SEO - Keep It Sticky
 by Mattya56
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03-07-2007
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SEO is one of the most important strategies for online success. But it hasn’t always been that way. Remember the not-so-good-old-days before Search organized the Web and made it simpler for surfers to find what they were looking for? I’m sure you do. In those days Web-based businesses tried to make their Web sites really cool. It was all about the “Wow” factor and making their sites “sticky”. The reference to “sticky” was that visitors would land at a webpage and like it so much they wouldn’t want to leave or to take it a step further – they couldn’t leave. Like a mosquito drawn to the bug zapper, surfers would be drawn in and ZAP, that would be it.
We can learn from those days. We forget just how difficult it was to attract consumers to Web sites at a time when entertainment, shopping and news were dominated by offline sources. In those days Web sites had to blow consumer’s minds, making them forget about their televisions and the money they were spending with AOL just to view Web-based content. The number one priority of every Web site during this time period was catering to the needs of their visitors.
Now ask yourself, Am I catering to the needs of my visitors? Of course you are, your visitors are your business’ life-blood, you always put them first. Now ask yourself, Am I sacrificing the needs of my visitors to make sure my rank is high on SERPs? Can you still say yes? Are those articles you wrote really there to educate your consumers? Are you spending the same amount of time editing your title tags as you spend making sure you are relating to your consumers?
If the answer is no, you are certainly not alone. SEO is a growing industry and without a doubt one of the trendiest practices on the World Wide Web. Millions of businesses are scrambling to make sure their Web site is ranking number one in their vertical, but are the consumers being forgotten? In some circumstances I would have to say yes. I scour the Web as much as anyone and I find it interesting to see who’s turning up at the top of SERPs these days. Yes, they are Web sites full of well-written content but they are … well … boring.
Content is king. SEO is extremely important. But striving to provide a unique, interesting Web site is not dead. Don’t get so caught up in your SEO strategy that your “ Rocky Road” site becomes “Vanilla Bean”. Keep your Web site fun; don’t dump all those “sticky” features you spent tens of thousands of dollars on. Surfers still want to have fun on the Web; they’re not all intellectuals looking to make an informed decision. Think of your Web site as a teeter-totter. On one end you have your SEO strategy, on the other you have fun, user-friendly features. It’s OK if they don’t balance perfectly, just don’t let one become the fat kid that’s stuck on the bottom.
