Kevin Newcomb starts an interesting thread at Search Engine Watch Forums about a "debate" that is going on in SEO. He cites two blog posts, one from Jill Whalen, who says that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff. However, my BFF Lisa played devil's advocate and said that you should sweat the small stuff and that every detail matters.
Kevin says:
I'm of the opinion that every incremental thing you can do to improve your site is worthwhile, even if it helps in a very small way. The important thing is to keep the effort required to do the small things in line with the potential return, and to prioritize your time to make sure the big stuff gets done first.
How important is the "small stuff" to other forum readers?
A number of people felt that this line summed it up:
I say don't sweat the small stuff, just DO the small stuff.
But some people actually put a lot more emphasis on the small stuff to reap the benefits:
I would always practice SEO discipline i.e. sweating the small stuff; it creates great SEO habits, which in turns equates to more successes. Additional, who know when Google will change their algo, and it may turn out that one of the small factors become more weighted.
Do you sweat the small stuff? I tend to agree with the last quote: sweating over minor details does help me focus on becoming a better SEO, too. Therefore, I'm with Lisa. I know she'll be proud.
Forum discussion at Search Engine Watch.
