Content IS king - without content you won't get visitors period.
Without quality content the visitors won't stay.
There's a big difference between getting a visitor to hit your site and leave again right away, and getting a visitor to read the entire piece before bookmarking, recommending, and coming back for more.

Without a quantity of quality pieces the visitor will, sooner or later, have no reason to return. You will also have narrowed the margin of potential first-time visitors.