New Article - SEO Without Usability -- An Exercise in Futility

[thejenn]

Full Text: http://www.searchengineguide.com/cla.../0311_sc1.html

Some Snippets:

"The sites were textbook-perfect examples of pure SEO. They weren't deceitful in any way, but they were designed completely for search engines, not for people. The goal was to reach the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) and that goal was accomplished with flying colors. Unfortunately, the goal was wrong. The site should have been pursuing buyers first, and *then* traffic."

"Should every SEO learn usability? Not any more than they need to learn design skills or database programming; however, in the same way that the average SEO can spot design or technical issues and recommend or work with a specialist, they should also be able to spot major usability issues and recommend or work with a usability analyst."