Your rankings might be climbing and traffic ticking upward — but if conversions aren’t keeping pace, SEO might be both the problem and the solution. Here are 10 common SEO mistakes DIY marketers and small business owners make — plus how to fix them fast. If any of these sound familiar and you’re not sure where to start, you can always book a free SEO audit for a personalised check-up on your site.
1. No Keyword Research
You can’t rank for terms you haven’t identified. Guessing what your audience searches for is a gamble. No keyword map = no search strategy (src: LowFruits) — so let’s build a real keyword map to give your SEO clear direction.
2. Keyword Stuffing
Using your target phrase 20 times on the same page won’t help — it’ll likely trigger spam filters and hurt readability (src: Siege Media). Instead, clean up over-optimised pages and focus on writing for humans first.
3. Missing Meta Titles & Descriptions
If your page title still says “Home” or pulls boilerplate content, it’s not helping. Meta content needs to earn the click (src: Search Engine Journal), so optimise your on-page SEO by writing unique, compelling titles and descriptions that entice users to click.
4. No Internal Linking Strategy
If you aren’t linking your pages together, Google has no path to follow — and your visitors won’t either (src: Siege Media). That’s why you need to build your site architecture right by creating a clear internal linking path for search engines and visitors alike.
5. Image SEO Ignored
Huge file sizes and blank alt text slow your site and hurt accessibility (src: Wix SEO Expert). Images should help your SEO, not hinder it — so compress and tag your images to make sure they load fast and tell search engines what they’re about.
6. No Mobile or Speed Optimisation
If your site is slow or unreadable on mobile, you’re losing more than half your potential visitors — and Google notices (src: Marketing Dive). So speed up and mobilise your site to keep visitors from bouncing and make Google happy.
7. Ignoring Local SEO
If you serve a specific city or area, your site should reflect that — otherwise you’ll lose to competitors with better local signals (src: Sagapixel). To avoid that, fix your local SEO signals by making sure your location is obvious in your content, meta tags, and business listings so nearby customers find you first.
8. Thin or Duplicate Content
If you’ve got a dozen pages saying the same thing or barely saying anything at all, Google will ignore them (src: Search Engine Journal). Consolidate those pages and go deeper on each topic — and if you’re not sure what should stay or go, get a content audit to find out.
9. No Backlinks or Bad Ones
Google trusts sites others vouch for. If no one links to you — or only spammy directories do — you’ll stay buried (src: Wix SEO Expert), so start ethical link building to attract quality backlinks that boost your credibility.
10. No SEO Tracking
If you don’t know what pages are ranking or what keywords are bringing traffic, you’re flying blind — that’s not strategy, that’s guessing (src: Wix SEO Expert). It’s time to set up real analytics so you can track what’s working and stop guessing in the dark.
Action Plan: What to Do Now
- Run a basic keyword audit — what are your pages targeting (if anything)?
- Check your homepage title and meta description — is it unique and relevant?
- Test your mobile load time using Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Write one new piece of content that answers an actual customer question.
- Add three internal links to that content from existing pages.
- Check your alt text — do your main images describe what’s in the photo?
And if you want a second set of eyes on your progress, you can book a free SEO review to get expert feedback.
Final Word
Most of these fixes don’t require magic — just focus. If your SEO isn’t converting, odds are you’re missing one of the basics. Fix the fundamentals and the rest gets easier.
Want help reviewing or implementing any of these? You don’t need to do it all yourself. Consider a full-funnel SEO audit and let’s make it work together.