10 Common SEO Issues & How to Fix Them

SEO isn’t rocket science, but it can get frustrating when the same issues keep popping up. For e-commerce businesses, where every click counts, these problems aren’t just annoying — they’re expensive. But the good news is that most SEO issues are fixable with a bit of know-how and consistency.

If you are looking for how to fix SEO issues, here’s a straightforward breakdown of ten common SEO issues and exactly how to tackle them. No fluff, just real, usable advice.

Not Keeping Up with Algorithm Updates

Google’s algorithm is like the weather—constantly changing, sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically. While some updates barely affect your rankings, others can pull the rug out from under you overnight. These changes typically reward websites that offer a better experience for users, whether that’s through faster loading speeds, helpful content, or mobile-friendly designs. For e-commerce sites, this can be especially tricky because you’re dealing with product pages, dynamic content, and ever-changing inventories.

If you don’t pay attention to these updates, your rankings could slip, leading to fewer sales and lost revenue. The good news? You don’t need to obsess over every tweak Google makes—you just need to cover your bases.

How to Handle It

1- Focus on Long-Term Strategies:

Stop chasing every algorithm update. Instead, build a solid foundation with fast-loading pages, well-optimized product descriptions, and a clean website structure. E-commerce stores often benefit from ecommerce SEO services, which ensure your website stays compliant with Google’s evolving guidelines without cutting corners.

2- Monitor Traffic Trends:

Big traffic drops could be a sign that an update hit your site. Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to compare performance before and after the dip. Look for patterns. Did the update target thin content? Spammy backlinks? Slow mobile performance? Once you know what’s affected, you can act.

3- Adapt Your Content:

Updates like Google’s Helpful Content System reward websites that meet user intent. For instance, if you’re in a niche market, learning how to do SEO for niche markets can help you create highly specific content that aligns with customer searches. E-commerce businesses should regularly review product pages and blog posts to ensure they address customer needs and questions directly.

4- Work With Experts:

A good ecommerce marketing agency can take the guesswork out of staying current. Agencies that specialize in Shopify SEO services or SaaS SEO services are often ahead of the curve because they’re constantly testing and adapting for clients. This gives you a competitive edge without wasting your time trying to decode every algorithm change.

Keeping up with Google doesn’t mean you need to react to every headline. Focus on providing value, maintaining fast speeds, and delivering the best user experience possible. That way, even if an update shakes things up, your site will be ready.

Indexability Issues

Indexability is one of the most fundamental aspects of SEO. It determines whether Google can find, understand, and include your pages in its index, making them eligible to appear in search results. Without proper indexing, even the most optimized pages won’t drive traffic, which is especially critical for e-commerce businesses that rely heavily on product visibility.

Every day, a significant portion of Google searches consists of entirely new queries — around 15% — meaning there’s a constant influx of unique search traffic. If your pages aren’t indexed properly, you’re essentially closing the door on potential customers looking for products or solutions only your store offers.

For online stores, problems like misconfigured settings, duplicate pages, or incomplete sitemaps can result in Google skipping valuable pages. This can lead to missed opportunities, reduced traffic, and ultimately fewer conversions. The good news is that these issues are usually technical and can be fixed with the right tools and approach.

How to Handle It

1- Audit Your Robots.txt File

The robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of your site they can and cannot crawl. While it’s common to block non-critical pages like admin or cart sections, mistakes in configuration can unintentionally block entire product categories or pages.

• Use tools like Google Search Console to identify blocked URLs.
• Ensure product, category, and blog pages are accessible while restricting irrelevant areas like checkout or internal searches.

By fixing these blocks, you allow search engines to crawl and understand your site fully, helping every relevant page get the visibility it deserves.

2- Submit an Accurate Sitemap

Sitemaps act like a roadmap for search engines, guiding them through your site structure and showing which pages are most important. A missing, outdated, or incomplete sitemap can leave crucial pages unnoticed by Google.

