Hey! Adding mods can be a hassle sometimes, yeah. Unfortunately I don't quite understand your question, it's too vague so I don't really know where the issue might be, aside from having the mod in what appears so be the wrong location, sorry
In theory it should go like this:
And once inside the "Mods" file, you add your mod files like this. Like this!
You must add them in separate folders each with their names, so the files don't get mixed up between mods. Maybe you took the content of the folder out and didn't add the folder as a whole?
It should look similar to this, but with your mods.
For example, Content Patcher has these files inside:
These files are vital for the mod,
should STAY inside that folder; otherwise SMAPI won't recognise the mod! Maybe that was why it wasn't working for you?
Hope this help! Have a good day >:)