You’ve spent hours perfecting your content, optimizing keywords, and building backlinks, but hidden fix HTML errors could be sabotaging your SEO efforts without you even realizing it.
- Crawlability: Search engines struggle to read pages with broken HTML
- User Experience: Errors can cause layout issues or broken features
- Rankings: Google considers page quality in its algorithm
🔹 Real-world example: A missing closing </div> tag might make your sidebar appear at the bottom of the page instead of the side.
Common HTML Errors (And How to Fix Them)
1. Missing or Mismatched Tags
The Problem: Forgetting to close tags (</div>, </a>) or nesting them incorrectly.
How to Fix It:
- Use our HTML Minifier to automatically clean up tag structure
- Manually check for:
- Unclosed tags (look for opening < without closing >)
- Improper nesting (like <strong><em>Text</strong></em>)
🔹 Pro tip: Most code editors (like VS Code) highlight tag mismatches.
2. Missing Alt Text on Images
The Problem: Images without alt text hurt accessibility and miss SEO opportunities.
The Fix:
<!– Bad –>
<img src=”puppy.jpg”>
<!– Good –>
<img src=”puppy.jpg” alt=”Golden retriever playing fetch”>
🔹 Simple trick: Use descriptive alt text that includes keywords naturally.
3. Broken Links
The Problem: Links that lead to 404 pages or have incorrect URLs.
How to Find Them:
- Use Google Search Console’s Coverage Report
- Try our XML Validator for sitemap errors
The Fix:
- Update the URL or remove the link
- For important pages, set up 301 redirects
4. Duplicate Meta Tags
The Problem: Multiple title tags or meta descriptions confuse search engines.
How to Fix It:
- Check your <head> section for duplicates
- Remove extra tags (keep one of each)
5. Unoptimized Code
The Problem: Bloated HTML with unnecessary comments, spaces, or inline styling.
The Fix:
- Minify your HTML (our HTML Minifier does this in one click)
- Move CSS/JS to external files
How to Check for HTML Errors
- Use Browser Tools:
- Right-click → “Inspect” → Check the Console tab for errors
- Validate with W3C Markup Validator
- Free tool that scans for compliance issues
- Check Google Search Console
- Look under “Enhancements” for HTML suggestions
When to Use an XML Validator
If you’re managing a large site, your XML sitemap might contain errors that prevent search engines from crawling properly. Our XML Validator helps you:
✅ Check for malformed tags
✅ Find broken URLs
✅ Ensure proper encoding
Preventing Future Errors
🔹 Set up regular checks: Scan your site monthly
🔹 Use templates: Create standardized code blocks
🔹 Train your team: Basic HTML best practices go a long way
For more advanced tips, check out Google’s Webmaster Guidelines or Moz’s HTML SEO Guide.
Final Thoughts
Fixing HTML errors is like getting a tune-up for your website, it helps everything run smoother. While some issues require technical fixes, many solutions are quick wins that make a big difference.
Now that you know what to look for, why not run a quick check? Your rankings (and visitors) will thank you.