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Just Say No to SEO Articles
By Jill Whalen (c) 2010

Last week I was speaking with a potential client in need of SEO
consulting who told me that they had been working on their
product part e-commerce website over the past few months by
adding "SEO articles" to it on a regular basis. "SEO articles?"
I thought. "Why would an e-commerce site that sells product
parts need articles about SEO (http://www.highrankings.com/
seo-articles)?"

Of course, I knew they weren't talking about writing articles
about SEO, but writing articles for SEO. Which is often just as
silly. Unfortunately, I hear this on a regular basis because so
many believe that writing keyword-stuffed articles is somehow an
SEO requirement. They don't know why they might need these
articles -- only that, for whatever reason, the Google Gods want
them. And so they write articles that nobody would be interested
in reading, but which are stuffed chock-full of the keywords for
which they would like Google to show their site.

And then they wonder why it's not happening for them.

"Did we not provide Google with the SEO articles they require?"
they ask incredulously.

"Why does Google not show our 'History of Product Part A' article
when someone is searching to buy one of them?"

"Let me explain," I say, and ask them to put themselves in the
shoes of the potential buyer.

"If you were looking to buy Product Part A, which page would you
rather find in Google? The one with the product part information,
the price, choice of color/size, information on how to purchase
it, and an 'add to shopping cart' button? Or the one that tells
you the history of said product part?"

The choice, of course, is easy when presented that way. And
suddenly – BAM! It all starts to make sense.

"That was exactly MY thought before we embarked on this crazy
SEO scheme!" they reply. "It just didn't make any sense to me,
but I figured that Google was just weird and had its own reasons
for liking stuff like that. So why do so many SEOs recommend
this?" is their next logical question.

I wanted to tell them that most SEOs don't have the slightest
clue what Google really wants. But instead I told them that it's
usually because many SEO consultants don't have a good grasp of
why they do what they do (http://www.highrankings.com/
seo-reasons). Once upon a time, some of them probably stumbled
upon some websites that provided a lot of valuable industry
information via a blog or resource center, and noticed that the
site also did well in Google. So they put 2 and 2 together and
came up with the not-so-brilliant idea of writing articles
created solely for SEO purposes -- and then they spread the
information to the many places online where SEO myths are
propagated.

And the SEO article creation industry was spawned.

Let's step back for a moment and look at the difference between
"SEO articles" and information provided on a site that is there
without regard to SEO.

When your goal is to create SEO articles, you'll almost always
make the wrong decision on what to write about or how to write
it because you'll be thinking about search engines rather than
your target audience. Anything and everything you write or post
to your website needs to have a reason for being there.

And that reason is not SEO.

What you add to your site should always enhance it in the eyes
of your target audience. If an article about the history of
Product Part A is truly something your target audience would be
interested in -- that is, it helps those people who might buy
the product make their decision -- then by all means, write that
article. But don't lie to yourself. Your gut will let you know
if you really do believe it will be helpful, or if you are just
looking for an easy way out!

Your goal is to get into the mind of your potential buyers and
figure out what their pain points might be. What might hinder
them from buying a particular product? What might prevent them
from buying it from you? Maybe they're not sure if the part will
fit the gizmo that they were buying it for. Maybe they don't
understand why the latest version of Product Part A (rev.2.56)
is worth so much more than the previous version (rev.2.0). So
write an article pointing out the differences, and why the
manufacturer decided to rev it up, and how the extra money it
costs will be well worth paying because it will likely last
twice as long.

That is useful information for your target audience.

It's also an article that others interested in Product Part A
might link to. And it sets you up as an expert on those types
of products. You don't need to think about SEO when you write
such an article, because that's not why you're writing it. And
yet, by the very act of *not* thinking about SEO, you'll have
created a potential SEO boon for your site.

The article itself will likely show up for long-tail searches
relating to Product Part A (perhaps when people are seeking out
the differences between the two revs). And if it naturally
garners links, that link juice will spread to the rest of your
site, providing your sales pages with a better chance at
ranking for your money terms -- i.e., pages that bring in
people who are ready to buy now.

So banish the notion of "SEO articles" from your vocabulary.
Optimize the actual pages of your site that are there to do
business, and provide as much additional information as you can
that will set your business apart from the others. Get into the
head of your potential customers and give them exactly what they
need to become informed buyers who want to buy only from you.
================================================================
Jill Whalen is the CEO of High Rankings, an SEO Consulting
(http://bit.ly/9SPcFW) company in the Boston, MA area since 1995.
Follow her on Twitter @JillWhalen
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