Most small business websites make the same handful of SEO mistakes. The good news? They're all fixable — often in under an hour. Here are the five we see most often when auditing sites on ScoreCraft.
1. Missing or Duplicate Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are the snippet that appears below your page title in Google search results. When they're missing, Google generates one for you — and it's usually not great. When they're duplicated across pages, you miss the chance to tailor your message for each page.
Fix: Write a unique 150-160 character meta description for every important page. Include your primary keyword and a reason to click.
2. No H1 Tag (or Multiple H1s)
The H1 heading is the main signal to search engines about what your page is about. Missing it, or having multiple H1s, dilutes that signal.
Fix: Every page should have exactly one H1 that clearly describes the page content.
3. Thin Content Pages
Pages with fewer than 300 words rarely rank well. They also provide a poor user experience. This is especially common on service pages and product category pages.
Fix: Expand thin pages to at least 500-800 words with relevant, useful content.
4. Missing Alt Text on Images
Alt text helps search engines understand your images and improves accessibility for screen readers. It's one of the easiest SEO wins available.
Fix: Add descriptive alt text to every image. Don't keyword-stuff — just describe what the image shows.
5. No Internal Linking Strategy
Internal links help search engines discover your pages and understand their relative importance. Many small business sites have pages with zero or one internal link pointing to them.
Fix: Link between related pages naturally. Every important page should be reachable within 2-3 clicks from the homepage.
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