Doing SEO is easy, but as a beginner, the biggest challenge is not knowing whether we are doing it right or wrong.
The problem isn’t just making mistakes, but it’s not realizing what’s right and what’s wrong in SEO.
Many beginners struggle because they lack clarity on what SEO is, why it matters, and how to do it the right way.
More importantly, we need to understand whether Google accepts our SEO strategies or not.
I’m Sundar, a digital marketer with 7 years of experience in digital marketing. I started my career as an SEO analyst, and during my initial days, I also made SEO mistakes without even realizing whether they were right or wrong. Over time, I learned from these mistakes and improved my approach.
In this blog, I’ve listed common SEO mistakes you should avoid as a beginner. If you’re just starting out, this guide will help you understand SEO mistakes and how to fix them.
On-Page SEO Mistakes
1. Ignoring keyword research and targeting wrong keywords
❌ Mistake: A beginner writes a blog about “best laptops” but targets a high-competition keyword without checking keyword difficulty or search volume.
✅ Fix: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find long-tail keywords like “best budget laptops for students 2024.”
2. Overstuffing keywords in content (Keyword stuffing)
❌ Mistake: “If you want the best smartphones, our best smartphones guide will help you find the best smartphones in 2024.”
✅ Fix: Use keywords naturally in headings, subheadings, and throughout the content. Google prefers readability over keyword repetition.
3. Not using proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3 structure)
❌ Mistake: Using multiple H1 tags on a page instead of a clear hierarchy.
✅ Fix:
- H1: Best Laptops for Students (Main Title)
- H2: Budget Laptops Under $500
- H3: Best Laptops for Online Classes
4. Missing or duplicate title tags and meta descriptions
❌ Mistake: Using the same meta title for multiple pages:
🚫 “Best Shoes for Running | XYZ Store” (on every page!)
✅ Solution:
- Each page should have a unique title tag:
✅ “Best Running Shoes for Women | XYZ Store”
✅ “Best Running Shoes for Men | XYZ Store”
5. Not optimizing images (missing alt text, large file sizes)
❌ Mistake: Uploading images with filenames like “IMG_1234.jpg” and no alt text.
✅ Fix: Rename the file to “blue-running-shoes.jpg” and use alt text:
“Blue running shoes for men with soft cushioning.”
6. Ignoring internal linking opportunities
❌ Mistake: A blog about “Best Running Shoes” doesn’t link to related articles like “How to Choose the Right Running Shoes.”
✅ Fix: Add internal links to improve navigation and SEO.
7. Using thin or duplicate content
❌ Mistake: Creating short 200-word articles that provide no value or copying content from other sites.
✅ Fix: Write in-depth, original content of at least 800-1500 words, answering user queries comprehensively.
8. Publishing content without proper formatting (poor readability)
❌ Mistake: Large walls of text with no subheadings, bullet points, or paragraphs.
✅ Fix: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings for readability.
9. Not optimizing for featured snippets
❌ Mistake: Writing general content without structuring answers properly.
✅ Fix: Use question-answer format to rank in featured snippets:
Q: What are the best exercises for weight loss?
✅ A: The best exercises for weight loss include running, HIIT workouts, swimming, and cycling.
10. Ignoring user intent while creating content
❌ Mistake: Writing a blog post when users are looking for a product page.
✅ Fix: Analyze search intent and create content accordingly (Informational, Navigational, Transactional).
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Technical SEO Mistakes
11. Not making the website mobile-friendly
❌ Mistake: A website looks fine on desktop but has broken text and images on mobile.
✅ Fix: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and apply responsive design.
12. Slow page loading speed (unoptimized CSS, JavaScript, images)
❌ Mistake: A webpage takes 8 seconds to load due to large images and unused JavaScript.
✅ Fix: Compress images using TinyPNG, minify CSS/JavaScript, and enable lazy loading.
13. Poor website structure & navigation
❌ Mistake: Pages are buried deep in the site, making it hard for Google to crawl them.
✅ Fix: Maintain a flat structure where key pages are no more than 3 clicks from the homepage.
14. Not having an XML sitemap or robots.txt file
❌ Mistake: Google can’t find new pages because there’s no sitemap.
✅ Fix: Generate an XML sitemap using Yoast SEO or Google Search Console and submit it.
15. Ignoring schema markup (structured data)
❌ Mistake: A recipe site doesn’t use recipe schema, missing out on rich results.
✅ Fix: Add structured data using Schema.org for events, products, FAQs, etc.
16. Broken links & improper redirects (404 errors, redirect chains)
❌ Mistake: Clicking a link shows “404 Page Not Found”.
✅ Fix: Regularly check broken links with Ahrefs or Screaming Frog and set up proper 301 redirects.
17. Using HTTP instead of HTTPS (lack of security)
❌ Mistake: A site still runs on HTTP, showing “Not Secure” in browsers.
✅ Fix: Install an SSL certificate to move to HTTPS.
18. Ignoring Core Web Vitals
❌ Mistake: Users experience slow load times, layout shifts, and unresponsive elements.
✅ Fix: Optimize Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and First Input Delay (FID).
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Off-Page SEO Mistakes
19. Building low-quality or spammy backlinks
❌ Mistake: Getting 100 backlinks from spammy directories instead of high-quality blogs.
✅ Fix: Focus on guest posts, HARO links, and authoritative sites.
20. Ignoring local SEO (not optimizing Google My Business, NAP citations)
❌ Mistake: A local business doesn’t list its address on Google My Business.
✅ Fix: Add business details to Google Business Profile and local directories.
21. Not leveraging social media signals for SEO
❌ Mistake: No social shares or engagement on content.
✅ Fix: Promote content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for traffic.
22. Focusing only on link quantity instead of link quality
❌ Mistake: Getting thousands of backlinks from spammy sites.
✅ Fix: Prioritize quality over quantity (One DA 70+ link > Ten DA 10 links).
23. Not monitoring and disavowing toxic backlinks
❌ Mistake: A competitor creates bad links to lower your ranking.
✅ Fix: Use Google’s Disavow Tool to remove harmful links.
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Tracking & Strategy Mistakes
24. Not using Google Analytics & Search Console to track SEO performance
❌ Mistake: Making SEO changes blindly without tracking results.
✅ Fix: Set up Google Analytics 4 & Search Console to measure performance.
25. Expecting instant results & not being patient with SEO
❌ Mistake: Expecting rank #1 in a week after publishing content.
✅ Fix: SEO takes 3-6 months for results. Keep improving content and building authority.
Final Thoughts
I hope you now have a clear understanding of the common SEO mistakes to avoid as a beginner. Learning SEO is a continuous process, and mistakes are part of the journey. But the key is to identify and fix them early to improve your website’s rankings and performance.
If you’re still unsure about anything or want to learn SEO the right way, join my SEO course, where I will teach you everything from basics to advanced in a personalized online training session.