Content Curation – Ten Mistakes to Avoid

Content curation is one of the biggest trends in content development, and there are several reasons for that.

Content Curation as explained by Charlie Page is:

"Ethically using small pieces of other people’s content to create new content of your own."

1.)It takes less time than traditional content development. You simply link to other people’s content, perhaps with a short excerpt, and add your own unique commentary.

2.)It gives you content ideas you might not have thought of on your own. Browsing websites in your niche will let you find all sorts of ideas quickly and easily.

3.)Google loves it when you link out to other sites.

Mistake #1 (Very Important)

Linking to Poor Quality Content

When you’re in a hurry to get some content posted. It can be tempting to just Google your topic. And link to a bunch of different articles without taking the time to really vet the content to ensure it’s actually worth linking to.

Sure, it may have a spiffy image or a very interesting headline.

But is the content itself well-written, informative, and interesting?

Is it full of grammatical errors as though it were written by someone whose first language was obviously not the language it was written in?

Are there factual errors?

Always check the content before you link to it to be certain that both Google and your readers would approve.

Content Curation Mistake #2

Using the Same Few Sources

One trap a lot of webmasters and bloggers fall into is using the same few websites on a regular basis. Thus limiting their scope as far as content and SEO benefits.

It’s tempting to fall into this trap. Because you know the sources you’re using are posting only high quality content on a regular basis, and you trust those sources.

Pinterest is a great place to find potential content. Because it’s all organized by keywords and it’s represented visually, making it faster to find what you’re looking for.

Plus, there is content from thousands of sites in pretty much any niche.

Facebook is another perfect place to locate different sources. Just locate a few fan pages or groups in your niche and watch what is being shared.

This is especially true if you’re looking at fan pages that are NOT run by website owners.

Content Curation Mistake #3

Curating Only Blog Posts

Google loves to see a lot of different types of media on blogs and websites. Not just articles. This means posting videos, infographics, PDF files, images, and so forth.

Fortunately, this means you can find an abundance of content just by searching sites like YouTube and Pinterest.

(Remember, though, if you’re posting images and such, you’ll need to get permission to post the full document. Otherwise, you can only legally use a thumbnail sized image.)

Fortunately, YouTube allows embedding of their videos. In fact, they encourage it because it gets more views of their content, thus increasing value for advertisers.

Content Curation Mistake #4

Automating Content Curation

Content curation can certainly be automated if you’re not really interested in providing a good user experience. And you don’t really care what type of content shows up on your website.

But there are several reasons you do NOT want to automate content.

1.) Google doesn’t like automated content, and they could penalize or ban your site if that’s all you’re posting. (Or even if it’s a majority of your content.)

2.) AdSense has already stated that you’re not allowed to post their ads on sites that are comprised primarily of automated video or article postings that offer no added value.

3.) Spammy or offensive content could get posted on your blog and upset your visitors. Imagine a pornographic video being added to a blog about children’s toys, for example!

Content Curation Mistake #5

Failing to Give Proper Attribution

It’s vital to be certain you’re properly attributing all content.

Here are some ways to be sure you’re following best practices as far as attribution:

- Do not post other people’s content in its entirety. Use excerpts, posting only small parts of their content and adding your own commentary.

-Be sure you mention the original source of the content. And ideally link to the original article. This is also beneficial for your SEO.

-When using photos, be sure you use only a thumbnail unless you ask for permission first. Thumbnail images (according to Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corp in the U.S. Court of Appeals) fall under fair use.

-Don’t use no-follow on links. People deserve full link juice for your use of their content.

Content Curation Mistake #6

Using ONLY Curated Content

It’s never a good idea to post solely curated content on your website. It’s a great idea to post high-quality, original content, too.

First of all, Google loves unique content. Yes, they love when you link to other high-quality websites, too. But unique content will always trump curated content.

Find a good balance.

You should aim for at least 10% original content to balance out your curated content.

Content Curation Mistake #7

Adding No Value

One of the biggest mistakes people make with curating content. Is when they post nothing but curated content. Or links to other people’s content, without adding any value.

Not only is this bad for your users, it’s also terrible as far as SEO is concerned. Search engines need words on the page to index content. While Google can index videos and other types of content. They still need some content to determine context.

Be sure you’re using only links or excerpts and adding value by describing the content or adding your own unique spin on things.

This will improve user experience as well as offering unique content for SEO purposes.

Content Curation Mistake #8

Not Doing Keyword Research

Many people think that they don’t need to do keyword research when curating content, but that’s incorrect. It’s still important to find relevant keywords and focus on those keywords when you post your content.

Curated content is just like any other content as far as SEO goes. You still need to include some unique content. You still need to be sure you’re adding keywords and staying relevant to the topic of your website.

Here are some popular keyword tools:

Jaaxy.com (The One I use and reccomend)

WordTracker.com

KWFinder.com

Wordstream.com

Content Curation Mistake #9

Being Faceless

Let’s face it; there are literally millions of websites online in pretty much any niche you can think of. If you aren’t setting yourself apart somehow, you are going to have to work a lot harder to succeed.

It’s important to create a persona for your website or blog. So that people can identify with you. Ideally, you’ll want that persona to be your own.

Because it will be easier to connect with people. But you could use a pen name, if necessary, to get your audience to identify with you.

Mistake #10 (A Must Have)

Having No Call to Action

Every piece of content you write should have some sort of call to action in it that benefits you in some way.

Here are some calls to action that you might want to consider:

-Subscribe to your YouTube channel

-Join your mailing list

-Share your content on social media

-Follow you on social media

-And, of course, asking readers to buy a recommended product

You want to get people used to doing what you ask them to do. Especially when it comes time to sell them something!

Conclusion

Content curation is a great way to create a good deal of content quickly and easily. It’s also the perfect source for ideas for your blog or website. But it can get you into hot water faster than you can imagine if you’re not doing it correctly.

Done correctly, curation will let you create content quickly and easily without having to write long, involved posts of your own every time.

To Your Success,

Joshua