If your site looks good on the outside but still isn’t ranking well, the issue might be under the bonnet.
While content and keywords get most of the attention, technical SEO problems are often the hidden reason why websites underperform in search. You could have the best blog in your industry but if your pages are slow, broken, or hard to crawl, Google won’t rank them where they deserve to be.
Here are some of the most common technical issues we come across when auditing websites and what they could be costing you.
1. Slow Page Load Speeds
Nobody likes waiting around, especially online. If your pages take longer than a few seconds to load, users leave and search engines notice.
Fix it: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to find what’s slowing things down. Often it’s large images, unoptimised code, or unnecessary plugins.
2. Broken Links and 404 Errors
Broken links send users to dead ends and make your site look untrustworthy. They also stop search engines from properly crawling your pages.
Fix it: Regularly check for broken internal and external links using free tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs.
3. Poor Mobile Experience
Most traffic is now mobile, and if your site doesn’t work well on smaller screens, users will bounce fast.
Fix it: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your site. Ensure text is readable, buttons are easy to tap, and nothing overlaps.
4. Duplicate Content
Search engines don’t know which version of your page to show when multiple URLs have the same content. This can dilute your rankings.
Fix it: Use canonical tags to point to the preferred version of a page. Avoid duplicating product or service pages across different URLs.
5. Crawlability Issues
If Google can’t properly access or index your pages, they’ll never rank. This could be due to robots.txt blocks, noindex tags, or a messy URL structure.
Fix it: Check your robots.txt file and use Google Search Console’s “Coverage” report to spot crawl issues.
6. Missing or Incorrect Redirects
Redirect chains, temporary (302) redirects, or missing redirects after a site update can break ranking power and confuse search engines.
Fix it: Use permanent 301 redirects for moved content and avoid stacking multiple redirects in a row.
7. No HTTPS (or Mixed Content)
Google gives preference to secure websites. If your site still runs on HTTP or has mixed secure and insecure content, it can damage trust and rankings.
Fix it: Install an SSL certificate and make sure all assets (images, scripts, etc.) load securely.
How to Know What to Fix First
If any of these sound familiar, your best next step is to run a technical SEO audit. This doesn’t need to be complicated just a clear overview of where your site stands and what needs attention.
You can also read our Technical SEO Checklist for Small Business Sites (coming soon) or get in touch with us for a personalised review.
Need a Hand with the Technical Stuff?
You don’t have to do it all yourself. At Almond Marketing, we help businesses across the UK spot and fix the hidden technical issues that are holding their websites back. No jargon, no pressure just expert support that makes sense.Visit our SEO Agency in London page or contact us for a chat.
