In Business Blogging, Which Counts Most – Content Or Couture?

PR consultant Mikal Belicove, writing in May’s Entrepreneur Magazine, encourages readers to "Start a blog for your business". Belicove runs through a list of blogging platforms, including:
 

Free hosted platforms:

• Blogger
• Live Journal
• Vox

Premium hosted platforms:

• WordPress
• TypePad

Stand-alone platforms:

• WordPress.org
• Movable Type
• (My Say It For You blogs are hosted by Compendium Blogware.)

Bellicove concludes his mini-tutorial by saying "As you blog, keep in mind that content is king.  Always post fresh, original, and relevant content, and your blog will soon build a loyal following."

(I was taught at a sales seminar to replace "Yes, but.." with Yes, and…), so here’s my "Yes, and.." on the subject of blog content:)
 
There’s a thing called "bounce rate", which is a metric search engines use in ranking blogsites.  Once having found your site, how long do readers stay there before "bouncing" away to someone else’s site?

With thousands of blog posts under my belt, one lesson I’ve learned is that if the typeface in your blog is too small, if the lines are too closely packed, if paragraphs are overly lengthy, those things are off-putting to blog visitors.   Illustrations, bolding, italics, bullet points – all the "couturier" touches are important in holding readers’ attention.

So, when all is said and done, which counts more – content or couture?  A great blog post will incorporate BOTH!