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If you’ve been working on websites for long enough, then you’ll recognise a truism: if the website’s technical setup is broken, then your ranking will tank. It doesn’t matter that you have amazing content and strong backlinks. If Google can’t read and understand your site, then none of these things matter. Over the years, our digital marketing agency has seen a ton of sites where people continue to make the same mistakes. In fact, in many cases, they don’t even realise it’s happening until traffic drops off or pages simply vanish from search results. However, there is some good news. Most of these are pretty basic problems that are fixable. Using a little care and attention, along with some essential right clicks can save your ranking before all is lost.

Slow Site Speed and Poor Core Web Vitals

A slow website is one of the most frustrating aspects of online browsing. Image clicking and then having to wait three or four seconds for the site to load. However, Google notices this and will penalise the site. To be honest, this is one of the most common technical SEO mistakes we encounter. Most of the problems can be attributed to uncompressed images, messy code, and too many fancy scripts running. Take note that in 2025, Google measures something called “INP. This is basically how fast your site reacts to a click. We suggest you think of how to keep the site smooth and quick. To that end, always compress your images, cut back on unnecessary plug-ins and use decent hosting. 

Neglecting Mobile-First Indexing

In the age of today’s internet, your phone now matters more than your PC. This is why Google looks at your mobile site in such detail. Should you have clunky or missing content, then you’re in trouble. These are the types of technical SEO mistakes that are so easy to overlook. You might be surprised as to how many clients have amazing and beautiful desktop sites, yet have completely neglected the mobile version. In many cases, they haven’t even tested the mobile website, with buttons, text and forms not working properly. On the whole, if you can’t operate your mobile site with your thumb, then there’s work to do. Keep in mind that mobile doesn’t just mean smaller. It’s how the majority of people experience your brand today.

Crawling and Indexation Errors

It sounds crazy, but sometimes, as part of our digital marketing services, we’ve run a site audit only to find entire sections that remain hidden to Google. Often the reason is as simple as a file or tag telling Google not to look. It’s a common technical SEO mistake that can creep in as a website begins to grow. So check that your eobots.txt and meta-tags aren’t blocking key pages. Perhaps you still have orphaned pages with zero internal links pointing to them. Or your new product pages aren’t properly indexed. That’s why you should check your Search Console on a regular basis. Look at this as a health report for the website. Remember, if Google can’t crawl it, it can’t rank it!

Broken Links and Redirect Loops

If you’re looking for the quickest way of killing trust in your brand, then broken links will do that for you. Imagine, you click on something and it goes straight to a 404 error. Of course, a user will leave instantly and so does Google. This is yet another example of classic technical SEO mistakes that might come about as your website grows. Also, if you’ve had a site redesign  or migration, then redirect chains and loops are also common. It’s possible that one simple misplaced rule can lead to a site being stuck in an endless loop.However, fixes are relatively easy. For a start, make sure all re-directs are clean, and be sure to check them regularly. Make sure you remove dead ends. Ideally, Google wants a smooth path.

Poor URL Structure and Parameter Chaos

We’ve all seen URLs that look like alphabet soup. It’s one of those technical SEO mistakes that drives both us and search engines nuts. It goes without saying that clean URLs are easier to remember and share. They also help Google to connect your content to the right keywords. We suggest that you try to keep URLs as short as possible. They should also be descriptive and consistent. As such, try to only use words that regular people understand, not indecipherable machine code. Small details like this help build trust over time.

Missing or Misconfigured Canonical Tags

It’s all too easy to copy some content from one page to another without realising you just created duplicate content. Thanks to years of running web content creation services, we understand that’s where canonical tags come into play. They tell Google which version is the “main” one. Missing or wrong tags are a hidden technical SEO mistake that can turn productive sites into invisible sites. The problem is that Google can’t decide which version of the site to rank, which in turn leads to a sudden drop in visibility. Yet all can be fixed with a simple canonical tag. It’s like labelling boxes when you make a house move. Without the labels, everything gets lost.

Ignoring Structured Data and Schema Markup

By having your data structured, Google is going to have an easier time understanding what your content means, not just what it says. This is how you earn those extra stars and reviews, as well as snippets in search results. Skipping this step is a big no-no and one of the most common technical SEO mistakes that many website owners still make. Now in 2025, schema markup is more important than ever as AI-driven search summaries dominate search results. If you have unstructured data then there’s a good chance your content might not show up in enhanced results. Also, it’s worth noting that adding schema isn’t difficult. There are plenty of tools and plugins that can do the job for you.  

Incomplete XML Sitemaps and Weak Internal Linking

A sitemap is similar to a book’s table of contents. If it’s outdated or missing pages, then Google gets lost. Many technical SEO mistakes start here. It’s important that your sitemap updates automatically. Also, it should only list live pages that can be indexed. Then make sure everything is connected with a good internal linking structure. For example, if your blog talks about a product, make sure you link to it. If you mention a guide, likewise, provide a working link. Small paths like these help people explore more and also allows Google to see your structure more clearly. 

Conclusion: Audit, Optimize, and Stay Ahead

Don’t confuse fixing technical SEO mistakes with chasing perfection. In truth, it’s simply about paying attention. As the web keeps evolving, so does Google. You’ll discover that sites that remain clean, with fast and user-friendly features always come out on top. Make sure you use SEO services to run regular audits every couple of months. Tools like Ahrefs and Search Console are also great. But remember one of the best tools are your own eyes. Take the time to thoroughly examine your site. Click through your pages and test your links. For a clearer view, you can even read the content out loud. Technical SEO is really about respect. That means respecting your content, effort and the visitor’s time. Keep this in mind and your ranking will rise naturally.