You can't fake real counsel, either.

When my boss told me about Jill Whalen’s article entitled "You Can't Fake Real Content" (posted on Search Engine Land), I anticipated an initial hack into spammers and encounters of SEO-gone-wrong, followed by helpful advice on how to properly write and distribute online content. I was not only disappointed, but slightly (read: extremely) irritated by what she wrote. I found her article to be an immature attack on companies who encourage online content distribution which, when done properly, greatly increase the chances of a browser finding your services.

Whalen irresponsibly generalizes e-Business motives and incentives for online content distribution. Her only piece of advice: “fix your site,” and her suggestions to do so are limited and vague.

Let me turn now to the reader: do you really think that with one spiffy site, you’ll end up on the first page of a Google search? Not likely. You need consistent, positive publicity.

Whalen uses the example of a laminating service in her article. I’d like to continue with that example. If I’m sending important documents off to Joe Shmo to be laminated, I want to be assured of his professionalism, proficiency and skills in the laminating industry. He may have an incredible website that tells me everything I need to know. But my chances of finding that website are slim if he doesn’t practice accurate online content distribution.

There’s nothing wrong with him posting articles about his services or client testimonials affirming he is the right one for the job. Sure, that will jumpstart his ranking in search engines but that’s probably not his only motivation. He wants to get his message out there! And his prevalent online content benefits me as a browser. How am I supposed to be a responsible and well-informed online shopper if I don’t know what the heck his e-Business is up to?

Joe Shmo needs to tell me about the benefits of choosing him by posting information on the big project he just finished for an important client or a new division his company just opened up. He needs to utilize a variety of online mediums— such as blogs and article archives— to get his point across. And if he is really focused on SEO, he needs to insert a link back to his website and services (just like Whalen has done in this article!). That’s part of what SEO and web content are all about.

I’ll agree with Whalen: people can be con-artists. You have to be careful when sifting through online content just as you have to be careful with someone trying to sell you a Ford Pinto. But when it comes to surfing the web for a service, no content = nothing to sift through— nothing to confirm or negate the quality of that service. Without content, it becomes much harder to differentiate between the scam and the real deal. Let’s examine this from mathematical perspective: content can equal publicity; the lack of content cannot equal publicity. I’m no statistician here, but I’d rather go with the former… as an online shopper or a seller, I’d rather go with the better odds.

Whalen writes, and I agree, that “…visitors who come from keyword searches at Google may not already be familiar with what you offer. It doesn't work to speak to them in a generic way. You must use the words that got them there in the first place.” Finally! Advice! Good content must involve accurate and repeating key terms that revolve around your services, experiences and relevant news. This will only make it easier for search engines to target you and for browsers to find (and benefit from) your e-Business. Including these key terms on article archive sites or business blogs isn’t such a bad idea either.

All in all, this article gave me the impression that companies should make one website and let it sit on the Internet to collect dust… because with no online content distribution, that’s most likely what will happen.

And I must admit that I find the article a bit… hypocritical. Whalen seems to be attacking the use of content which leads back to your perfect website. Yet this article contains a link to her SEO company’s homepage. That homepage contains a link to her SEO blog. And that blog contains a link to her company’s online SEO forum. There’s nothing wrong with that… except the fact that her article disagrees with it altogether.

As a writer for a company that not only promotes online content, but personally utilizes (and benefits from) it, I have to say that Whalen’s article is one-sided and negligent. She fails to examine or explain the benefits of proper online content drafting and distribution.

Rather than tell you that your online content is fake and crappy, I invite you to check out some of the services Hudson Horizons has to offer. The HH team members will actually provide you with advice and services for how to create meaningful content and show you how successful online content distribution can enhance your e-Business.