The On-Page SEO Problems I See Constantly
After optimising on-page SEO for hundreds of websites, I see the same mistakes repeatedly — even on sites that claim to have “SEO-optimised” pages.
Poorly Optimised Title Tags
This is the most common on-page SEO mistake I encounter.
Title tags (also called meta title) are one of the most important on page factors. They tell search engines what your page is about and appear as the clickable headline in search results.
Yet most websites get them wrong.
I regularly see:
- Generic titles that waste the opportunity to rank and attract clicks
- Duplicate title tags across multiple pages
- Title tags that are too long or too short
- Keywords placed ineffectively
- Missed opportunities to appeal to both search engines and users
Many businesses think they’ve optimised their title tags simply because they included their target keyword somewhere in the title. But proper title tag optimisation requires understanding exactly how to structure them for maximum impact — and that requires experience.
I don’t give away my specific title tag optimisation methods, but I can tell you this: when I fix title tags for clients, we consistently see improved rankings and click-through rates within weeks.
Missing or Ineffective Internal Links
The second most common problem: pages with zero internal links except for header tags and footer navigation.
This is a massive missed opportunity.
Internal linking serves multiple critical purposes:
- Helps search engine crawlers discover and understand your content: Google’s crawlers follow links to find pages. Pages with no relevant links pointing to them may not get crawled or indexed properly.
- Distributes authority throughout your site: Important pages with more internal links pointing to them signal to Google that they’re valuable.
- Improves user experience: Strategic internal links guide website visitors to related content, keeping them on your site longer.
- Increases conversions: Linking to relevant product pages, service pages, or contact forms at the right moments increases the likelihood visitors take action.
Yet most websites have dozens or hundreds of website pages sitting in isolation with no strategic internal linking connecting them to other pages.
This wastes enormous ranking and conversion potential.
Inconsistent or Missing Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions don’t directly impact rankings as ranking factors, but they significantly affect click-through rates.
A compelling meta description can mean the difference between getting clicked or being passed over in favour of a competitor.
I regularly see:
- Missing meta descriptions (letting Google choose random text from the page)
- Duplicate meta descriptions across multiple pages
- Generic descriptions that don’t compel clicks
- Descriptions that don’t match the actual page content
Poor Heading Structure
Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) organise your content and signal what’s important to both users and search engines.
Common problems:
- Multiple H1 tags on one page (or no H1 at all)
- Headings used for styling rather than structure
- No logical hierarchy in page headings
- Missing relevant keywords in headings where they’d naturally fit
Weak URL Structure
URLs should be short, descriptive, and keyword-rich.
Instead, I see:
- Long, convoluted URLs full of unnecessary parameters
- URLs with random numbers or dates
- Non-descriptive URLs that give no indication of page content
- Inconsistent URL structures across the site
Unoptimised Images
Images are often completely ignored in on-page SEO.
Missing or poorly written image alt text means:
- Missed opportunities to rank in image search
- Accessibility issues for users with screen readers
- Lost context for search engines about your page content
Large, uncompressed image files also slow down page speed, which hurts both user experience and rankings.
Why DIY On-Page SEO Often Makes Things Worse
You might think: “I’ll just optimise my on-page SEO myself. How hard can it be?”
The reality is that DIY on-page SEO often makes things worse rather than better.
Here’s why:
You might over-optimise: Stuffing keywords into every heading and paragraph might seem like good SEO, but it can trigger spam filters and hurt your rankings.
You might under-optimise: Being too conservative with keywords means missing opportunities to signal relevance to search engines.
You might create inconsistencies: Changing some elements but not others creates mixed signals that confuse search engines.
You might damage existing rankings: Changing on-page elements incorrectly can cause pages that already rank well to drop in rankings.
You might waste time on the wrong things: Without experience, it’s easy to focus on elements that don’t matter while ignoring important on page factors that do.
Proper on-page SEO requires understanding not just what to do, but exactly how to do it based on your specific site, industry, and competitive landscape.
That’s where experience matters.