SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All

October 12, 2009

Search Engine Optimization gets people to your site. It boosts your page rank. It performs magic tricks, prints money and cures cancer. It’s the golden god of content management, at times, and it’s the number one goal of a company: get your name out there, and get it noticed.

If I sound a little sarcastic, you’ll have to understand that I’m a writer. Which means I have one goal over any other: create interesting content.

It’s this goal that makes me cringe when people say that SEO is the most important part of putting together a successful Web site; that copy should be manufactured with the robotic eyes of a search engine in mind.

And it’s this goal that often leads me astray, railing against SEO in the name of art and literature and everything the act of writing stands for.

Because the truth is – SEO isn’t king. And neither is content, anymore. Seems that both have to work in harmony.

See? Now I’ve just upset both sides of the debate.

There are two arguments in the battle. For SEO champions, it’s, “If your content is good, but no one sees it, is it worth it?” And for the content wonks, it’s “If you get people to your site, but they aren’t interested in staying, is it worth it?”

The real answer lies somewhere in between. It isn’t all or nothing for either side. You need both. In fact, one should naturally lead to another. Great content should generate positive SEO, as great content relies on communicating in a way that gives the reader exactly what they came for. And great SEO means you’re covering all of your bases – that you’re thinking for the masses instead of your little corner of intelligentsia.

It means more than compiling lists of regurgitated facts and keyword-laden copy. Conversely, it means more than developing beautiful prose more akin to Steinbeck than Sergey. It’s right in the middle. It’s what we sought out when we redesigned our Web site. And it’s helped us in both cases: better content and better search results.

No, it’s not SEO über alles. Nor is it content without regard to searchability. Simply put, it’s writing the way people will read. Will think. Will care. It’s managing content logically and creatively.

It’s copy written for robots and people. How futuristic. Are you doing it?

By Corey

Filed Under Technology, Marketing, The Process

Comments

5 Responses to “SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All”

  1. Andrew on October 12th, 2009 5:36 pm

    There’s always a happy medium when you’re trying to reconcile form and function. It’s the classic battle of “my job is more important than your job” or “my dad could beat up your dad.” The only hope is for a strategic mind to consider all of the goals, objectives, and tactics. Nice post Corey.

  2. Twitter Trackbacks for New Post Haste-ness: SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All [henkinschultz.com] on Topsy.com on October 12th, 2009 5:45 pm

    […] New Post Haste-ness: SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All posthaste.henkinschultz.com/2009/10/12/seo-vs-content-not-a-battle-after-all – view page – cached […]

  3. SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All | SEO Partners on October 12th, 2009 10:10 pm

    […] Read more from the original source: SEO vs. Content: Not a Battle After All […]

  4. Corey on October 13th, 2009 7:49 am

    @Andrew Your dad probably could beat up my dad, for the record. Thanks for the comments.

  5. Paul on October 13th, 2009 11:26 am

    Good post, Corey. I hate when content does not sound natural and is developed only for keyword stuffing purposes.

    Paul Ten Haken Sioux Falls Online Marketing Email Social Media SEO SEM We Are The Best Ever

Leave a Reply