• Create and submit a sitemap in Google Search Console.
• Ensure it includes product pages, categories, and other key areas.
• Regularly update the sitemap whenever you add or remove products.

E-commerce businesses working with ecommerce SEO services or Shopify SEO services often benefit from automated tools that keep sitemaps up to date.

3- Inspect and Fix Specific URLs

Using Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool, you can check whether specific pages are indexed. If a page isn’t indexed, the tool will provide insights into why. Common issues include:

• Pages being blocked by robots.txt.
• Noindex tags applied accidentally.
• Pages that Google considers low-quality or redundant.

Inspect and address these issues to ensure critical pages, like high-performing products, aren’t left out of search results.

4- Resolve Duplicate Content Issues

E-commerce stores often face duplicate content problems due to dynamic URLs generated by filters, sorting, or variations in products (e.g., color or size). These duplicates confuse search engines and can result in indexing delays or missed opportunities.

• Consolidate duplicates with canonical tags to show Google the preferred version of a page.
• Streamline your URLs to minimize unnecessary parameters.
• For product variations, use structured data or descriptions to distinguish each version clearly.

5- Fix Crawl Errors

Crawl errors occur when search engines fail to access certain pages due to issues like broken links, server timeouts, or 404 errors.

• Monitor crawl stats in Google Search Console for errors.
• Redirect broken links to relevant pages using 301 redirects.
• Upgrade your hosting if server errors persist, ensuring faster response times for crawlers.

Slow Page Speed

A slow-loading website doesn’t just frustrate your customers; it also makes Google unhappy. Page speed is a direct ranking factor, and for e-commerce businesses, it’s a conversion killer. Research shows that even a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%, which means slow pages aren’t just annoying—they’re costing you sales. If your pages take too long to load, shoppers will bounce, and competitors with faster websites will capture those sales.

For e-commerce stores handling large catalogs and dynamic elements, achieving fast load times can be challenging but is critical to success. A speed-optimized site creates a better user experience, drives more conversions, and strengthens rankings. With the right ecommerce CRO services, you can easily counter these challenges.

How to Fix Slow Page Speed

1- Compress Images

Images are the usual suspects behind slow websites. High-resolution visuals look great but can weigh down your site if not optimized.

• Use tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel to compress image files without losing quality.
• Consider next-gen formats like WebP, which provide better compression than traditional JPEG or PNG formats.
• Serve responsive images to load smaller sizes on mobile devices.

2- Upgrade Your Hosting

A slow hosting provider can bottleneck your performance, no matter how optimized the rest of your site is. E-commerce businesses need hosting tailored for speed and scalability.

• Look for a hosting provider that offers fast server response times and global content delivery networks (CDNs).
• Shared hosting may save you money, but dedicated or managed hosting is often better for e-commerce performance.

3- Minimize JavaScript and CSS

Excessive scripts and stylesheets can make your pages bloated and slow.

• Identify problem scripts with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
• Minify CSS and JavaScript files to remove unnecessary characters, spaces, or comments.
• Use asynchronous loading so non-critical scripts don’t block the loading of your page’s main content.

4- Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network)

A CDN stores your website’s files on servers worldwide, delivering content from the server closest to the user. This significantly reduces load times, especially for global audiences. Services like Cloudflare or Akamai are great options.

5- For Larger Stores, Consider Professional Help

If you run a complex e-commerce site, working with ecommerce web design services can ensure your website is built to prioritize speed without sacrificing design. These experts can implement performance-first strategies that align with your business needs.

Fast page speeds aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential. A quicker site means happier users, higher conversions, and better rankings.

Broken Pages (404 Errors)

Broken pages, commonly known as 404 errors, create a poor user experience and hurt your SEO performance. When Google encounters too many 404s, it wastes its crawl budget—meaning it might not reach your most important pages. For customers, encountering a broken page can make your site feel unreliable, causing them to leave.

For e-commerce businesses, 404s often occur when products are discontinued, or URLs change during a redesign. These need to be managed carefully to avoid losing valuable traffic.

