5 Silly Mistakes New Content Writers Often Make

From grammar errors to keyword stuffing, it’s easy to make a mistake (especially as a newbie content writer) that can have a major impact on the success of your content.

In this piece, I’ll discuss the common mistakes made in content writing and ways to improve your content to ensure it achieves its intended purpose. I’m also including tips and strategies for avoiding these mistakes in the future.

5 Most Common Mistakes New Writers Make

So here we go with the first and the most silly mistake new writers make:

1. Not Understanding the Target Audience

One of the most common mistakes new content writers make is not taking the time to truly understand who their target audience is.

For example, a B2B technical content writer may use slangs and language of Gen Z when in fact, their readers are mostly millennials and Baby Boomers. Some writers even don’t think about the audience; they just focus on writing the best English.

How to avoid: As a content writer, it’s your duty to understand the target audience and write specifically for them. You can ask your task assigner (the content strategist or other content marketing team members) about the target audience. Also, find out what kind of content and language your competitors have used for the same content topic. This should give you an idea of what writing style you should use.

Also, ask your content strategist about what they want to achieve with the content you’re required to produce. For instance, the content can be for the top of the funnel as well as the bottom of the funnel, aka TOFU and BOFU.

2. Not Doing Research

Another common mistake for new content writers is not doing enough research before starting a blog or other piece of content. This can result in content that doesn’t include accurate information or miss out on key points that would have been useful for readers to know.

For example, a writer may write an article about current trends in technology without researching recent developments or advancements in the field.
I’ve personally seen blogs stating outdated trends and sometimes even wrong info.

How to avoid: The best way to overcome a lack of research is to make sure you spend the time researching the topic before writing. This means looking up facts, figures, and other relevant information that will help make your piece more informative and interesting to read.

Additionally, it’s important to familiarize yourself with what other writers have said about this topic, as this can help provide ideas and insights into the subject you are writing about.

Here is how a content writer can improve their research: Use Google Search Operators

3. Not Getting Familiar with SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an essential part of content writing, and many new writers don’t understand how it works or how to apply it correctly when writing content. 

For example, a content writer may not use keywords effectively or focus too much on using them as opposed to creating great content for readers.

How to avoid: To avoid over or under-using keywords in your content, one approach could be to focus on creating content that is interesting and engaging first and then adding relevant keywords into the text naturally afterward.

Additionally, it could be beneficial to use a tool such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Surfer SEO in order to determine what words would be most useful for SEO purposes without overloading your text with too many keywords or phrases.

4. Not Using Formatting Correctly

Formatting your content correctly can help make it easier for readers to digest and skim through articles quickly. Many new writers don’t pay enough attention when it comes to formatting, and this can lead to articles that look messy and unprofessional.

For example, some writers forget to add headings or subheadings, and as a result, readers don’t know which section they are reading when skimming through an article quickly.

How to avoid: One way of ensuring that articles are easy on the eye when it comes to formatting is by using headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3, H4, and Bold text) throughout your content. Headings should be used sparingly; they can help break up long blocks of text into smaller, more manageable chunks, which benefit both readers who want quick summaries as well as those who want more detailed information on a given topic.

5. Using Poor Grammar and Making Spelling Mistakes

Poor grammar and spelling can make any piece of writing look unprofessional and often turn away potential readers from returning again in the future if they find too many mistakes throughout an article or blog post.

For example, if there are frequent spelling errors throughout a text, then this will likely be off-putting for potential readers who expect high-quality work from the writer they are reading from

How to avoid: You can use resources such as Grammarly or Microsoft Word’s spell checker so you can double-check any spelling or grammatical errors before publishing your work. Additionally, having someone else review your work before publication can also be beneficial since they may pick up any mistakes that you might have missed during proofreading.

If you don’t have anyone to look through your content for review, take some time after writing the content and then review it with a fresh mind; don’t review right after writing; you’ll miss out on a lot of mistakes.

Also Read: 5 Challenges Freelancers Face and Their Remedies

Wrapping Up

Good content writing is essential in today’s digital world. By understanding the common mistakes made in content writing, you can ensure your content is accurate, informative, and effective. Use the tips mentioned here to ensure your content is free of errors and reaches its full potential. With a bit of practice, you can create well-crafted pieces that will help you achieve your goals.