For years search engine optimization gurus and marketing eggheads have been arguing over the best way to increase a site’s popularity and reach.
One approach suggested by the SEO geeks is that backlinks alone are what is needs to push your site through the ranks of search results to the golden first page, therefore increasing exposure. So, the more people link to your site, the better!
The marketing junkies however, believe that content is the most important factor to increase a site’s popularity…
The truth is, the marketing guys are right, but so are the seo gurus..
Backlinks are extremely important to a search engine, but without quality content visitors will leave your site quickly.
Good content keeps your visitors coming back, leading to a more loyal and regular viewing pattern.
It also helps build those backlinks. People will seldom link to a site with poor quality content, but is much more likely to link to your site if you have great, high quality, useful content.
This growth and spread of links is a great thing, and genuine organic referrals are always much more appealing than links from sites with totally unrelated content.
So, content is still king, because it provides the base for solid organic growth.
Take my site for example, does it really surprise you that the codeigniter screencasts page is or of the most popular?
So if you’re building the next big ‘web 2.0′ application, or just a little site for you granny’s knitting club, always consider these things:
- Make sure you use single clean urls
- is this page easy enough to share? Consider trackbacks, email to friend, and delicious links
- Is this content high quality? – Never settle for content you’re not happy with
- Can my visitors contribute content? This will give them feelings of possession and responsibility for the site, increasing visitor loyalty
Just a few little thoughts that have been running through my head on this Monday morning!
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