Don’t Lose Your Credibility With Your SEO

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

It may come as a surprise, but great search engine optimization isn’t the most important thing online. Yes, you want to have the best optimized, user focused web pages that you can write. Outstanding SEO should always be a goal. But then so should bolstering your credibility. But if I had to choose one or the other, I’d choose credibility over great SEO any day. Here’s why:

• SEO means your web pages rank well, but it doesn’t mean people are buying
• Credibility will always have staying power
• Someone can always come along and knock you off your SEO mountain
• If you have credibility, people listen
• Great optimization just means you have a ranking presence
• Awesome SEO does not necessarily translate into trustworthy character or credibility
• If you are credible then people will reach out to you
• Not only will people reach out to you, but they will tell their friends

If you are not credible and rank No. 1 for your keywords, as soon as someone does business with you then your rankings won’t matter. They’ll go somewhere else and tell their friends to as well. But if you are credible and can prove it, it doesn’t matter where you rank. People will find you and tell their friends.

Of course, if at all possible, go for great SEO and credibility at the same time. But don’t sacrifice any lambs.