8 Content Creation Mistakes to Avoid in 2025
2024 has been…a year. Google has pushed three core updates that have significantly updated the search landscape and intensified the way content is viewed and ranked. And, we’ve also had an ongoing existential crisis over the use of AI in marketing. As 2024 comes to an end, I want to reflect on the most common mistakes I’ve seen this year that should absolutely not be carried over into the next.
#1 Focusing on Length
Every time I hear the question: “How long should the content be?” I actually want to backflip into oblivion.
By now, I thought we would get over the whole word count issue, but I’m still seeing articles talking about the “ideal word count length” for articles. The SEO tools I’ve used in the past and present also track and rank word count.
Google has already said that word count is not a ranking factor when determining content quality.
Instead of focusing on length or word count, I would like marketers to start focusing on the topic and goal of the content.
What should the reader know by the end of the article or blog? Whether it takes 500 words to accomplish that or 2,000 doesn’t matter. What matters is that the topic was explained thoroughly, and the reader will leave the content piece satisfied that their question or problem was addressed.
Likewise, I’ve also heard, “Can we add maybe 500 words of ‘stock’ content to make the page longer?” I want to take the phrase ‘stock content’ and slingshot it all the way to Jupiter. “Stock content” is not quality content. When creating web pages, the focus should be on products, services, and other offerings. If the content on those pages is unrelated to the company’s offerings, it needs to be removed.
#2 Focusing on Quantity
“How many blog posts should we be writing?” is another question I’ve heard from clients this year. To be honest, it’s a fair question. There is a ton of misinformation online discussing and debating how often content should be posted.
First, let’s get it out of the way—yes, you should post relevant content if you can. Relevancy is important, and writing about subjects related to your products and services can help build topical authority and improve search visibility (which subsequently helps increase website traffic).
However, in 2025, I want us to stop creating content for the sake of creating content. Content should have a purpose and a place on your website. There is no “sweet spot” for how many content pieces you should be creating. Instead of thinking, “OK, we need four blog posts this month,” I want you to sit down, figure out your goals for the year, and brainstorm which content pieces can help you achieve those goals.
#3 Forgetting About Your Audience
What do your readers want? Do you even know? It’s definitely OK if you don’t, but it is something you should figure out before creating content.
Talk to your internal teams—what are common questions people ask about your products and services? What are some problems that your products or services can help resolve? Are there other solutions available on the market? If so, how does your solution compare to the others?
Write content that your audience wants to see, and make sure you have content for every type of person looking for your products and services. For example, if you sell woodworking tools, you might assume that your primary audience is…woodworkers, and you would be correct. But what about spouses or family members who might want to shop for tools as gifts but don’t even know where to start or what to look for? This type of content does matter, even if it seems irrelevant to your primary audience.
#4 Overemphasizing Leads as a Goal
Most businesses are focused on leads. I don’t blame them for that at all. However, it is a bit disheartening when content is labeled as “not important” or “disappointing” because it didn’t generate immediate leads.
The primary goal of most content pieces is to educate, not generate leads. Remember that when you create content. If you’re interested in immediate leads, invest in a pay-per-click campaign, such as Google Ads.
#5 Focusing on New
The Content Marketing Institute recently released a report related to Content Marketing for Manufacturing. 57% of marketers in the manufacturing sector mentioned lack of resources as a situational challenge. While this report was only geared toward manufacturing marketers, it wouldn’t be hard for me to believe that other marketers are having similar difficulties.
If you’ve been tasked with content creation but given little to no resources, look toward repurposing or rewriting content that already exists on your website. Every content piece doesn’t need to be brand-new. Plus, performing an audit to determine which content pieces could be repurposed or rewritten can help you identify duplicate content on your website. In the past, I’ve fallen victim to “Let’s just keep creating more new content!” without realizing that a few of the posts had already been created several years back. If you’re not sure how to audit content, check out this blog I wrote.