How to Fix Broken Pages

1- Find the Problem Pages

Use tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or Google Search Console to scan your site for broken links. These tools will generate reports showing pages returning 404 errors.

2- Redirect Strategically

• Use 301 redirects to guide both users and search engines to the most relevant working page.
• For discontinued products, redirect to the closest alternative, such as a related product or category page. Avoid directing users to the homepage, as it can confuse them.

3- Keep Regular Maintenance Checks

Broken pages won’t fix themselves, and new 404 errors can pop up over time.

• Schedule monthly scans of your site to catch and resolve errors early.
• If you frequently update your inventory, consider working with an ecommerce marketing agency that can handle ongoing SEO audits to ensure your site stays error-free.

Fixing 404 errors keeps your site clean, preserves traffic, and ensures users stay engaged instead of bouncing.

Faulty Redirects

Redirects are a standard tool in SEO, especially for e-commerce businesses managing frequent product updates, category reorganizations, or site migrations. However, when redirects are poorly implemented, they cause more harm than good. Redirect chains, loops, and irrelevant destinations can confuse search engines, frustrate users, and hurt your site’s rankings.

For instance, redirecting users from a discontinued product to an unrelated page or creating long redirect chains can result in slower page load times and lost SEO value. These are common but avoidable issues if you have a clear redirect management strategy in place.

How to Fix Faulty Redirects

1- Avoid Redirect Chains and Loops

Redirect chains occur when a page redirects to another, which then redirects to yet another. This not only wastes time for users but also reduces the SEO value passed between pages. Loops, on the other hand, trap users in a cycle, creating a poor experience.

• Test all redirects after implementation to ensure they go directly to the intended destination.
• Use SEO tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify and resolve existing chains or loops.

Example Fix: If /old-product redirects to /product-category and then to /new-product, simplify this by directly linking /old-product to /new-product.

2- Regularly Audit Redirects After Changes

Redirect issues often arise when you update your site. For instance, a category revamp or a product discontinuation might leave behind outdated or broken redirects. This is particularly common during site migrations, where bulk redirects are set up but rarely revisited.

• Conduct routine audits to ensure redirects are still relevant and functional.
• Check that high-traffic pages point to the most appropriate destinations to preserve user intent and SEO value.

E-commerce Tip: Redirect discontinued product pages to a similar product or the main category page to retain relevance, instead of dumping users on the homepage.

3- Document Redirects for Clarity

Tracking redirects is essential for keeping your site organized and ensuring you don’t unintentionally duplicate or undo them during updates.

• Keep a spreadsheet or log that lists every redirect, its source URL, its destination URL, and the reason for implementation.
• Review this log periodically, especially after large site changes or migrations.

For e-commerce stores with large inventories or frequent updates, working with ecommerce SEO services can ensure all redirects are handled systematically and align with your business goals.

Performance and Stability Issues (Core Web Vitals)

Core Web Vitals are Google’s way of measuring how users experience your website. These metrics—Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and First Input Delay (FID)—focus on speed, stability, and responsiveness. If your site is slow, unstable, or laggy, both your rankings and conversions will take a hit. For instance, LCP, which measures how quickly the largest visible element on a page loads, should ideally be under 2.5 seconds to meet Google’s standards for a smooth user experience.

For e-commerce websites, where customers expect a seamless shopping experience, neglecting Core Web Vitals can result in abandoned carts, lost sales, and a competitive disadvantage.

How to Handle It

1- Improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP measures how fast the largest visible element (e.g., a hero image, product banner, or heading) on your page loads. Slow LCP signals a poor user experience, especially for first-time visitors.

• Compress large images using tools or plugins to reduce their file size without sacrificing quality.
• Preload key elements like hero banners or product images to ensure they load faster.
• Upgrade to a faster hosting solution if your server is consistently slow.

E-commerce Example: If your homepage’s banner image showcasing a seasonal sale takes too long to load, you’re losing out on customers who might bounce before even seeing your offer.

2- Fix Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS tracks how much page elements move around during loading. For example, a button that shifts after loading an ad can lead to accidental clicks and frustrate users.

