Welcome to Part 2 of White Hat, Black Belt’s three part series, 11 SEO Lessons You Can Learn From Heidi Montag, by guest blogger Andrew Martin of The Cosmetic Surgery Directory Blog. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.

Lesson 4: Pretty on the Outside

A pretty face can, at least in the short term, mask a lack of substance or talent. Heidi’s celebrity status clearly supports this assertion. Fortunately for us, a pretty face can only take you so far. If we look at other celebrities who have ridden their looks to the top – Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson come to mind – we notice that their time at the top was relatively short-lived. Once another pretty face comes along, we will grow tired of Heidi’s, unless she can develop some sort of talent to capture our attention. While Britney and Jessica may still be considered celebrities, the general public has by-and-large grown tired of them, and it is doubtful their careers will ever return to the levels of their peak years. The main attribute separating also-rans such as Britney, Jessica, and Heidi from a legitimate celebrity powerhouse such as Madonna is substance. Whether you like her music or find it putrid, it is undeniable that Madonna possesses substance. Very few pop icons have had a 20+ year run at the top the way she has.

SEO lesson: This lesson is more of a caveat. DO NOT overlook the importance of having substance. Good design can lend credibility to your website, but to truly engage the consumer over the long-run, your content must have substance. Otherwise, people will eventually dismiss it.

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