How to Fix Common Technical SEO Errors on WordPress (and Get Crawled Properly)

Your WordPress site can look perfect to you, clean pages, sharp images, tidy menus, but Google might see a dashboard full of warning lights under the bonnet.

That’s what technical SEO errors are: setup problems that stop crawlers, slow pages, or confuse indexing. They don’t always break your site for humans, but they can quietly choke your traffic.

The goal is simple: make sure your pages get crawled, indexed, and load fast. Start with a backup, then fix issues in the right order: visibility (indexing and crawl paths), speed, and duplication.

First checks that stop Google from seeing your site

If Google can’t access your content, nothing else matters. These are the big, common blockers that can make a healthy site look invisible in search.

Turn off “Discourage search engines” and check noindex settings

This one catches people after redesigns, theme swaps, or moving from staging to live. WordPress has a built-in switch that can ask search engines to stay away.

Go to your WordPress dashboard, then:

Settings, Reading, Search engine visibility
Untick Discourage search engines from indexing this site, then click Save Changes.

What “good” looks like: the box is unticked, and within days you start seeing more pages in Google Search Console’s indexing reports.

Next, check for page-level “noindex”. If you use an SEO plugin (Yoast, Rank Math, All in One SEO), individual posts and pages can be set to “noindex” by accident. Open a key page (like your homepage or a top service page), find the SEO settings box, and make sure it’s set to Index.

A simple rule helps here: don’t index pages that should stay private or low-value, like basket, checkout, account pages, internal search results, and filtered views. Everything else, especially your main content, should be indexable.

If you want a broader list of common technical faults (and how they show up), this breakdown is useful for pattern-spotting: https://www.seoclarity.net/resources/knowledgebase/common-technical-seo-issues-how-to-solve-them-17372/

Fix robots.txt and XML sitemap issues (so crawling stays on track)

Think of robots.txt as a set of lane closures for search bots. It doesn’t “secure” anything, but it can stop crawling if it blocks the wrong roads.

Common WordPress mistakes include:

Blocking images and assets by accident: If you block /wp-content/ or /uploads/, Google may struggle to render pages correctly.
Blocking key folders: Overly strict rules can hide whole sections.
A missing or broken sitemap: Google has less guidance on what to crawl.
Multiple sitemaps: Often caused by running more than one SEO plugin.

Start with your sitemap. Most WordPress SEO plugins generate one:

• Yoast sitemap is usually at /sitemap_index.xml
• Rank Math sitemap is often at /sitemap_index.xml too

Open it in a browser. What “good” looks like: it loads, it lists sitemap sections (posts, pages, categories if you include them), and it doesn’t show errors.

Now submit it in Google Search Console (GSC):

Google Search Console, Sitemaps, Add a new sitemap, then enter sitemap_index.xml.

If you see two sitemap systems (for example, one from Rank Math and one from another plugin), pick one and remove the other. Two “mapmakers” often create conflicting signals.

Robots.txt also matters. Many sites don’t even need custom rules. If you do edit it, keep it simple and avoid blocking assets. As background on WordPress technical SEO basics (including sitemaps and crawl settings), WP Rocket’s guide is a strong reference: https://wp-rocket.me/blog/technical-seo-wordpress/

Make WordPress fast enough for real people (and Core Web Vitals)

Speed issues tend to stack. One huge image here, three heavy plugins there, a theme that loads five fonts, then a slider on top. Each one is small, but together they drag your site like a suitcase with a broken wheel.

Treat it like a loop: test, fix, re-test.

Use PageSpeed Insights (PSI) for a quick reality check, focusing on mobile. Aim for pages that feel instant, with a practical target of under 3 seconds on mobile for most content pages. You won’t always hit perfection, but you should feel the difference.

Fix slow pages: caching, image compression, lazy loading, and file minification

Caching is the first big win for most WordPress sites. Without it, WordPress builds pages on the fly, again and again, for every visitor.

A practical checklist that works for many sites:

Caching: Install one caching plugin (WP Rocket is popular, but there are others). Turn on page caching.
Compression and browser caching: Often handled by your caching plugin or host settings.
Image compression: Use a tool like Smush or ShortPixel. Your images should be the right size, not just “shrunk” visually.
Lazy loading: Load below-the-fold images only when the visitor scrolls. WordPress supports lazy loading in many cases, but plugins can improve control.
Minify CSS and JS: A plugin like Autoptimize can reduce file size and requests.

If “render-blocking” sounds scary, it’s just this: the browser is waiting for certain files before it shows the page. Too many scripts and styles, especially from themes and page builders, can make visitors stare at a blank screen.

After each change, re-run PSI on the same page. Track progress rather than chasing a perfect score.

