Traffic is not the objective: Its a strategy.

Eric Mutta and I are structuring this series with an eye toward what we really need to know as bloggers and what we can let go of. We?re looking for Optimum SEO that will keep the bulk of our time for attending to our readers and the content they deserve.

We?ll talk through the available resources and how things work. We?ll share plenty of information and places to get more. In other words, this will be Practical SEO for Every Blogger. Don?t be surprised if we all become better search engine users by the end of the series. - Liz Strauss

For many website owners, there appears to be a misunderstanding of the role of SEO. SEO is not the objective. Conversion is the objective. On a blog site, you are seeking to convert the first time reader into a loyal subscriber. On an e-commerce site, you seek to convert a browser into a buyer.

The other misunderstanding which is prevalent among small business owners is the idea that "old traffic" is not as important as "new traffic." The fact is that "old traffic" is the source of most of your WOM referrals and the source of most of your profitability. This is especially true if you work hard and building strong bonds of customer appreciation.

Those companies, such as Macromedia, that focus on retaining their after purchase market become strong players. Adobe tried to defeat Macromedia in three areas (GoLive vs. Dreamweaver, Imageready vs. Fireworks, and some product I have forgotten vs. Flash) and finally gave up and purchased Macromedia because they could not compete with Macromedia's after purchase customer retention programs. Macromedia used their website and newsgroups as strategic weaponry in this battle.

Imagine if you will a retailer who pays Big Bucks to rent space in the World's busiest shopping Mall and then neglects the look and feel of the store which is in the Mall. That is how some Website owners are about SEO. Traffic is Good, but Reputation and Sales are better.