How to Fix Common Technical SEO Issues That Hurt Your Rankings

Fix common technical SEO issues, Technical SEO is the backbone of any successful website. It ensures that your site is easy to crawl, index, and understand by search engines. However, even the most well-designed websites can suffer from technical SEO issues that hurt their rankings and visibility. From crawl errors to slow page speeds, these issues can prevent your site from reaching its full potential.

In this article, we’ll explore the most common technical SEO issues and provide actionable steps to fix them. Whether you’re a website owner, marketer, or SEO beginner, these tips will help you improve your site’s performance and boost your rankings.

Why Technical SEO Matters

Before diving into the issues, let’s understand why technical SEO is so important:

1. Improved Crawlability: Technical SEO ensures search engines can easily crawl and index your site.
2. Better User Experience: A technically sound website provides a seamless experience for visitors.
3. Higher Rankings: Fixing technical issues can lead to improved search engine rankings.
4. Increased Traffic: A well-optimized site attracts more organic traffic.

Now, let’s explore the most common technical SEO issues and how to fix them.

1. Crawl Errors

Fix common technical SEO issues, Crawl errors occur when search engines are unable to access or index certain pages on your website. These errors can hurt your rankings and prevent your content from being discovered.

Common Crawl Errors:

• 404 Errors: Pages that don’t exist or have been deleted.
• 500 Errors: Server errors that prevent access to your site.
• Redirect Chains: Multiple redirects that slow down crawling.

How to Fix Crawl Errors:

• Use Google Search Console: Identify crawl errors in the Coverage Report.
• Fix Broken Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and fix broken links.
• Set Up Proper Redirects: Use 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the correct pages.

Example:

If you find a 404 error for a deleted product page, set up a 301 redirect to a relevant category page or a similar product.

2. Slow Page Speed

Page speed is a critical ranking factor and directly impacts user experience. A slow-loading site can lead to higher bounce rates and lost traffic.

How to Improve Page Speed:

• Compress Images: Use tools like TinyPNG to reduce image file sizes.
• Enable Browser Caching: This allows returning visitors to load your site faster.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML: Remove unnecessary code to reduce file sizes.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN distributes your site’s content across multiple servers, improving load times for users worldwide.

Tools to Test Page Speed:

• Google PageSpeed Insights
• GTmetrix

3. Mobile-Friendliness Issues

Fix common technical SEO issues, With over 60% of searches happening on mobile devices, your website must be mobile-friendly. A poor mobile experience can hurt your rankings and drive users away.

How to Fix Mobile-Friendliness Issues:

• Use a Responsive Design: Ensure your site adapts to different screen sizes.
• Simplify Navigation: Make it easy for users to browse and interact with your site on small screens.
• Optimize Buttons and Forms: Ensure buttons are large enough to click, and forms are easy to fill out.

Tools to Test Mobile-Friendliness:

• Google Mobile-Friendly Test
• BrowserStack

4. Duplicate Content

Duplicate content occurs when the same content appears on multiple URLs. This can confuse search engines and dilute your rankings.

How to Fix Duplicate Content:

• Use Canonical Tags: Add a canonical tag to indicate the preferred version of a page.
• 301 Redirects: Redirect duplicate pages to the original version.
• Consolidate Content: Combine similar pages into one comprehensive page.

Example:

If you have multiple product pages with similar descriptions, consolidate them into one page and use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version.

5. Poor URL Structure

A clean, logical URL structure helps search engines and users understand your site’s hierarchy. Poor URLs can hurt your rankings and make navigation difficult.

How to Fix URL Structure:

• Use Descriptive URLs: Include relevant keywords and avoid random numbers or characters.
• Keep URLs Short: Aim for URLs that are easy to read and share.
• Use Hyphens: Separate words with hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_).

Example:

Instead of www.example.com/product123, use www.example.com/blue-running-shoes.

6. Missing or Incorrect Meta Tags

Fix common technical SEO issues, Meta tags, such as title tags and meta descriptions, provide information about your pages to search engines and users. Missing or incorrect meta tags can hurt your rankings and CTR.

How to Fix Meta Tags:

• Write Unique Title Tags: Ensure each page has a unique, keyword-rich title tag (under 60 characters).
• Add Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions (under 160 characters) that include your target keywords.
• Use Header Tags: Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure your content and include keywords naturally.

Example:

For a blog post about SEO tips, use:

• Title Tag: “10 SEO Tips to Boost Your Rankings in 2025”
• Meta Description: “Discover 10 actionable SEO tips to improve your website’s rankings and drive more organic traffic. Start optimizing today!”

7. Lack of Structured Data

Structured data, or schema markup, helps search engines understand your content better. It can also increase your chances of appearing in rich snippets.

How to Add Structured Data:

• Use Schema.org: Add schema markup for key elements like products, reviews, and FAQs.
• Test Your Markup: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure your markup is correct.
• Focus on Key Pages: Add structured data to high-priority pages like product pages and blog posts.

Example:

For a product page, add:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Blue Running Shoes",
  "image": "https://example.com/blue-running-shoes.jpg",
  "description": "Lightweight and comfortable running shoes for all terrains.",
  "brand": "Example Brand",
  "price": "79.99"
}

8. Indexing Issues

Indexing issues occur when search engines are unable to index your pages. This can prevent your content from appearing in search results.

How to Fix Indexing Issues:

• Check Robots.txt: Ensure your robots.txt file isn’t blocking important pages.
• Submit a Sitemap: Submit your XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
• Use Noindex Tags: Add noindex tags to pages you don’t want to be indexed (e.g., thank-you pages).

Example:

If your blog posts aren’t being indexed, check your robots.txt file and ensure it allows crawling of your blog section.

9. Security Issues (HTTP vs. HTTPS)

Security is a critical ranking factor. Websites using HTTPS (secure protocol) are prioritized over those using HTTP.

How to Fix Security Issues:

• Install an SSL Certificate: Contact your hosting provider to install an SSL certificate.
• Update Internal Links: Ensure all internal links use HTTPS.
• Set Up Redirects: Redirect HTTP pages to their HTTPS versions.

Example:

If your site is still using HTTP, install an SSL certificate and set up 301 redirects to HTTPS.

10. Poor Internal Linking

Internal links help search engines understand your site’s structure and distribute link equity. Poor internal linking can hurt your rankings and user experience.

How to Fix Internal Linking:

• Use Descriptive Anchor Text: Use relevant keywords in your anchor text.
• Link to Important Pages: Ensure your key pages are easily accessible through internal links.
• Fix Broken Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and fix broken internal links.

Example:

If you have a blog post about “SEO Tips,” link to related posts like “How to Conduct Keyword Research” or “On-Page SEO Best Practices.”

Read More: Internal Linking for SEO: Best Practices to Boost Rankings

Conclusion

Fix common technical SEO issues is essential for improving your website’s performance and rankings. By addressing crawl errors, improving page speed, optimizing for mobile, and adding structured data, you can create a technically sound website that attracts more traffic and converts visitors into customers.

Remember, technical SEO is an ongoing process. Regularly audit your site, monitor your performance, and stay updated with the latest SEO trends. With consistent effort and the right strategies, you can achieve higher rankings and grow your online presence.

High-Authority Links Included:

1. Google Search Central – For technical SEO best practices.
2. Google PageSpeed Insights – For improving page speed.