5 Common Mistakes Companies Make with Content (And How to Fix Them)

Let’s get one thing straight: content is not just “words on a page.” It’s the digital front door to your business and sometimes your only shot at making a good impression.

But even the best fall into content traps. At Word Nerds LLC, we spend our days (and some of our nights) helping teams clean up the chaos, fix what’s broken, and build content systems that actually scale.

Here are five of the most common mistakes we see and how to fix them before they cost you customers.

1. Writing for Everyone (So It Connects with… No One)

The mistake:

When content tries to talk to everyone, it ends up speaking to no one. Generic, bloated copy. Confused CTAs. A message that sounds like it came out of a group chat with Legal, Marketing, and HR.

The fix:

Start with your people. Who are you really writing for? What do they care about? How do they talk? Build audience personas, use their language, and speak to their pain points. Precision creates connection.

2. Creating Content Without a Strategy (aka Playing Darts in the Dark)

The mistake:

Random blogs, disconnected videos, and whitepapers no one reads. Without a clear content strategy, even the best ideas go nowhere fast.

The fix:

Strategy isn’t optional—it’s your North Star. That includes:

• Defining your goals

•  Mapping content to user journeys

• Aligning to product launches and sales funnels.

• Using data to guide what you publish, when, and why.

With more focus, you can do less with more impact.

3. Ignoring Structure and Systems (and Watching Everything Break at Scale)

The mistake:

Publishing content in a rush without templates, taxonomy, or governance. What does this lead to? You can't find anything, different pieces of content contradict each other, and your users get lost.

The fix:

Structure is your secret weapon. We help clients build scalable systems. Think reusable components, smart metadata, and content models that play nice with your CMS. The result? Better UX, easier updates, and content that’s actually findable.

4. Inconsistent Voice and Tone (aka the Identity Crisis)

The mistake:

Your homepage is breezy. Your onboarding emails are stiff. Your help docs sound like a robot wrote them in 2004. Users notice and it erodes trust.

The fix:

Your brand voice should be recognizable everywhere. Define it, document it, and train your teams to use it. Our team builds style guides that are actually usable (and dare we say, fun to read). Consistency builds credibility and is key for reuse. 

5. Set-It-and-Forget-It Content (Spoiler: That Doesn’t Work)

The mistake:

Content gets published and promptly abandoned. Over time, it becomes outdated, inaccurate, and in some cases, legally risky.

The fix:

Treat content like a living system. Build review cycles into your process. Audit regularly. Track performance. Archive or refresh as needed. We help clients design content governance that sticks and scales.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Content is more than a deliverable. It’s a discipline and a process. When you treat content with the structure, strategy, and love it deserves, it becomes a serious business advantage.

If you're drowning in content chaos or just need a fresh set of eyes, we’re here for you. We specialize in streamlining content into scalable experiences. We can make it work for your users and your bottom line.

📬 Ready to nerd out with us?