WordPress is the world's most popular content management system for good reason — it's flexible, extensible, and when set up correctly, excellent for SEO. The operative phrase is "set up correctly." Most WordPress sites are not.
We audit WordPress websites regularly and see the same mistakes appearing again and again. Some are technical oversights. Some are configuration errors. Some are simply things the site owner didn't know to do when they first launched. All of them cost rankings.
Here are the 8 most impactful WordPress SEO problems — and the specific fix for each.
Before you start: Install Google Search Console (free) if you haven't already. It shows you which pages Google has indexed, which queries are bringing traffic, and any crawl errors affecting your site. Everything else in this guide is more useful when you can see your baseline data.
The 8 Most Common WordPress SEO Problems
1Your SEO Plugin Is Installed But Not Configured
Yoast SEO and Rank Math are both excellent — but installing them isn't enough. The default settings leave important fields blank and some features disabled. Most sites we audit have an SEO plugin with the setup wizard never completed.
The FixRun the setup wizard for your SEO plugin (both Yoast and Rank Math have one). Set your site's name, logo, and social profiles. Enable breadcrumbs, XML sitemap generation, and schema markup. Then go to each key page and write a unique meta title and meta description — don't leave them auto-generated.
2Your Site Is Loading Too Slowly
Google uses page speed as a ranking factor — and slow sites also have higher bounce rates, meaning visitors leave before they convert. A WordPress site should score 80+ on Google PageSpeed Insights for mobile. Most default WordPress installations with an unoptimised theme score 40–65.
The FixInstall a caching plugin (WP Rocket is the best paid option; W3 Total Cache is a solid free alternative). Install a free image optimisation plugin like Smush or ShortPixel to compress images automatically. Switch to a lightweight theme if your current one has heavy built-in animations or builders. Consider upgrading to better managed WordPress hosting — the server matters as much as the code.
3You Have No Schema Markup
Schema markup is structured data that tells Google what type of content is on your page — a business, an article, a product, a review. Without it, Google has to guess. With it, you're eligible for rich results (star ratings, event times, FAQ dropdowns) in search results that significantly increase click-through rates.
The FixRank Math automatically adds basic schema to posts and pages. For local businesses, add LocalBusiness schema via a plugin or manually in your theme's header. For ecommerce, ensure WooCommerce product schema is enabled. Use Google's Rich Results Test to verify schema is being read correctly.
4Your Images Have No Alt Text
Alt text serves two purposes: it helps visually impaired users understand images via screen readers, and it tells Google what an image shows — contributing to image search rankings and giving Google additional context about the page's content. Most WordPress sites have hundreds of images with empty alt attributes.
The FixFor future images: add descriptive alt text in WordPress's media library when uploading. For existing images: use a plugin like WP Accessibility Helper or update them in bulk via the media library. Alt text should describe what the image shows, naturally including relevant keywords where truthful. "Red leather handbag — small crossbody style" beats both "" and keyword-stuffed alternatives.
5You're Not Using Internal Linking Strategically
Internal links help Google understand your site structure and the relative importance of your pages. They also keep visitors on your site longer by leading them to relevant content. Most WordPress sites have very little internal linking — pages and posts exist in isolation rather than as an interconnected network.
The FixWhen writing any new page or post, link to 2–3 other relevant pages on your site naturally within the body text. Identify your most important service or product pages and make sure other pages link to them. A good internal linking structure looks like a hub-and-spoke: your main service pages are hubs that receive links from many blog posts and supporting pages.
6Your Meta Titles and Descriptions Are Auto-Generated
WordPress, by default, uses your page title as the meta title and either nothing or the first paragraph as the meta description. This results in generic, non-optimised snippets in Google search results that don't encourage clicks — and don't signal to Google what the page is really about.
The FixUsing your SEO plugin, write a custom meta title (under 60 characters) and meta description (under 160 characters) for every page and post. The meta title should include your primary keyword near the front. The meta description should read as a compelling reason to click — it doesn't directly affect ranking, but it does affect click-through rate, which affects ranking indirectly.
7Your Sitemap Hasn't Been Submitted to Google
WordPress generates an XML sitemap automatically when you have an SEO plugin installed. But generating it and submitting it to Google are two different things. If Google hasn't been told where your sitemap lives, it will eventually find it — but the process is slower and less reliable than submitting directly.
The FixFind your sitemap URL — it's usually at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml or yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml. Go to Google Search Console, navigate to Sitemaps, and submit the URL. Google will then crawl your sitemap regularly and you'll be able to see any indexing errors in Search Console.
8You Have No Backlink Strategy
On-page SEO (what's on your website) is necessary but not sufficient. Google also uses links from other websites as votes of authority. A site with excellent on-page SEO but no external links will consistently rank below a competitor that has both. This is where most small business WordPress sites get stuck — they optimise the page but don't build any external authority.
The FixStart with the easiest wins: get listed on industry directories, local business directories, and chamber of commerce websites. Submit a guest post to a relevant industry blog. Ask complementary local businesses for a link from their resources page. Get press coverage if you can — even local newspaper mentions generate valuable links. Every genuine link from a relevant website compounds your authority over time.
How to Prioritise These Fixes
If you've found that several of these apply to your WordPress site, don't try to fix everything at once. Prioritise by impact:
- Speed (biggest single ranking factor after content quality)
- SEO plugin configuration and meta tags
- Sitemap submission to Google Search Console
- Schema markup for your business type
- Image alt text
- Internal linking
- Backlink building (ongoing)
Address the first three in a single focused session — they take a few hours and the impact is immediate. The others can be worked through over the following weeks. Backlink building is a continuous long-term effort, not a one-time task.
Need help with your WordPress SEO?
We audit, optimise, and build WordPress websites for businesses across the UK. If you'd like an expert to review your current site and tell you exactly what to fix, get in touch for a free SEO audit.
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