5 Website Mistakes That Hurt Your SEO in 2025

You don’t have to be a tech whiz to know when your website just isn’t working. If traffic is low, bounce rates are high, or you’re nowhere to be found on Google, there’s a good chance your site is making some sneaky SEO mistakes.

The good news? Most of them are easy to fix once you know what to look for.

🚨 Mistake 1: No Keywords—Or the Wrong Ones

If your site doesn’t include the words your ideal customer is searching for, search engines won’t know how to categorize you. It’s like opening a bakery and never putting the word “bakery” on the front window.

Fix it: Do a quick check of your homepage, about page, and service pages. Are you using simple, searchable terms that real people would type into Google?

⚠️ Mistake 2: Slow Load Times

If your site takes longer than a few seconds to load, visitors (and Google) will bounce. Speed is now a major ranking factor—and oversized images or too many animations can be a problem.

Fix it: Compress images, ditch autoplay videos, and run a free speed test (like PageSpeed Insights) to see where you stand.

🚫 Mistake 3: No Alt Text on Images

Alt text isn’t just for accessibility—it also helps your images get indexed by search engines. If your visuals don’t include alt text, you’re missing out on a small but mighty SEO boost.

Fix it: Add clear, keyword-relevant descriptions to all images on your site, especially product or portfolio photos.

❌ Mistake 4: No Meta Descriptions

Meta descriptions are the blurbs that show up under your site title in search results. If you don’t write them yourself, Google will pull random text—and it might not be what you want.

Fix it: Manually write a short, engaging summary (about 150–160 characters) for each page on your site.

📉 Mistake 5: Your Site Isn’t Mobile-Friendly

More than half of web traffic comes from phones now. If your site is hard to navigate on mobile, it won’t rank well—and people will leave fast.

Fix it: Open your site on your phone and pretend you’re a new customer. Can you find your services? Click a button? Read the text? If not, it’s time for a mobile refresh.

✨ Ready to Level Up Your Website?

If you’re reading this and realizing your site might need some love, that’s what I’m here for. Whether you need a quick audit or a full refresh, I can help make sure your website looks good and shows up where it matters.