For extra context on common SEO slip-ups that connect to performance and setup choices, Rank Math’s overview is handy: https://rankmath.com/blog/seo-mistakes

Cut plugin bloat and theme weight without breaking your site

Plugins are like apps on a phone. One or two don’t hurt. Thirty can.

Too many plugins can slow your site, create script conflicts, and add unexpected noindex tags, redirects, or duplicate sitemaps. Themes can cause the same pain if they’re heavy or built around flashy effects.

A safe method that won’t ruin your weekend:

Make a list: Export or screenshot your plugins.
Remove what you don’t use: Deactivated plugins still add clutter and risk.
Test carefully: If possible, use a staging site. Deactivate plugins in small batches, then check key pages (home, blog, contact, checkout).
Keep it simple: One SEO plugin only, one caching plugin only.

Theme choice matters too. Lightweight themes like Astra or GeneratePress often perform well because they keep extras optional. Page builders can be fine, but use them sparingly. If every page is a complex layout, you’ll often pay for it in load time.

Stop duplicate URLs, broken links, and redirect messes

Google hates confusion. When the same content lives at multiple URLs, or your site keeps sending crawlers in circles, rankings can wobble.

This section is about making your site’s “address system” clear, tidy, and consistent.

Set clean permalinks, then fix redirects the right way

Permalinks are your default URL structure. If you’re using plain URLs like ?p=123, you’re wasting a chance to signal what the page is about, and they’re harder for humans to trust.

In WordPress:

Settings, Permalinks, Post name, then click Save Changes.

If your site is brand new, that’s usually enough.

If your site is already live with traffic, changing permalinks needs care. Old URLs must redirect to the new ones with a 301 redirect (a permanent move). Without that, users hit dead ends and Google treats the change like pages vanished.

A redirect manager plugin like Redirection can help you map old URLs to new ones. Keep redirects clean:

• Point the old URL straight to the best match
• Avoid chains (A to B to C). Use A to C

Redirect chains waste crawl time and slow users, especially on mobile connections.

Repair canonical tags, archive duplication, and parameter URLs

Canonicals are your “main version” signposts. They tell search engines, “this is the page you should count”.

WordPress creates duplication in quiet ways:

Category and tag archives: Multiple archives can list the same posts.
Author archives: Fine for multi-author sites, thin for solo sites.
Search pages: Internal search results should not be indexed.
Pagination: Page 1, page 2, page 3 of the same archive.
Tracking parameters: UTM tags can make multiple URLs for the same page.

Fixes that keep things simple:

Set canonicals via your SEO plugin: Most major plugins handle canonicals by default, but check key templates if you’ve customised your theme.
Noindex thin archives: If tag pages are empty or low-value, set them to noindex in your SEO plugin.
Pick one preferred version: Your site should resolve consistently to HTTPS, with either www or non-www, not both.

If you run a multi-language site, duplication can turn into the wrong region showing in search. That’s where hreflang helps, so Google serves the right language to the right user. Many multilingual plugins handle this, but it’s worth checking if your international traffic looks odd.

For another WordPress-focused list of technical issues (with examples that can help you spot patterns), this guide is a useful companion read: https://ai-seoservices.com/how-to-fix-common-wordpress-seo-errors/

Find and fix 404s and broken internal links (before users bounce)

Broken links are like signposts to streets that no longer exist. Users get annoyed, and Google wastes crawl budget exploring dead ends.

Quick ways to find 404s:

Google Search Console: Check indexing and crawl reports for “Not found (404)”.
A broken link checker: Helpful for content-heavy sites (use carefully, some are resource-hungry).
Optional for advanced checks: A crawl with Screaming Frog can surface 404s, redirect chains, duplicate titles, and canonical problems in one sweep.

When you find a 404, you have three clean choices:

Update the link: Best option if the right page exists.
Restore the missing page: If it was removed by mistake.
Add a single 301 redirect: Send the old URL straight to the most relevant replacement.

Keep redirects tidy. A few are normal. Hundreds of messy ones can slow crawling and create confusion later.

If you want more context on technical errors that can harm visibility in AI-driven search features (and standard results), this piece explains the risks clearly: https://insidea.com/blog/seo/aeo/fix-common-technical-seo-errors-that-hurt-ai-visibility/

Conclusion

Technical SEO on WordPress isn’t about fancy tricks, it’s about removing friction. Fix visibility first (indexing settings, robots, sitemap), then speed, then clean up duplicates, broken links, and redirects.

Set a simple monthly routine: update plugins and themes, run a quick PageSpeed test, scan for 404s, and review Search Console warnings. Pick one fix today, measure before and after, then move to the next. That steady rhythm is where technical SEO stops feeling stressful and starts paying you back.