How to Fix the Most Common SEO Issues on Your Website

Run a site audit before doing anything else

Before you can fix SEO issues, you need to know what they are. A site audit crawls every page of your website — the same way Google does — and checks for problems that could be preventing your pages from ranking. Traffic Magnet's site audit does this automatically and presents the results in plain English, grouped by severity. Start there. Critical issues need to be fixed first. Warnings should be addressed next. Informational items are lower priority but worth noting.

Fix missing or duplicate title tags

The title tag is the most important on-page SEO element. It tells Google what your page is about and it's the blue link that appears in search results. Missing title tags mean Google has to guess what your page is about — and it will often get it wrong, or use the wrong text in search results. Duplicate title tags (multiple pages with the same title) confuse Google about which page to rank for a given search term, splitting your ranking power across multiple pages instead of concentrating it on one.

• →Every page needs a unique title tag that accurately describes what that page is about
• →Title tags should be 50–60 characters long — longer gets cut off in search results
• →Include your primary keyword near the start of the title
• →Include your brand name at the end, separated by a dash or pipe character
• →Never use 'Home', 'Page 1', or just your business name as a title tag

Fix missing meta descriptions

A meta description is the short paragraph of text that appears below your page title in Google search results. It doesn't directly affect your ranking, but it dramatically affects whether someone clicks on your result. Without a meta description, Google will pull random text from your page — which is rarely compelling or relevant. Write a unique meta description for every important page on your site.

• →Keep descriptions between 140–155 characters
• →Include your primary keyword naturally
• →Describe what the page offers and why the searcher should click
• →End with a call to action: 'Call now', 'Get a free quote', 'Book online'
• →Make every description unique — don't copy-paste the same description across pages

Fix missing or incorrect H1 headings

Every page should have exactly one H1 heading — the main title that appears on the page itself (not the browser title, but the visible heading in the content). The H1 is a strong signal to Google about what the page is about. Missing H1s leave Google to guess. Multiple H1s on one page confuse the signal. An H1 that doesn't include your primary keyword is a missed opportunity.

• →Every page needs exactly one H1 tag
• →The H1 should include your primary keyword
• →The H1 and title tag don't need to be identical, but should be closely related
• →Use H2 and H3 headings to structure the rest of your content — these also carry SEO value
• →Your H1 should be the first and most prominent heading on the page

Fix broken internal links

A broken link is a link that points to a page that doesn't exist — the visitor (and Google) gets a 404 error. Broken internal links waste Google's crawl budget, create a poor user experience, and signal that your website isn't well-maintained. They most commonly occur when pages are renamed, deleted, or moved without updating the links that point to them. Traffic Magnet's audit identifies all broken internal links and shows you exactly which page they're on.

• →Fix broken links by updating them to point to the correct current URL
• →If the destination page no longer exists, either recreate it or redirect the URL to a relevant page
• →After fixing broken links, run another audit to confirm they're resolved
• →Set up 301 redirects whenever you change a page URL so old links still work

Fix slow page speed

Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor — slower pages rank lower. More importantly, slow pages lose visitors: studies show that 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load. The most common cause of slow pages on small business websites is large, unoptimised images. A photo taken on a modern smartphone can be 5–10MB — far more than a webpage needs. Optimised web images should be under 200KB.

• →Compress images before uploading — use a free tool like Squoosh (squoosh.app) or TinyPNG
• →Use modern image formats: WebP is smaller than JPEG or PNG at the same quality
• →Remove unused plugins, apps, or scripts that add weight to your pages
• →Use your website platform's built-in performance settings if available
• →Test your page speed at pagespeed.web.dev and address the specific recommendations

Fix pages missing alt text on images

Alt text is a written description of an image that appears when the image fails to load and is read by screen readers for visually impaired users. It also helps Google understand what an image shows — which is useful for appearing in Google Image Search. Every meaningful image on your website should have descriptive alt text. Decorative images (backgrounds, dividers) can have empty alt text.

• →Describe what the image actually shows, not what you want it to be called
• →Include your keyword naturally if the image is relevant to it — don't force it
• →Keep alt text under 125 characters
• →Don't stuff alt text with keywords — write it for a person who can't see the image