Yesterday, I read a long forum conversation that started after someone posited the argument that pay per click advertising was an all-around superior option to article marketing.

I can’t go a week without seeing someone bring up the old “links vs. content” debate.

The other day, I saw someone questioning the value of good copywriting relative to other considerations.

I generally make that scrunched up, annoyed and somewhat disappointed face when I read those discussions, but I rarely comment on them.

That’s because I think comparing different methodologies in that way makes zero real sense.  It’s an apples and oranges affair.  Goals are often different and various approaches to IM are designed to produce different results.  Sure, they all point to the same bottom line, but that doesn’t make them directly comparable.

Here are a few reasons why I feel that way…

There’s no mutual exclusivity. You can always use PPC and article marketing.  No one will ever stop you from working on traffic building and having a well-written landing page.  You can make a massive effort at link accumulation while still having good content.  These debates too often start with unnecessary bifurcation, arguing that you must do A or B when you can actually do A and B.

Good written material aids other strategies. It’s easier to secure organic one-way inbound links when people have a reason to link to you.  Wanna go viral?  You need to have something interesting to say.  Your PPC campaign is going to be more popular when your landing page kicks rump with a size-14 pair of steel-toed boots.