What are the potential pitfalls of not separating layout and content in PHP development?

When layout and content are not separated in PHP development, it can lead to code duplication, maintenance difficulties, and decreased reusability. To avoid these pitfalls, it is recommended to separate the presentation layer (layout) from the business logic and data (content) in order to improve code organization and maintainability.

<!-- index.php -->
<html>
<head>
    <title>My Website</title>
</head>
<body>
    <header>
        <?php include 'header.php'; ?>
    </header>
    
    <main>
        <?php include 'content.php'; ?>
    </main>
    
    <footer>
        <?php include 'footer.php'; ?>
    </footer>
</body>
</html>
```

```php
<!-- header.php -->
<h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
```

```php
<!-- content.php -->
<p>This is the main content of the website.</p>
```

```php
<!-- footer.php -->
<p>© 2021 My Website</p>