I'd agree that "creating value" is of greater long term benefit to a website than simply adapting it to be seo friendly. While seo will help get people to find your website, it is ultimately the value you provide which dictates whether people read it and come back or not.
Unfortunately my blog (
Total Wellbeing) is still to young to really say that it is personally the case for me, but i'd like to think that I create valuable articles and that in the long-term I will benefit for focussing on value over seo.