections.
Website security
User trust and search engine optimization (SEO) both depend on website security. In addition to preserving user privacy and sensitive information, a secure website can perform better in search engine rankings.
The absence of an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a common technical SEO error committed by numerous websites. Data transferred between a website and a user’s browser is encrypted by an SSL certificate, which is a security protocol. Sensitive data, including passwords and credit card details, are transmitted securely as a result, helping to prevent data breaches.
A website’s security depends on having an SSL certificate, which can help raise its standing in search engine rankings. A website without an SSL certificate can rank lower than a website with an SSL certificate because Google has said that SSL is a ranking element for search results.
In addition to SSL, virus and malware protection is crucial for websites. Malware is computer code that is intended to harm a website and its visitors. It can steal critical information, reroute visitors to malicious websites, or show unwanted ads. It can be spread by links, downloads, or advertisements on a website.
Regular virus scans and the use of website security services are essential for defending websites from malware. Additionally, it’s critical to use only trusted sources and exercise caution while downloading files or clicking on links from websites.
As a result, both SEO and user trust may suffer if a website lacks security measures like an SSL certificate and malware protection. To preserve user privacy and sensitive information and to raise a website’s rating in search results, it is crucial to make sure it is secure. You may raise your website’s ranking and win consumers’ trust by implementing security precautions.
Website links with incorrect descriptions
For both search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience, it can be problematic for websites to have inaccurate or misleading link descriptions. Links on a website can be followed to access internal pages or external websites. Making sure that the link descriptions appropriately reflect the topic to which they go is crucial.
Poor user experiences might result from incorrect link descriptions. When a person clicks on a link in the hopes of finding a specific piece of material but instead finds something else, it can be frustrating and may prompt them to abandon the website. A website’s ranking in search results may suffer as a result of having a high bounce rate.
Incorrect link descriptions might affect SEO in addition to the user experience. Search engines utilize the link descriptions to comprehend a webpage’s content and assess how relevant it is to a user’s search query. The rating of the website in search results may be impacted if the link descriptions are inaccurate or deceptive.
It’s critical to routinely check your website for inaccurate or misleading links in order to make sure that link descriptions are accurate. Additionally, it’s crucial to refrain from employing ambiguous or general link descriptions, such as “click here,” as these say nothing about the topic to which they point.
Broken links
Broken links, commonly referred to as dead links or 404 errors, can affect both the user experience and search engine optimization (SEO). A broken link is one that directs users to a page that either doesn’t exist or is no longer accessible. A user who clicks on a broken link will be directed to a 404 error page, which says that the webpage is not available.
Broken links can also affect SEO. Links help search engines understand a website’s content and structure as well as how to find and index new web pages. A website may receive a bad position in search results if there are too many broken links, which makes it challenging for search engines to crawl and index the website.
It’s crucial to routinely check your website for broken links and to fix them as soon as possible if you want to make sure it is free of errors. You can use a variety of tools, including Dead Link Checker and W3C Link Checker, to find broken links on your website.
Duplicate content
A website’s ranking in search results may suffer as a result of duplicate content, which is a common SEO blunder. Content that is identical to or strikingly similar to content that occurs on other websites or on other pages of the same website is referred to as duplicate content.
Search engines can become confused by duplicate material on a website, which can result in a bad ranking in search results. This is because duplicate content does not provide any value to the user experience, which is something search engines strive to give users with. Additionally, it’s possible that search engines will rank both versions of the information equally because they are unsure which version to prioritize in search results.
On a website, there are numerous approaches to prevent duplicating content. Utilizing canonical tags is one choice because they inform search engines which version of the material is the original and ought to be ranked. Another option is to use 301 redirects, which redirect users and search engines to the original version of the content.
Absence of sitemap
Search engines use sitemaps, which are lists of every page on a website, to crawl and index websites. Search engine optimization (SEO) can benefit from having a sitemap since it enables search engines to find and index all of a website’s pages.
The absence of a sitemap is one typical technical SEO error that many websites commit. It might be challenging for search engines to find and index every page on a website without a sitemap. Search engines may not be able to correctly grasp the content and structure of the website, which may result in a low ranking in search results.
Sitemaps come in two flavors: HTML sitemaps and XML sitemaps. HTML sitemaps offer a list of links to all the pages on a website and are made for users. The URL of each page, the most recent update date, and the frequency of updates are all included in XML sitemaps, which are informational documents intended for search engines.
You can manually generate a sitemap for your website or utilize a sitemap generator service. As you add or remove pages from your website, it is crucial to update your sitemap frequently.
Lack of alt text for images
Alt text, or alternative text, is a description of an image that is used by search engines to understand the content of an image. Including alt text for images on a website can improve its accessibility and its ranking in search results. Lack of alt text for photos is one typical technical SEO error that many websites make. Search engines can’t read images without alt text, which makes it difficult for them to properly index and rank the image in search results.
The absence of alt text can have negative effects on a website’s accessibility in addition to its effects on SEO. Screen readers, which are computer applications that read webpage content aloud for people who are blind or visually handicapped, use alt text. Without alt text, screen readers cannot tell users of the information included in an image, making it challenging for them to access the webpage’s content.
It’s critical to provide alt text for all of your website’s photos in order to guarantee accessibility. The alt text must appropriately reflect the content of the image and should be descriptive. Avoid using generic or ambiguous alt text, such as “image,” as this gives no indication of the image’s content.
Absence of heading tags
The usage of heading tags, also known as H tags, helps users and search engines comprehend the hierarchy of the material on a webpage. An effective use of header tags can increase a webpage’s readability and SEO.
The absence or poor usage of header tags is a typical technical SEO error that many websites make. It might be challenging for users and search engines to understand the hierarchy and structure of the material on a webpage without header tags. This can result in a bad user experience and a low search ranking.
From H1 to H6, there are six levels of heading tags. The most significant H1 tags should be used for a webpage’s primary heading. Subheadings should be marked with H2 tags, followed by sub-subheadings with H3 tags, and so on. Avoid skipping heading levels or using several H1 tags on a single webpage. Instead, utilize heading tags logically and hierarchically.
Use the proper heading level for each heading and include pertinent, illustrative headings for all of your website’s content to guarantee that heading tags are used correctly.
Absence of a robots.txt file
The robots.txt file, often known as crawlers or spiders, is a text file used to communicate with search engine robots. The file outlines which web sites or files should be crawled and which ones shouldn’t. Search engine optimization (SEO) might benefit from having a robots.txt file since it enables you to manage which pages on your website are crawled and listed in search results.
The absence of a robots.txt file on a website is one common technical SEO error. Search engines will automatically crawl and index every page on a website if there isn’t a robots.txt file. If a website contains pages that should not be indexed, such as sites that are under construction or contain sensitive information, this could be an issue.
You can use a text editor to create a file and save it as “robots.txt” to generate a robots.txt file for your website. The root directory of the website should include the file. A list of rules describing which pages or files should be crawled and which should not should be included in the file.
As the content of your website changes, it’s crucial to examine and update the robots.txt file frequently. The robots.txt file should also be tested to make sure it is operating properly.
Absence of a 404 error page
When a user tries to access a webpage that either does not exist or is no longer available, a 404 error page is presented. Too many 404 error pages on a website can hurt both the user experience and search engine optimization (SEO).
The improper handling of 404 error pages is a frequent technical SEO problem that many websites do. A disgruntled user may abandon the website after coming across a 404 error page. A website’s ranking in search results may suffer as a result of having a high bounce rate.
