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Alistair Rowan Whitcombe
Alistair Rowan Whitcombe

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SEO Mistakes Developers Discover Only After a Website Goes Live and How to Fix Them

Launching a website feels like the final step, but for developers, SEO problems often start after the site goes live. Many issues stay hidden during development and only appear when search engines begin crawling the site. If these mistakes are not fixed early, they can seriously affect traffic and rankings.

This article explains the most common SEO mistakes developers face after launch and how to fix them with practical solutions.

1. Poor Indexing in Search Engines

One of the first problems developers notice is that pages are not appearing in Google search results. This usually happens because search engines cannot properly index the site.

Common causes

  • Robots.txt blocking important pages
  • No XML sitemap submitted
  • Pages set to noindex by mistake

Solutions

  • Check robots.txt and allow important pages
  • Create and submit an XML sitemap in Google Search Console
  • Remove unnecessary noindex tags from live pages

After launch, always verify that key pages are indexed correctly.

2. Missing or Incorrect Meta Tags

During development, meta titles and descriptions are often ignored or left as default. After launch, this causes poor click-through rates and weak SEO signals.

Common causes

  • Duplicate meta titles
  • Missing meta descriptions
  • Titles that are too long or unclear

Solutions

  • Write unique meta titles for every page
  • Add clear and keyword-focused meta descriptions
  • Keep titles under recommended length

This small step has a big impact on search visibility.

3. Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content is another issue developers discover too late. It confuses search engines and weakens rankings.

Common causes

  • Multiple URLs showing the same content
  • HTTP and HTTPS both active
  • WWW and non-WWW versions not redirected

Solutions

  • Use canonical tags correctly
  • Set up proper 301 redirects
  • Choose one preferred URL version

For ecommerce platforms like Shopperdot, duplicate product URLs can be especially harmful if not handled properly.

4. Slow Page Speed After Launch

A site may work fine locally but become slow in production. Page speed is a ranking factor, and slow sites lose users quickly.

Common causes

  • Large images
  • Unoptimized JavaScript and CSS
  • No caching enabled

Solutions

  • Compress images before uploading
  • Minify CSS and JavaScript files
  • Enable browser and server caching

Many developers fixing post-launch issues on Shopperdot find performance optimization improves both SEO and user experience.

5. Mobile SEO Problems

After launch, analytics often show high mobile traffic but poor engagement. This points to mobile SEO issues.

Common causes

  • Non-responsive layouts
  • Small text and buttons
  • Broken mobile navigation

Solutions

  • Use responsive design
  • Test pages on real mobile devices
  • Follow mobile-first SEO practices

Since most users shop on mobile, this is critical for ecommerce sites like Shopperdot.

6. Broken Links and Missing Pages

Broken links hurt SEO and frustrate users. These problems usually appear after content updates or migration.

Solutions

Run regular site audits

Fix or redirect broken URLs

Create a helpful 404 page

Final Thoughts

SEO does not end at launch. Developers must monitor indexing, content, speed, and mobile usability continuously. Catching these SEO mistakes early can save months of lost traffic and rankings.

By applying proper SEO practices and regular audits, developers can ensure long-term success for any website after launch.

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