#6 Only Relying on AI
AI has always had a negative connotation, but it’s even worse this year. When people hear me talk about AI, they assume that I despise everything related to AI. The truth is—I don’t. I despise its misuse and overreliance. Writing is an important skill I don’t want people to lose because communication is vital to human existence. So many conflicts could’ve been resolved with the right communication! Anyway, I digress.
If you have little to no resources, it’s easy to fall back on AI, and I don’t blame you for it at all. It’s convenient and fast (to a degree), but it can also be inaccurate.
Google mentioned that content source doesn’t necessarily matter, as long as the content is helpful. So, if you plan to use AI, make sure:
- Someone who understands the topic is reviewing it for potential inaccuracies.
- The topic is thoroughly covered.
- There isn’t repetitive information or “filler” content.
#7 Not Consulting the Experts
High-quality content will continue to be a focus going into 2025, especially since helpful content updates are now part of Google’s annual core updates. Google is aware of the amount of misinformation on their search engine and is taking steps to ensure it prioritizes content written by experts or people with experience.
With that being said, one of your priorities going into the next year should be creating relationships with subject matter experts in your industry. Look internally first (e.g., if you’re a manufacturing marketer, talk to your plant managers), and if you don’t have internal resources, connect with people on LinkedIn, source freelance writers with industry experience, and join industry associations.
Having an internal person with experience is the better option because you can list them as the author or peer reviewer of the content piece to strengthen credibility.
#8 Having No Strategy
As I mentioned earlier, don’t create content for the sake of creating content. Have a plan and try to stick to it.
When developing your content roadmap, follow this framework:
- Develop Goals: If you offer multiple services or products, which ones are you prioritizing in 2025?
- Identify Audience Needs: Identify who needs these services or products; come up with a list of questions that they might be asking or what problems they’re experiencing.
- Research Keywords: When your audience is searching for answers online, which terms and phrases are they using? Keyword research can help you understand how potential buyers are finding similar products and services. This research is important because the phrases and terms you use internally may likely not be the ones your audience uses. (Also—please, I beg of you, don’t use those keywords exact match in content. I never want to see “near me” keywords in content ever again).
- Analyze SERPs (Search Engine Results Page): When you search for some of these keywords your audience is using…what type of content pops up? Is it product pages? Blog posts or articles? Service pages? Most likely, you will see a mix of all three, depending on how many keywords you’ve found in your research.
- Audit Existing Content: How are your web pages doing these days? Is there information that your audience is looking for that can be added to product pages? What about your service pages? Do you have blog posts that could be redone for accuracy or relevancy? Try to update existing content first before moving on to brand-new content pieces.
- Brainstorm Ideas: Next, identify potential opportunities based on the keywords you’ve found in your research and the services/products you want to prioritize. What exists online? How can you make it better? Is there a question potential buyers often ask about that you could use as blog material?
- Put It Together: Put your ideas for new content, updates, and repurposing/rewrites into one document. In the strategy, identify the intent of the content piece (informational, commercial, transactional), the target audience, the goal of the piece (focus less on KPIs here and more on what the reader should leave the article knowing), and which keywords are being targeted.
- Share: Share the strategy with any relevant parties to get their input. This last step should absolutely not be skipped. Getting other people’s feedback is critical because it can help you understand if certain content pieces should be moved around based on internal priorities or if the content production expectations are too high.
Create a Stronger Content Plan in 2025
If content creation is a primary goal for your company next year, now is the time to start planning. This type of goal can be incredibly challenging to undertake, especially if you don’t have internal resources or an in-house team.
As the Content Manager for Momentum, I’m passionate about helping businesses set realistic expectations for content creation and develop research-based plans. Momentum doesn’t just focus on content marketing, though—we also build responsive websites, create custom-tailored SEO plans, and manage search advertising campaigns.
You can visit our website to learn more about our services and request a consultation, or check out our blog for more digital marketing resources! Here’s to a stronger 2025!
