10 SEO Problems & How To Overcome Them: Part 2

In our first post tackling common SEO problems and how to overcome them, we covered:

  • duplicate content
  • title tags
  • meta descriptions
  • broken links and
  • image optimisation

These being just some of the technical issues faced on-page and off-page. In part 2, we take a look at another 5 SEO issues and what you can do to resolve them.

6. Missing alt attributes & broken images.

Alt attributes (commonly and mistakenly called ALT tags – ALT is an attribute of an IMG or image tag) help search engines like Google to understand what to display as an alternative if the image is missing for any reason. If the alt attributes associated with that image are missing and there’s no description, it can cause SEO problems. Image alt attributes should include your keywords to ensure they’re categorised in the right way. We covered broken links in our last post – broken images cause similar issues in that they can lead to a poor user experience. Both these issues can be overcome by ensuring your alt attributes accurately describe your images. That way they will be properly indexed in search results too.

7. Low text to HTML ratio.

Low text to HTML ratio means there’s much more back-end HTML code than there is text. Often it’s a sign of a poorly coded website (for example with above average JavaScript, Flash and inline styling), hidden copy or the site is slow loading.You can increase the speed of your site by removing code that’s not needed. Also, move inline scripts and styles to separate files and add relevant on page text where it’s required. Other aspects you might want to check include removing white spaces, using CSS for styling and formatting, resizing images (removing those you don’t need) and keeping the size of your page under 300kb.

You can increase the speed of your site by removing code that’s not needed. Also, move inline scripts and styles to separate files and add relevant on page text where it’s required.Other aspects you might want to check include removing white spaces, using CSS for styling and formatting, resizing images (removing those you don’t need) and keeping the size of your page under 300kb.

Other aspects you might want to check include removing white spaces, using CSS for styling and formatting, resizing images (removing those you don’t need) and keeping the size of your page under 300kb.

8. H1 tag and title issues.

A title tag is what appears in your search results with an H1 tag what visitors to your website see on a page. While multiple H1 tags can appear on a page, it’s important to get the hierarchy right to ensure your website is indexed in the right way. H1s should be consistent with title tags but not the same. Ideally, you should use one H1 tag per page with H2 tags breaking up the content.

9. Low word count.

When Google introduced its Panda updates way back in 2011, the idea was to reduce the amount of “thin content” in the search results. Around this time the notion that web pages should contain a minimum of 300 words came about and that thought still persists today with even the popular Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress still touting the “recommended minimum 300 words”.

While there is no set word count to rank with a search engine, the preference is long-form pages with the text including keywords and phrases. Google is known for ranking websites with more depth and longer content. Equally, visitors to your website want to see content that is relevant to the topic they searched for. Even if you’re sharing an image-led post or infographic, it will need some context behind it. Evergreen content is often popular with lists, tips and “how to” guides the most well-received.

So remember – Google likes high-quality content. In its own words:

“…sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on.”

10. Too many on-page links.

While all websites will include on-page links, having too many links is unnatural and can dilute the value of a page. It’s important therefore that links are relevant and useful. This way you can ensure your website will rank well and have a natural link profile. If you remove the low-quality links from your website, you will provide a better user experience particularly for those accessing your website via a mobile and table. High-quality links will improve your SEO ranking.

There are so many ranking signals that Google considers for SEO, which are constantly changing and evolving. If you or your company needs help navigating the minefield is that search engine optimisation, feel free to get in touch and ask for a free SEO audit. Better still, you can let us evaluate your website speed & performance, security, mobile-friendliness and SEO in a complete website audit.


Clever Marketing - Digital Marketing Agency in Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire. If you need further help and assistance, with your 10 SEO problems, get in touch with Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey SEO & PPC agency Clever Marketing on 01276 402 381.

Our Digital Marketing Manager alone has over 20 years of SEO, PPC and content marketing experience so he’ll be able to help you out in the first instance.

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