Who are you trying to satisfy with your web site? Don't answer too quickly, it's a trick question.

• If you read too much about search engine optimization, you'd quickly get the idea that every word on (and underneath) your website should be designed to satisfy Google and those who chase it.

• Think about it for a while, and you're likely to say that serving the needs of your visitors is most important - answer their questions, solve their problems, give 'em what they want.

• Be completely honest, and the answer might be 'I just want the boss to sign off on it'. The boss might be the marketing dept, the CEO, a committee, or whomever gets to approve website content.

The real answer should be all three. Your site needs to satisfy the needs of your company, the desires of your visitors, and the realities of the search engines. This will mean some compromise, but it's the path to long term success.

(Inspired by another great post by Nicholas Carr, discussing how newspapers are writing stories with Google in mind.)