• Specify fixed dimensions for images and videos so they don’t resize as the page loads.
• Minimize the use of dynamically injected elements, like ads or banners, which disrupt the layout.

E-commerce Example: On a product page, if the “Add to Cart” button shifts due to a late-loading image, customers might click elsewhere by mistake. This creates a poor shopping experience that affects conversions.

3- Optimize First Input Delay (FID)

FID measures how quickly your site responds when a user clicks on something, such as a menu item or “Buy Now” button. Slow FID makes your site feel unresponsive and can cause users to leave.

• Minimize the use of heavy JavaScript files that delay interactivity.
• Enable browser caching to speed up loading for returning visitors.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute your content faster across different regions.

E-commerce Example: If a customer clicks “Checkout” and the page takes several seconds to respond, there’s a high chance they’ll abandon their cart.

Unoptimized Website Structure

A poorly structured website can confuse both users and search engines. If Google’s crawlers struggle to navigate your site, your pages won’t rank as well as they should. At the same time, customers will find it frustrating to locate products, leading to lost sales. For e-commerce sites, where thousands of products, categories, and filters are common, having a clean, logical structure is critical for both SEO and user experience.

A well-organized site helps search engines understand your hierarchy and customers find what they need quickly. Without it, your site is like a disorganized warehouse—nobody knows where to go.

How to Fix It

1- Map Out Your Hierarchy

Start with a clear structure: Categories > Subcategories > Products. This logical flow helps search engines and users understand how your site is laid out.

• Place your most important categories at the top level of your navigation menu.
• Avoid burying products or pages too deeply; users should reach any page in three clicks or fewer.
• Consider ecommerce web design services to implement a structure tailored for SEO.

2- Add Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumb navigation acts as a secondary menu that shows users their path through your site (e.g., Home > Men’s Shoes > Running Shoes). It helps both users and search engines understand your structure.

• Make breadcrumbs clickable so users can easily jump back to previous levels.
• For consistency, include them on all product and category pages.

3- Focus on Internal Linking

Internal links guide crawlers and users to deeper pages. For example, a blog post on “Best Winter Jackets” should link to your product category for winter jackets or specific best-sellers.

• Link from high-traffic pages (like your homepage) to important product categories.
• Avoid orphaned pages—every page should have at least one link pointing to it.

A strong structure and internal linking strategy work together to keep users engaged and ensure Google properly crawls your site.

Lack of Relevant Schema Markup

Schema markup is a technical SEO tool that provides extra information about your content to search engines. For e-commerce businesses, this can include product prices, stock status, reviews, or even FAQs. Interestingly, despite its benefits, a significant majority of websites—about 70%—still don’t utilize schema markup, which means many businesses miss out on opportunities to enhance their visibility.

Without schema markup, search engines might overlook these details, making it harder for your pages to stand out in search results. Adding schema is particularly beneficial for e-commerce because it enhances your listing with rich snippets, driving higher click-through rates and giving customers essential information upfront.

How to Fix It

1- Use Product Schema

Product schema highlights key details like price, availability, and ratings. These are the elements customers look for when searching, and having them appear directly in search results makes your listing more attractive.

• Ensure product schema is applied to all product pages.
• Include accurate details like sale prices and updated stock information.

2- Add FAQ Schema

FAQ schema allows you to showcase common questions and answers in search results. This not only improves click-through rates but also gives customers helpful information before they even visit your site.

• Use FAQ schema on product and category pages to address questions like “What sizes are available?” or “How long does shipping take?”
• Keep the answers short and clear, reflecting real customer inquiries.

3- Validate Your Schema Markup

Even small errors in the schema can prevent Google from using it. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to check if your schema is implemented correctly and make adjustments as needed.

By incorporating relevant schema, you’re essentially giving search engines a direct roadmap of your content, making it easier to rank and more appealing to customers.

