8 common SEO mistakes and here's how to fix it!

H1 and H2 titles are not used correctly

A common mistake is that H1 and H2 titles are not used correctly. The H1 title is the most important title on the page. Search engines use the H1, H2, H3 and H4 title to better understand what the page is about. The H1 is the main title, followed by the H2 titles. The H1 title should only be used once on the page and the H2 title several times. The H3 and H4 title are not mandatory, but can be used as an additional subtitle under the H2 title. So it is important to check whether each page on your website has one unique H1 title and whether it contains the most important keyword. Is that the case? Then take a look at your H2 titles too. Do these contain relevant keywords? Then add these. Suppose 'black ladies bag with laptop compartment' is searched for a lot. Then make use of this in your H2. Or maybe you don't use H2 titles yet, then include them in your SEO text.

Use non-relevant keywords

What we often see going by is the use of keywords that no one actually searches for. Optimising a page using non-relevant keywords is of no use to SEO. You can do two things. Look at related keywords, are there alternative keywords to the keyword you are currently using. What may sound like a logical focus keyword to you as an expert, users may use a completely different keyword. In that case, use the keyword with the most search volume and relevance for your website. Using SEO tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, Screaming Frog or the free Google keyword planner tool, you can easily gain insight into these keywords. But is even this not the case? Then skip this page for SEO optimisations.

Double content on your website

Another common SEO mistake is duplicate content on a website. Duplicate content can cause your pages to rank very low in the search engine. This is because Google does not know which page has the highest relevance and so the pages will not be shown as high in the search results. What you want to achieve are unique pages without duplicate content. What to look out for:

Double SEO texts Writing SEO texts is a lot of work, but never copy/paste these texts on multiple pages. That would be a waste of your work. Double H1s and H2s are also a no-go. You want to optimise each page according to associated keywords. By over-optimising and placing duplicate text and titles on multiple pages, the pages are no longer unique.

Double meta data Also often forgotten is meta-data optimisation. Meta data consists of a meta-title and meta-description. Make these unique for each page as well. So that you do not get two or more pages with exactly the same meta-title and meta-description.

Can't you prevent two pages from being very similar in terms of content anyway? In that case, you can place a canonical for the page you want it to display in the search engine. This way, Google knows that this page is the most relevant.

Unclear internal link structure

A good internal link structure ensures that search engines can properly scan the website and understand what the most important pages are. This means that a neat URL structure is essential. Important for this is to build a clear hierarchy. What are the main categories and what subcategories come under them. Do you have that in order? Then start adding links in your SEO texts so that the pages link to each other. Link to the most important pages and preferably pages that are also SEO optimised. In the anchor text, you then place the relevant keyword. For example: Backpacks are also ideal for travelling instead of check out backpacks here.

Images not optimised

Images are also often forgotten to be optimised for SEO. For example, it often happens that an image is named image_12.jpg. Not very favourable for your rankings. Because did you know that with proper optimisation, your image can also rank high in Google Images? This can drive additional traffic to your website. These are the two most common mistakes:

Non-optimised alt text The alt text is used to explain what can be seen in the image. Not only very useful for users when reading out the page, for example, but also for search engines to 'understand' the image. So it is important to describe the image using relevant keywords.

Images are too big and heavy Images that are too heavy or too large can also cause your page to rank lower. Page speed is extremely important for Google (and your users) and therefore also plays a role in your rankings. So don't make images too heavy and also size them correctly.

404 errors on pages

Do you link from texts to pages that no longer exist or whose URL is incorrect? Then you get a 404 page, or a 'dead page'. A shame for your SEO, but also annoying for the user. So solve 404 errors as quickly as possible. How? First of all, track down the 404 link. Many SEO tools, including Ahrefs, generate reports where you get an overview of 404s URLs and on which page they were found. Link found? Replace the link with the new link. Another option is to create a redirect to the correct page. By the way, be careful with placing redirects. Too many redirects can make a website slower. Therefore, prefer on your website itself to replace old links with the new link instead of redirecting.

Not mobile-friendly

The mobile accessibility of your website also plays an important role for SEO. Google places great importance on a mobile-friendly website. This includes paying attention to responsive design, such as the font, buttons and clique elements. In Search Console, you can check the status of your website in the 'usability on mobile' report or try the Google mobile-friendly test.

Poor pagespeed score

Pagespeed is another important pillar for Google and does affect your rankings. The faster and healthier your website is, the better for your position in Google. Besides being important for SEO, it is of course also nice for website visitors if your website loads quickly. Using Google Pagespeed Insights or tools like Lighthouse, you can gain insight into the speed of your website and identify possible issues. For example, it could be that your images are too heavy or that elements are slow to load.

Need help optimising your website?

These were the most common SEO mistakes. But of course, other mistakes can also occur that cause your website to rank low. Using the tips above, are you unable to get your positions in Google up? Let us know. Using an SEO check, we will gladly take a look with you and compile a report with points of improvement and recommendations.