Fix common issues

How to use this page#

Find the issue from your audit report below. Each fix explains what the problem is in plain words, then how to fix it. If you use a website builder such as WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or Webflow, most fixes live in the page or SEO settings rather than in code.

Title tag missing, too long or duplicated#

The title tag is the headline Google shows in results. Every page needs its own. Aim for 50 to 60 characters, put the main topic first and your brand last.

<title>Cold Brew Coffee: A Simple 12-Hour Recipe | Brewlab</title>

Meta description missing#

The meta description is the short summary under your title in the results. It does not change rankings directly, but a clear one earns more clicks. Aim for 140 to 160 characters that say what the reader gets.

<meta name="description" content="Make smooth cold brew at home with just coffee, water and 12 hours. Ratios, grind size and how to store it." />

Missing or multiple H1 headings#

The H1 is the main title on the page itself. Use exactly one, make it describe the page, and use H2 and H3 headings for the sections below it. Many themes turn the logo into an H1 by mistake: check the page source.

Page cannot be indexed#

If the audit says a page is set to noindex, Google will not show it. Search the HTML for this line and remove it from pages you want in search:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />

The same instruction can also come from an HTTP header called X-Robots-Tag, which your hosting or a plugin sets. On WordPress, check Settings, Reading for "Discourage search engines" and your SEO plugin's per-page setting.

Blocked by robots.txt#

A Disallow rule in robots.txt stops crawlers from reading matching pages. A common accident is a staging rule that blocks everything:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

Allow the whole site and point crawlers to your sitemap instead:

User-agent: *
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://brewlab.coffee/sitemap.xml

The free robots.txt generator builds a correct file for you.

Canonical missing or pointing elsewhere#

A canonical tag names the main address of a page. Add a self-referencing canonical to every page you want indexed, using the full address:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://brewlab.coffee/guides/cold-brew" />

If the audit says the canonical points to a different page, Google will likely index that page instead. Fix the tag unless the duplicate is intentional.

No sitemap, or not listed in robots.txt#

Create a sitemap at /sitemap.xml listing your important pages, add a Sitemap: line to robots.txt, and submit it in Google Search Console. Most platforms generate one automatically. Otherwise use the free sitemap.xml generator.

Images without alt text, too large, or without dimensions#

• Alt text: describe what the image shows in a few words. Decorative images can use an empty alt="".
• Size: export photos at the size they are shown, and use WebP or AVIF. A 4 MB photo can slow a page by seconds.
• Dimensions: set width and height so the browser reserves space and the layout does not jump.
• Lazy loading: add loading="lazy" to images below the fold, but never to the main image at the top.

<img src="/img/cold-brew-jar.webp" alt="Cold brew coffee steeping in a glass jar" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" />

Slow page or poor Core Web Vitals#

Run Lighthouse to see what is slow, then work through the usual causes: oversized images, too much JavaScript, slow web fonts, and a slow server. The Lighthouse page explains each metric and its fixes.

Broken links and redirect chains#

Links to pages that return an error waste crawl time and frustrate visitors. Update each broken link to a working page or remove it. When a page moves, add a single permanent (301) redirect from the old address to the new one, and update internal links to point straight to the new address instead of through the redirect.

Not using HTTPS, or mixed content#

Every page should load over HTTPS, and every image, script and stylesheet on it should too. Most hosts offer free certificates. Redirect all http:// addresses to https:// with a 301.

Structured data missing or invalid#

Structured data describes your page to machines. Pick the type that matches the page: Organization for your homepage, Article for posts, Product for products, LocalBusiness for a local shop, FAQPage for a genuine FAQ. The free schema generator writes valid JSON-LD for you.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Brewlab",
  "url": "https://brewlab.coffee",
  "logo": "https://brewlab.coffee/logo.png"
}
</script>

If the audit reports invalid markup, the evidence names the field. The most common mistakes are missing required fields and prices or dates in the wrong format.

No llms.txt#

An llms.txt file at /llms.txt gives AI tools a short, readable summary of your site and links to your key pages. Use the free llms.txt generator, then upload the file to the root of your site.

AI crawlers blocked#

If your robots.txt blocks OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot or similar crawlers, those engines cannot read or cite you. Remove the rules for the crawlers you want in answers. You can still block training-only crawlers such as GPTBot if you prefer. See AI visibility.

Missing social tags#

Open Graph tags control the title, description and image shown when your page is shared on LinkedIn, Slack, WhatsApp and elsewhere:

<meta property="og:title" content="Cold Brew Coffee: A Simple 12-Hour Recipe" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Smooth cold brew with just coffee, water and time." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://brewlab.coffee/img/cold-brew-share.jpg" />

Thin content or no clear answer#

If a page is short, vague or never answers the question its title promises, both Google and AI engines will prefer another page. Open with a direct answer in the first two sentences, then add the details, steps, examples and evidence a reader needs. Length is not the goal: completeness is.

Missing trust signals (E-E-A-T)#

Show who is behind the content. Add an author name with a short bio on articles, an About page, a way to contact you, and sources for the claims you make. For products and services, show real reviews and clear policies.

Mobile problems#

Every page needs a viewport tag, readable text without zooming, and buttons large enough to tap:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />

If the audit reports horizontal scrolling, something on the page is wider than the screen, often a table, a wide image or an embedded video without a maximum width.