SEO and the Sound of One Hand Clapping

This search engine optimization tip is brought to you by the Austin SEO Guy -- search engine wisdom for Austin, Texas companies.

A Zen master once spoke of the "sound of one hand clapping." Here's how I would equate that famous expression to search engine optimization:

An SEO program that lacks onsite conversion is like one hand clapping ... sure there's motion taking place, but there's nothing being produced.

In other words, when you use SEO to drive traffic to a website that does not convert visitors into customers, you are clapping with one hand. But to produce something, you must also use the other hand. You must focus on your website conversion tactics.

"That's obvious," you say. "Why waste my with such a no-brainer?"

Here's why.

I can't tell you the number of times I've heard somebody say something like: "Our SEO program is not producing any leads." ... Or ... "We get good search engine ranking, but it's not producing sales."

These people are clapping with one hand and trying to produce a sound. They are overlooking something significant. Search engine visibility does not generate leads or sales. Search engine visibility can generate website traffic, but then it's up to the website (and the people behind it) to generate the leads and sales.

In other words, SEO is the start of something ... not the end of it. It is one hand clapping.

Avoid search engine blindness. Don't focus on SEO to the point of ignoring your onsite lead generation. Keep the big picture in mind. Always consider how things work together in synergy. Clap with two hands.

That is the lesson for today, Grasshopper. Go in peace.

-The Austin SEO Guy