When Google rolls out a major algorithm update like the Helpful Content Update (HCU), many websites see fluctuations in their rankings. While HCU is mostly designed to reward content that is written for humans, not for search engines, some technical SEO issues can inadvertently make your site look less helpful to users—and that could get you caught in the crossfire.
After analyzing several SEO case studies and forums, and from personal experience fixing penalized sites, here are the most common technical SEO problems that may contribute to HCU penalties and ranking drops:
⚠️ 1. Excessive 404 Errors (Broken Pages)
When a user (or Googlebot) lands on a broken page, it signals poor site maintenance and a bad user experience. Too many of these can hurt crawl efficiency and user trust.
Fix:
- Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to locate 404s.
- Redirect removed pages to relevant alternatives with 301 redirects.
- Regularly audit and clean up broken internal and outbound links.
Related: Maintain SEO Power During Your Website Migration & Rebuild: A Smooth Builder Switch
🛑 2. Important Pages Marked ‘Noindex’
Accidentally blocking key content pages with noindex tags can remove valuable content from search results—even if it’s actually helpful.
Fix if you are handcoding:
- Review your
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">tags. - Use a site crawler to detect misconfigured directives.
- Make sure only low-value or duplicate pages are noindexed.
If you are using a website builder like UltimateWB, the backend automatically takes care of the correct robots coding for you. When the page is not accessible to everyone, the noindex tag is added.
🤖 3. Misconfigured Robots.txt or Meta Robots Tags
Blocking the wrong folders or URLs (like /blog/ or /images/) can prevent Google from crawling and understanding your content, which can severely reduce visibility.
Fix:
- Check
robots.txtfor accidental blocks (e.g.,Disallow: /). - Use Google Search Console’s “URL Inspection Tool” to test crawlability.
- Don’t block JavaScript or CSS if your layout depends on it.
UltimateWB comes with a default robots.txt file. It is called robots_sample.txt to not overwrite any robots file you may already have. To use it, just rename it to robots.txt.
💥 4. Slow Page Speed and Core Web Vitals Fails
Google uses speed and UX metrics in its ranking algorithm. If your site fails Core Web Vitals or loads slowly, it can frustrate users and make your content seem less helpful.
Fix:
- Optimize images and videos. If using UltimateWB, make use of the built-in WebP converter.
- Use lazy loading and proper caching.
- Consider a CDN and minimize third-party scripts.
🧱 5. JavaScript Rendering Issues
If your site relies heavily on JavaScript and Google can’t properly render it, key content may be invisible to the crawler—making it look like you have thin or missing content.
Fix:
- Use server-side rendering (SSR) or dynamic rendering.
- Test pages using Google’s “Rich Results Test” or “Mobile-Friendly Test.”
- Defer non-critical JS and ensure important content is visible without JS.
📉 6. Duplicate Content and Canonicalization Errors
Having multiple versions of the same content (HTTP vs. HTTPS, trailing slashes, etc.) can confuse Google about which version to index—and can dilute ranking signals.
Fix:
- Use canonical tags properly.
- Set preferred domains in Google Search Console.
- Consolidate duplicate URLs using redirects or canonical links.
If you are using UltimateWB, the software’s .htaccess file allows you to easily redirect from HTTP to HTTPS, and remove the trailing slash – duplicate pages avoided! All UltimateWB web hosting plans and UltimateWB Cloud plans come with free SSL, so redirecting to HTTPS is a necessity.
🔄 7. Improper Redirects or Redirect Chains
Badly set up 301/302 redirects or redirect loops can result in crawl traps, poor link equity transfer, or broken user journeys.
Fix:
- Avoid redirect chains longer than 2 hops.
- Fix redirect loops.
- Always use 301s (permanent) for content moved to a new location.
In Summary
While content quality remains king under Google’s Helpful Content System, technical SEO is the foundation that allows your content to shine. Even the best content won’t rank if it’s blocked, broken, or invisible.
If your site was hit by an HCU and you’ve already audited your content, don’t forget to look under the hood. Fixing the right technical issues can be the difference between low search rankings and rising back to the top.
Are you ready to design & build your own website? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.
