SEO is useless without lead generation

Search engine optimisation, pay per click advertising, social media marketing and other activity designed to send people to your web site is completely useless without lead generation or online selling. Here's why...

1. Lead generation converts the mild and unproductive interest of a casual visitor into a serious business enquiry (i.e. a person prepared to receive more information, take a phone call, or meet with you)
   
2. Online selling converts a casual visitor into a client

Without a dedicated lead generation process or online selling system set up and working on your site, your visitors will look around for a few minutes and then move on. You will be left with no way of contacting these people, and will probably never hear from them again.

In other words, without a lead generation process and/or online selling system - your marketing activity is wasted (as is the money you spent).

Generating leads and/or sales isn't something that happens automatically. People don't wake up thinking 'I want to be somebody else's lead today'. The lead generation process has to be planned in advanced, implemented correctly, and refined over time through testing and analysis of past results.

The same is true of an online sales system. From time-to-time, a sale might fall into your lap. Most times, it requires serious effort on your part. That's why a shopping cart isn't enough.