henry copeland: SEO-obsessed competitors helped Buzzfeed excel: pllqt.it/bmkhlW
Search over-optimisation on other sites gave Peretti an opportunity. "You can make a crap article that's perfectly SEO'd and generates a lot of traffic, but you can't call that a win if it gives people a bad experience. In the SEO era, getting readers was about smart tricks. We think differently -- what need does a story play in someone's life? When you're having a rough day at work and see '13 Simple Steps To Get You Through A Rough Day', that's servicing an emotional need: look at this hedgehog wearing a tiny hat -- you feel better, you share it with your friends."
- www.wired.co.uk