Why Mistakes Matter
GEO optimization mistakes can hurt your AI search visibility. Some errors are minor. Others can prevent AI engines from understanding your content completely.
The good news: most mistakes are easy to fix once you know what to look for. This guide covers the 15 most common errors we see. Avoiding these will save you time and improve your results.
Each mistake includes why it's problematic, how to spot it, and how to fix it. Use this as a checklist for your optimization work.
The 15 Most Common Mistakes
Blocking AI Bots in robots.txt
The Problem: Many websites block AI bots like GPTBot or Claude-Web. This prevents AI search engines from reading your content. If they can't read it, they can't recommend it.
How to Spot It: Check your robots.txt file at yoursite.com/robots.txt. Look for lines that disallow AI user agents.
How to Fix It: Allow AI bots to crawl your site. Learn more in our guide on AI Bot Access.
Impact: Critical. This completely prevents AI engines from using your content.
Poor or Missing Content Structure
The Problem: Content without proper headings is hard for AI to understand. No H1 tag, skipped heading levels, or no headings at all confuse AI engines.
How to Spot It: Look at your page. Does it have one clear H1? Are sections broken up with H2 headings? Is there a logical hierarchy?
How to Fix It: Add proper heading structure. One H1 at the top. H2 for major sections. H3 for subsections. Read our Content Structure guide.
Impact: High. Makes it difficult for AI to understand and extract information.
Writing Only for Search Engines
The Problem: Some people stuff keywords unnaturally. They write in ways that sound robotic. AI engines detect this and downrank it.
How to Spot It: Read your content out loud. Does it sound natural? Would a real person write this way?
How to Fix It: Write for humans first. AI engines reward natural, helpful content. Use keywords naturally where they fit. Check your readability score.
Impact: High. AI engines prioritize natural, human-friendly content.
Missing or Generic Alt Text
The Problem: Images without alt text are invisible to AI. Generic alt text like "image123.jpg" provides no value. AI engines can't understand what the image shows.
How to Spot It: Check your images in the HTML. Look for empty alt attributes or generic text.
How to Fix It: Add descriptive alt text to every image. Describe what the image shows and why it matters. Our Image Alt Text guide explains how.
Impact: Medium. You miss opportunities for AI to understand visual content.
No Schema Markup
The Problem: Schema markup helps AI understand what type of content you have. Without it, AI has to guess. Articles, products, recipes, and FAQs all benefit from schema.
How to Spot It: Check your page source. Look for JSON-LD script tags with schema.org markup. If you don't see them, you don't have schema.
How to Fix It: Add appropriate schema markup. Start with Article schema for blog posts. See our Schema Implementation guide.
Impact: Medium-High. Schema significantly improves AI understanding.
Thin or Superficial Content
The Problem: Short pages that don't fully answer questions get ignored. AI engines prefer comprehensive, thorough content. A 200-word page rarely provides enough value.
How to Spot It: Pages under 500 words or that only scratch the surface of a topic. Content that raises questions but doesn't answer them.
How to Fix It: Expand thin content. Answer all related questions. Cover topics thoroughly. Learn more about content comprehensiveness.
Impact: Medium. Comprehensive content performs significantly better.
Missing Citations and Sources
The Problem: Claims without sources look untrustworthy. AI engines value authoritative, well-researched content. If you make claims, back them up.
How to Spot It: Look for factual claims in your content. Statistics, research findings, or expert opinions should link to sources.
How to Fix It: Add links to reputable sources. Cite research studies, industry reports, and expert sources. Our guide on Citations and Sources helps.
Impact: Medium. Citations build trust and authority.
Outdated Content
The Problem: Old content with outdated information hurts credibility. AI engines prefer fresh, current information. A 2019 article with no updates looks abandoned.
How to Spot It: Check publication dates. Look for outdated statistics, old product information, or broken links.
How to Fix It: Regular content updates. Refresh statistics, update examples, fix broken links. Learn about Content Freshness.
Impact: Medium. Fresh content signals active maintenance and accuracy.
Complex, Hard-to-Read Writing
The Problem: Overly complex language makes content hard to understand. Long sentences, jargon, and academic writing styles hurt readability. AI engines prefer clear, simple writing.
How to Spot It: Check your readability score. If it requires a college education to understand, it's too complex.
