5 SEO Mistakes That Are Killing Your Rankings (And How to Fix Them)
Most websites are leaving page-1 rankings on the table. Here are the five most common SEO mistakes we see — and exactly how to fix each one.
Search engine optimisation doesn’t have to be complicated — but it is easy to get wrong. After auditing hundreds of websites, we keep seeing the same mistakes over and over again. Here are the five that cost businesses the most traffic.
1. Ignoring Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals — Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and Interaction to Next Paint — are now direct ranking signals. If your site loads slowly or content jumps around as it loads, you’re losing rankings regardless of how good your content is.
The fix: Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights. Aim for green scores across all three metrics. Common wins include compressing images, removing render-blocking scripts, and moving to a faster host.
2. Writing for Search Engines, Not Humans
Keyword stuffing is dead. Google’s algorithms are sophisticated enough to understand context, intent, and quality. Pages that repeat the same phrase 20 times will be penalised — not rewarded.
The fix: Write content that genuinely answers your user’s question. Use keywords naturally, cover related topics, and structure your content so it’s easy to read. Google rewards helpfulness.
3. Neglecting Internal Linking
Your most important pages need the most internal links pointing at them. Most websites have no internal linking strategy — their most valuable content is effectively invisible to Google’s crawlers.
The fix: Identify your 10 most important pages. Then ensure every relevant piece of content on your site links to at least one of them. Use descriptive anchor text, not just “click here.”
4. Not Optimising for Local Search
If you serve a specific geographic area and you’re not appearing in local search results, you’re losing customers to competitors who are. Google Business Profile is arguably the highest-ROI SEO investment you can make.
The fix: Claim and fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Ensure your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent across all directories. Collect genuine reviews from happy customers.
5. Setting and Forgetting
SEO isn’t a one-time task — it’s an ongoing process. Algorithms update, competitors create new content, and your own site changes. Websites that stop investing in SEO gradually slide down the rankings.
The fix: Review your top-performing pages quarterly. Check for keyword decay. Update old content. Monitor your Core Web Vitals. Treat SEO as a continuous investment, not a project.
Need help fixing these issues on your site? Get a free SEO audit from Ten Fast Feet — we’ll identify exactly what’s holding your rankings back.