1. Poor Website Navigation
Ever visited a website and felt completely lost? Poor website navigation not only frustrates visitors but also makes it hard for search engines to crawl and index your pages. Your internal linking should be clear and logical, helping both users and search engines easily find the most important content.
How to Fix It: Use an intuitive, easy-to-follow navigational structure. Ensure that your main pages are accessible from the homepage and that your links are clear and consistent across your site. Avoid deep page hierarchies, which can confuse users and make it harder for Google to crawl your site.
2. Slow Page Load Speed
With users expecting pages to load in three seconds or less, a slow-loading website can cause visitors to leave almost instantly. Worse, Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, meaning a sluggish site can lead to poor SEO performance.
How to Fix It: Switch to a faster WordPress theme, optimize images, and minify your site's CSS and JavaScript. Compress large media files and consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to improve load times.
3. A Non-Mobile-Friendly Site
With over 50% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, having a non-mobile-friendly website can be a disaster for both user experience and SEO. Google's mobile-first indexing means that the mobile version of your site is prioritized in search rankings. Ensure your website is designed to be responsive!
How to Fix It: Implement responsive web design so your site works flawlessly across all devices. Regularly test your website's mobile compatibility using tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
4. Missing H1 Tags (Especially on the Home Page)
H1 tags are critical for helping search engines understand the primary topic of your page. Without an H1 tag, your page will struggle to rank, and visitors may be confused about the purpose of your site.
How to Fix It: Ensure every page, especially your homepage, has one clear and concise H1 tag that includes your main keyword. Make sure the H1 tag is placed above the fold so that visitors know what the page is about within the first few seconds of landing on it.
5. Large Images & Media Files
While images and videos can make your website more visually appealing, large media files can drastically slow down your site's load time, hurting both SEO and user experience.
How to Fix It: Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim before uploading them to your website. Use proper image formats (such as WebP) and resize images to the appropriate dimensions for your website.
6. Disruptive Pop-Ups
Pop-ups can be a great way to grow your email list, but disruptive or poorly timed pop-ups can annoy visitors and negatively impact your search rankings. Google penalizes sites that use intrusive pop-ups, especially on mobile devices.
How to Fix It: Use pop-ups sparingly and ensure they add value rather than interrupt the user experience. Consider timing them to appear after a visitor has engaged with your content for at least 30 seconds or when they’re about to leave the page.
