Are you wondering why your Canadian business isn’t showing up on Google? You’re not alone. Many business owners make simple SEO mistakes that hurt their chances of being found online. These mistakes cost you customers and money every single day.
The good news? These problems are easy to fix once you know what they are. Let’s look at the 9 common SEO mistakes Canadian businesses make and how to avoid them.
1. Not Focusing on Local Searches
This is the biggest mistake we see. Many Canadian businesses try to rank for huge keywords like “best restaurant” instead of “best restaurant in Calgary.” But here’s the thing – people search for businesses near them.
When someone types “dentist near me” or “plumber Toronto,” they want local results. If your website doesn’t show up for these searches, you’re missing out on customers who are ready to buy.
How to fix it: Make sure your Google My Business profile is complete. Add your exact address, phone number, and business hours. Use your city name in your website content naturally.
2. Ignoring French-Speaking Customers
Canada has millions of French speakers, but many businesses only create English content. This means you’re missing out on a huge group of potential customers.
Even if you’re not in Quebec, French-speaking Canadians across the country search in French. They have money to spend too.
How to fix it: Create French versions of your most important pages. Even basic French content is better than nothing. If you can’t write in French, hire someone who can.
3. Your Website Doesn’t Work Well on Phones
More than half of all Google searches happen on phones. If your website is hard to use on mobile, Google won’t rank you well. Plus, frustrated visitors will leave quickly.
Think about it – when was the last time you used a website that was hard to read on your phone? You probably left right away.
How to fix it: Make sure your website looks good on phones and tablets. Text should be easy to read, buttons should be easy to tap, and pages should load fast.
4. Stuffing Too Many Keywords
Some businesses think using their main keyword 50 times on one page will help them rank better. Wrong. This actually hurts your rankings.
Google is smart. It can tell when you’re trying to trick it. Writing “best pizza Toronto best pizza Toronto best pizza” everywhere makes your content hard to read and Google will punish you for it.
How to fix it: Write naturally. Use your main keyword a few times, but focus on creating helpful content that real people want to read.
5. Technical Problems You Can’t See
Your website might have hidden problems that hurt your rankings. These include broken links, slow loading times, or missing important tags that help Google understand your site.
Most business owners don’t know these problems exist because they’re invisible. But Google sees them and they hurt your rankings.
How to fix it: Get a technical SEO audit. A professional can find and fix these hidden problems that are costing you customers.
6. Publishing Content Randomly
Many businesses post a blog article whenever they feel like it, then wonder why it doesn’t help their rankings. Google likes websites that publish helpful content regularly.
If you post once in January, then not again until June, Google doesn’t see your site as active or helpful.
How to fix it: Create a simple content schedule. Even posting one helpful article per month is better than posting randomly. Focus on answering questions your customers ask.
7. Bad Link Building
Links from other websites help your rankings, but many businesses do this wrong. They buy cheap links, spam other websites, or focus on getting lots of low-quality links.
These tactics can actually get your website penalized by Google. It’s better to have a few good links than hundreds of bad ones.
How to fix it: Focus on earning links naturally. Create content worth sharing, build relationships with other local businesses, and never buy links from sketchy websites.
8. Not Watching Your Competitors
Your competitors are probably doing some things right. If you don’t know what they’re doing, you’re missing opportunities to improve your own rankings.
Maybe they’re ranking for keywords you never thought of, or they’re creating content that’s getting lots of shares.
How to fix it: Check what your top 3 competitors are doing. What keywords do they rank for? What content are they creating? Learn from their successes.
9. Not Tracking Your Results
This is huge. Many businesses spend money on SEO but have no idea if it’s working. They don’t know which keywords bring in customers or how much money their SEO efforts make.
Without tracking, you can’t improve. You might be wasting money on things that don’t work while missing opportunities that could grow your business.
How to fix it: Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These free tools show you how people find your website and what they do when they get there.
Why These Mistakes Happen
Most Canadian business owners are busy running their companies. SEO seems complicated, so they either ignore it or try to do it themselves without really understanding how it works.
The internet changes fast, and what worked five years ago might hurt you today. That’s why so many businesses make these mistakes – they’re using outdated information or trying to take shortcuts.
The Real Cost of These Mistakes
Every day these problems exist, you’re losing customers to competitors who show up higher in search results. Think about it – when did you last go to page 2 of Google? Most people don’t.
If your business should be on page 1 but you’re on page 3 because of these mistakes, you’re missing out on hundreds or thousands of potential customers every month.
How Peakupweb Fixes These Problems
At Peakupweb, we see these mistakes all the time. That’s why we created our simple, effective approach to SEO that actually works for Canadian businesses.
We handle the technical stuff you can’t see, create content that ranks well, and build your online presence the right way. No tricks, no shortcuts – just proven strategies that bring real results.
Our team understands Canadian markets. We know how to optimize for local searches, handle bilingual content, and compete in Canada’s unique digital landscape. We also design websites that work perfectly on all devices and create digital marketing campaigns that turn visitors into customers.
Most importantly, we track everything. You’ll know exactly how your SEO investment is performing and how it’s growing your business.
What to Do Next
Don’t let these simple mistakes keep costing you customers. SEO isn’t as complicated as it seems, but it does need to be done right.
Start by checking if your business has these problems. Look at your website on your phone. Search for your business on Google. See what comes up.
The sooner you fix these issues, the sooner you’ll start showing up higher in search results and getting more customers. In Canada’s competitive online market, businesses that get SEO right have a huge advantage over those that don’t.
Your customers are searching for what you offer. Make sure they can find you.