Recently I met Julie Roads and enjoyed an email exchange with her. She’s generous, thoughtful and does her homework. Her words ring with her voice. So I’m happy to present this article she wrote. I predict she’s going to be everywhere in no time at all.

Is Content Really that Important?
by Julie Roads

When I tell people that I’m a copywriter, this response smacks me in the face quite often: “Oh! I need a copyright for a blahblahblah that I created.” Yeah, I’m actually not that kind of copywriter. And while many wonderful people understand what I do, this ‘un-awareness’ of my profession’s existence often spills over and into general attitudes about the importance of good content.

Now, if you tell someone you are a web designer – their eyes light up as if they’ve just met a celebrity, or at least the coolest kid on the block. Designers elicit responses such as, “Wow, do you do flash? What are some of the sites you’ve done? I need a website!”

So, here’s a question: Can search engines read beautiful design? Of course, an easily navigable site makes all the difference, but color, logo, flash? Not so much.

People do judge books by their covers and websites by their design. And, good designers should forever be held onto. The look of your site sends an immediate message to your visitor about your personality, your tone, your business.

That said, it’s the content that pulls the visitor to the site with keywords and tags. And, it’s the value-laden, information-packed, expertly crafted content that keeps the visitor reading and turns them into a fan, a commenter, a client, a customer, a bullhorn for your business.

You tell me:

If content brought you to a site – and you found the information you wanted, would you stay even if the site was ugly?

If a stunning site caught your eye – but there was no content value, would you stay just because it was pretty?

Julie Roads can be found at Writing Roads and Blogging Roads.

Thanks, Julie!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!