Search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential for any business with an online presence. But even with the best intentions, many websites continue to fall short due to avoidable SEO mistakes. These missteps can quietly erode your visibility on search engines, costing you valuable traffic and potential customers.
Below, we highlight the most common SEO errors still affecting websites in 2025 and what you can do to correct them.
1. Poor Page Experience and Slow Load Speeds
Page experience continues to play a significant role in Google’s ranking algorithm. Websites that load slowly or aren’t optimised for mobile often rank lower, regardless of how strong the content might be.
- Why it matters: Google’s Core Web Vitals assess how quickly and smoothly your pages load and respond.
- What to do: Optimise images, reduce reliance on unnecessary scripts, and use performance tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose bottlenecks.
2. Ignoring Search Intent
Many sites still create content around keywords without considering what users are actually looking for. Misaligned content, no matter how well-written, won’t rank if it doesn’t match the intent behind the search.
- Why it matters: Google increasingly prioritises pages that best answer the user’s query.
- What to do: Understand the difference between informational, navigational, and transactional intent, and align content accordingly.
3. Overlooking Internal Linking
A surprising number of websites still fail to use internal links effectively. Without them, search engines struggle to crawl and understand the structure of your site, and users miss the chance to explore related content.
- Why it matters: Internal links distribute authority and help both users and search engines navigate your site.
- What to do: Create a clear linking strategy that connects related pages naturally.
4. Outdated or Thin Content
Thin or outdated content, especially on core pages, can hurt your domain’s authority and reduce trust with both users and search engines. Pages that haven’t been reviewed in years often lack relevance or accuracy.
- Why it matters: Google favours content that is current, useful, and comprehensive.
- What to do: Audit your content regularly. Refresh facts, update broken links, and consider consolidating similar pages.
5. Skipping Meta Descriptions and Title Tags
Despite being a basic SEO element, missing or duplicated meta data is still common. These tags help search engines understand page context and influence how your listings appear in results.
- Why it matters: Well-written title tags and descriptions improve click-through rates and keyword relevance.
- What to do: Write unique, descriptive tags for every important page, ideally including relevant keywords without stuffing.
6. Not Using Schema Markup
Structured data (or schema markup) helps search engines better interpret the content on your website. Without it, you're missing the opportunity to enhance your visibility with rich results.
- Why it matters: Schema can trigger rich snippets in search results, increasing visibility and clicks.
- What to do: Add appropriate markup to products, reviews, services, articles, and other relevant content types.
7. Neglecting Technical SEO
Issues such as broken links, duplicate content, poor site architecture, or crawl errors can significantly hinder your ranking potential. Many of these problems build up over time and go unnoticed without regular audits.
- Why it matters: Technical health is foundational if search engines can’t crawl or index your content properly, it won’t rank.
- What to do: Conduct regular technical audits using tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs or Google Search Console.
Summary
SEO mistakes are rarely dramatic, but over time they add up. By addressing these common issues from slow load times and unclear content to weak metadata and poor linking businesses can regain visibility and attract the traffic their websites deserve.
Taking a more disciplined, strategic approach to SEO in 2025 is no longer optional, it’s essential.