I think there’s truth to what both are saying.

The sad thing is, I’ve seen sites built by self-proclaimed SEO experts:

• built entirely with tables
• with random keywords stuffed all over the place, even in the footer
• with titles left blank
• without H2 tags around the main headings

I could go on, but I think my point is there’s a big difference between those who can build great sites that perform well and those who don’t.  But it’s not easy for the average client to figure this out.

Something brought up in the bigger discussion is  the need for consumer education.  This responsibility falls on the more reputable designers developers, and optimizers out there.

Update: The title is a bit crass, but this article revisits this topic two years later. Anything change since 2009? Not much.