How to Fix It: Simplify your writing. Use shorter sentences. Choose simple words. Explain technical terms. Aim for Grade 8 readability.
Impact: Medium. Readability affects both user experience and AI understanding.
No Internal Linking
The Problem: Pages that don't link to related content miss opportunities. Internal links help AI understand relationships between topics. They show which pages are most important.
How to Spot It: Count the internal links on each page. If you have fewer than 3-5, you're missing opportunities.
How to Fix It: Add relevant internal links. Link to related articles, product pages, or resources. Use descriptive anchor text that explains what you're linking to.
Impact: Low-Medium. Helps AI understand site structure and topic relationships.
Duplicate Content Across Pages
The Problem: Multiple pages with identical or very similar content confuse AI. Which page should it recommend? Duplicate content dilutes your authority.
How to Spot It: Search for repeated text across your site. Look for pages about the same topic with minimal differences.
How to Fix It: Consolidate similar pages. Make each page unique and focused on one specific aspect. Use canonical tags if you must have similar content.
Impact: Medium. Duplicate content wastes your authority potential.
Ignoring Mobile Experience
The Problem: Content that's hard to read on phones hurts user experience. AI engines consider mobile-friendliness. Tiny text and broken layouts cause problems.
How to Spot It: Test your site on a phone. Is text readable without zooming? Do buttons work? Is navigation easy?
How to Fix It: Use responsive design. Test on real mobile devices. Ensure text is at least 16px. Make buttons large enough to tap easily.
Impact: Low-Medium. Mobile experience affects overall quality signals.
Missing or Poor Meta Descriptions
The Problem: Meta descriptions help AI understand page content. Missing or generic descriptions waste an opportunity to summarize your page.
How to Spot It: Check your page source. Look for the meta description tag. Is it present? Is it unique and descriptive?
How to Fix It: Write clear, unique meta descriptions for every page. Summarize the page content in 150-160 characters. Make it compelling and accurate.
Impact: Low. Helpful but not critical for AI understanding.
Slow Page Load Speed
The Problem: Slow pages frustrate users. Large images, too many scripts, and poor hosting cause delays. Page speed affects quality signals.
How to Spot It: Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Test your page load time. Anything over 3 seconds is too slow.
How to Fix It: Optimize images. Use a CDN. Minimize JavaScript. Choose better hosting if needed. Compress files and enable caching.
Impact: Low. Indirect effect through user experience signals.
No Regular Content Audits
The Problem: Set-and-forget doesn't work. Content needs regular maintenance. Links break. Information becomes outdated. Without audits, problems pile up.
How to Spot It: When was your last content review? If you can't remember, it's been too long.
How to Fix It: Schedule regular audits. Review your content every 3-6 months. Update, improve, or remove old content. Follow our Content Audit Workflow.
Impact: Low directly, but prevents all other mistakes from accumulating.
How to Avoid These Mistakes
Prevention is easier than fixing problems later. Here's how to avoid these common mistakes:
Create a Pre-Publish Checklist
Before publishing any new content, check these items:
- One clear H1 heading and proper heading hierarchy
- All images have descriptive alt text
- Schema markup is present and correct
- Readability score is Grade 8 or below
- Claims are backed up with citations
- Content is comprehensive and thorough
- Meta description is unique and descriptive
- 3-5 relevant internal links included
- Mobile experience tested and working
- Page loads in under 3 seconds
Priority: What to Fix First
If your site has multiple mistakes, fix them in this order:
Critical Issues First
Fix blocked AI bots and missing content structure immediately.
High Impact Items
Add schema markup, fix readability, and add citations.
Medium Impact Improvements
Add alt text, improve thin content, and update outdated information.
Polish and Maintenance
Improve internal linking, optimize speed, and set up regular audits.
Learn more about prioritization in our Prioritization Framework.
Quick Prevention Tips
- •Use a checklist before publishing any content
- •Run every page through Bloffee before making it live
- •Schedule quarterly content audits on your calendar
- •Train your team on GEO best practices
- •Monitor your robots.txt file for accidental blocks
- •Keep a style guide for consistent quality
Related Resources
- Quick Wins
Easy fixes you can implement right away
- Content Audit Workflow
Systematically find and fix issues
- Technical SEO Checklist
Complete technical optimization checklist
- Troubleshooting Guide
Solutions for specific GEO problems