Mistakes that cost the most
| Mistake | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| All services on one page | No page ranks well for any single service | One strong page per main service |
| Chasing traffic, not leads | Visitors who never call | Target searches tied to services you sell |
| City pages with swapped names | Thin pages that Google can treat as doorways | Fewer city pages with real local proof |
| Ignoring the Business Profile | Lost map pack calls | Accurate categories, services, photos and reviews |
| Buying links | Wasted money and possible manual action | Earn links from real local sources |
| No tracking | No way to know what SEO brings | Track calls, forms and bookings as key events |
Mistakes during a redesign
A redesign is where we see the biggest single losses. Common causes are a staging block left in robots.txt and old URLs with no redirects. Service pages cut down to a line of text hurt too. Google's guide on hiring an SEO says the best time to bring one in is before a redesign, and the earlier the better.
Mistakes when hiring help
- Accepting promises of a number one ranking
- Letting the agency own your accounts and data
- Paying for reports that never mention leads
- Signing long contracts with no exit
Google says nobody can guarantee a top ranking and warns against agencies that hide what they do. You should always own your domain, website, analytics and Business Profile.
Mistakes in content
Keyword stuffing, AI text published without review and posts written only to look active all waste time. Google's spam policies name keyword stuffing and scaled content abuse. Write fewer, better pages that answer real questions.
Recommended action. Check your site against the table above and fix the first mistake you find before anything else. Most sites have at least two.
Want a second opinion? Our SEO audit checks for every mistake on this list, and you own everything we set up.