Poorly Optimized Content

For SEO, content isn’t just about quantity—it’s about quality and relevance. Outdated, thin, or poorly written content doesn’t provide value to users or search engines, which means it won’t rank. Interestingly, comprehensive articles with in-depth insights, such as those exceeding 7,000 words, can attract nearly four times the traffic and significantly more engagement compared to shorter posts. E-commerce businesses often overlook content because they focus on product listings, but well-optimized content is a critical part of driving organic traffic and conversions. Whether it’s your product descriptions, category pages, or blogs, your content should answer customer questions, solve problems, and guide them to a purchase. Taking the help of ecommerce email marketing services or content services helps you push out the optimized content that delivers result.

How to Fix It

1- Solve Real Problems

Start by understanding what your audience is searching for. What questions are they asking? What problems are they trying to solve?

• Use tools like Google’s “People Also Ask” feature or keyword research tools to identify common queries.
• Write content that addresses these directly, such as product comparisons, how-to guides, or industry-specific tips.

2- Update Old Content

Search engines love fresh content. Regularly review older blog posts or product pages and update them with new information, better images, or updated internal links.

• Refresh outdated statistics, add new trends, or include FAQs based on recent customer interactions.
• For blogs, link to newer products or updated categories.

3- Focus on User Intent

User intent is what the searcher is trying to achieve. For instance, someone searching for “affordable winter boots” isn’t looking for a history of boots—they want options.

• Align your content with their goals. If they’re searching for reviews, offer comparisons or testimonials. If they’re looking for tips, provide actionable advice.
• Use SaaS content marketing services if you’re in a technical niche to ensure your content matches your audience’s intent.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content is one of the most common challenges for e-commerce websites. It occurs when multiple pages contain identical or very similar content. Approximately 29% of web pages have duplicate content, which can negatively affect search engine rankings and user experience. This confuses search engines because they don’t know which version to prioritize. As a result, your SEO efforts are diluted, and search engines may even skip indexing some of these pages altogether.

For e-commerce businesses, this issue often arises from product variations (e.g., colors, sizes) or when using manufacturer-provided descriptions across multiple platforms. Left unaddressed, duplicate content can hurt your rankings and reduce the visibility of critical product pages.

How to Handle It

1- Set Up Canonical Tags

Canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page is the “preferred” one. This ensures that even if duplicates exist (like URLs with tracking parameters or filter options), only the main version is indexed and ranked.

For example, if you have multiple URLs for the same product—such as /product-blue and /product?color=blue—you can add a canonical tag to indicate which page should take priority. This keeps your SEO signals consolidated and ensures search engines focus on the right page.

2- Write Unique Product Descriptions

A common mistake in e-commerce is copying and pasting manufacturer descriptions for products. This not only leads to duplicate content but also makes your site less engaging for customers.

• Invest time in writing unique descriptions for your products. Highlight features, benefits, and use cases that cater specifically to your audience.
• Use customer-centric language and include keywords that match what people are searching for, like “E-commerce SEO: The Ultimate Guide” or “Shopify SEO services.”
• Regularly review and update descriptions for top-performing products to ensure they stay relevant.

3- Consolidate Similar Pages

If you have multiple pages that serve the same purpose (e.g., separate pages for slightly different product models), consider merging them into one comprehensive page. This reduces redundancy and strengthens the SEO value of the remaining page.

For instance, instead of creating separate pages for each color variation of a product, combine them into one page where users can select their preferred option. This not only simplifies navigation for customers but also helps search engines better understand your content.

4- Use 301 Redirects for Redundant Pages

If you’ve removed duplicate pages or merged them into a single version, set up 301 redirects from the old URLs to the new ones. This ensures users and search engines are sent to the correct page, preserving any SEO value the old pages had built up.

Conclusion

SEO doesn’t have to be a mystery. Most problems boil down to technical fixes, better content, and staying on top of your site’s performance. For e-commerce businesses, partnering with experts in ecommerce SEO services or SaaS SEO services can help take care of the technical details while you focus on growing your business. The key is consistency — fix these issues now and make regular checks a habit moving forward.