10 Things that would make Visitors Uncomfortable with your Content

Not being human enough

Let’s face it, even with all the technological innovation that is going about today, creating robots to read blog content is something that just does not seem right. That being said, every blog writer needs to understand the importance of creating content for an audience base that has emotions, feelings, preferences and dislikes. Hence, creating a blog post that is not fueled by human intention and emotional elements is as good as looking at a blank piece of paper. Make sure you add your own experiences and personal references into your blog posts. This can help in establishing a more authentic connection with the readers, which in turn instils a larger degree of interest and intrigue in your content. If you focus on being too formal or informative, without focusing on the underlying emotions, then your content will lose out on the magic that is eminent during an immersive conversation.

W-Fact File: Some content used to be written solely for robots, especially for the crawlers that are responsible for diagnosing the SEO health of your website. Techniques like cloaking, hidden text and tiny text are directed towards solely attracting the attention of crawlers and Google bots, rather than readers.

Lack of personal narrative style or voice

To talk of originality and not be aware of the various ways in which writing styles and narratives contribute to the same is a large fallacy in itself. Developing one’s own narrative style or voice is similar to preparing a signature dish, it needs perseverance and lots and lots of practice. In a sense, developing your own narrative style is like sculpting or painting a masterpiece using your own experiences and mistakes as the tools. Every single article has to be a step towards creating your own style, without which your content will just become another drop in the vast ocean of unknown blogs on the Internet. As bleak as this situation seems if you are somehow able to create your own approach and unique voice amongst the deafening sound of blogs trying to reach the top of the rankings, people are sure to notice you.

Not understanding the art of backlinking

An apt metaphor that can be used to describe the art of backlinking would be to look at the content page as a ploughed field that has been strewn with seeds. In this case, the water that provides nourishment to the seeds of ideas and perspectives in your content would be the backlinks that link to that particular page. If this metaphor is what you follow while building inbound linkages to your website, not paying attention to the details could put you in a world of trouble. For instance, in the spur of the moment, if you start integrating links from spammy websites, or even worse, from link farms (no pun intended), your content would be forsaken by both Google as well as visitors. Without the right channels for traffic to flow through and the lack of proper webpage health, in which quality of backlinks play an important role, your website will never see the light at the end of the tunnel. So, be vigilant and keep looking for top authority or top ranking sites to link with. Working towards this will also help you in learning the skills required for creating top-notch original content.

Duplicate content

The lowest realms of the digital hell are reserved for those who post duplicate content on the web. Those websites that copy content from other domains and web pages are treated like piles of waste on the ocean floor of the web. If the piles are too small, Google just ignores them completely. However, when these piles get bigger, Google proceeds to flag them as being inappropriate and removes them completely from the search rankings. I’m pretty sure that you would not want your content to be considered as a pile of waste, especially when the digital realm offers so many opportunities for those who create original and quality content. Duplicating content does not serve any plausible purpose, especially owing to the way in which it can confuse search engines. If you post duplicate content on your website, Google would not know which of the replicated links to index, neither would it know which page to rank. Who would want such a fate?

Keyword stuffing

Like the art of backlinking, keyword placement is also an often-ignored form of artistic expression; well, sort-of. The reason why keyword usage can be treated as an art form is the fine balance that one needs to achieve in the same. In this case, the importance of this artistic balance arises from the fact there is no pre-defined method or limit that can be used for the same. It has to be woven into the content in a meticulous and precise manner, without seeming too forced or exaggerated. However, there was a time when keyword stuffing, or the process of filling up a web page with only keywords in the place of sensible content, was a legitimate practice. However, in this age, it is important to focus on content that can benefit people rather than merely focusing on outwitting the search algorithm.

Click-baiting

Focusing on content that is relevant to the needs of the people is one thing while creating content solely dedicated to the purpose of garnering people’s attention is something completely different. This is where the concept of click baiting comes into perspective. As the name suggests, click-baiting is content that is created as a “bait” to attract clicks. In other words, it is like the piece of cheese at the tip of the mousetrap, which when eaten triggers the trap shut. Click-baiting is based on making the most out of the curiosity of the readers, which might not always be a good thing. According to Edmund Burke, “curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an appetite which is very sharp, but very easily satisfied; and it has always an appearance of giddiness, restlessness, and anxiety.” So, if you are ever wondering about why click on that intriguing thumbnail or a title such as “5 things you would not believe”, just remember that it is the shallow but powerful pull of curiosity.

Spammy Title Tags

Title tags are some of the most important elements that are used by both search engines as well as readers to identify your content. Title tags are essentially the most prominent gateways spread across the Internet through which readers can access your website. They appear as the blue-coloured links on Google SERPs and are also found on the tab in the web browser. Moreover, title tags are also used as anchor texts when your content is shared on other websites. An element that is so important for your overall content needs to be treated with the relevant respect it deserves. Some sure shot ways of demeaning this particular element include stuffing the title with keywords, duplicating a particular title tag across your website, and creating abnormally long title tags that go beyond the accepted limit of 50-60 characters.

Fluff Content

For those of you who are restricted by compulsion and obligation while approaching a potent art form such as writing, it is very easy to be led off the path into the realm of “fluff”. Fluff content is everywhere today, as more and more people try to find solace behind large droves of keywords and tags dedicated to pleasing search engines. In this case, the purpose of writing pure and authentic content for human readers takes a back seat. This is the cradle of fluff, where words and phrases are piled upon each other, often repeating the same concept over and over again. Sometimes, in a mad rush to please crawlers, writers focus more on the aspect of increasing the word count and the number of keywords in the article, rather than focusing on improving the overall feel of the content. This results in the formation of crippled narrative styles, that sound more like a sermon at church rather than a warm conversation. Fluff content is also characterised by a lack of emotion, feeling and intent, which are expressed using a specific family of words known as qualifiers. The only function that these words serve is to increase or decrease the quality of a preceding or succeeding adverb or adjective. The overuse of these words usually signifies a lack of understanding of the topic as far as the writer is concerned.

Masquerading content for a sales pitch

Blogs are powerful tools for spreading awareness about your brand image and increasing your overall reputation on the digital medium. However, if you plan to use your blogs only as marketing fodder, with the sole intention of increasing your brand value, there is bound to be a point of disappointment during your stint as a blogger. This is very much like fluff content, the more you deviate from creating content as an outlet for your passion, the more you will be pushed towards mediocrity. Avoid too much self-praise in your content; in fact, avoid any self-praise at all. If you are aiming to capture the attention of your audiences, do it through authentic content rather than using the medium as a promotional vehicle.

Focusing on speed rather than quality

As per the guidelines put forward by Google, one of the most important aspects that characterised a good blogging site was consistent and periodic updates in content. To capitalise on this particular SEO trend, many blogs consider updating their content on a daily basis. However, in their race to build up more and more content, most bloggers tend to forget the old, but very relevant adage of “quality over quantity”. Putting up content that is created in haste is an open invitation to fluff content, duplication, click-baiting, and lack of human emotions and intention.