Pirates - 12:33 am on Nov 9, 2006 (gmt 0)

I think this is a great point. I think conversion is key and way too much emphasis is given (myself included) to seo and traffic. If you build a great site often word of mouth can carry it a long way and referrals is just aout the best visitor you can get. If you look at some of the big success stories online often they rely on a unique idea and not seo or targeting high traffic.

From Ebay to Friends Reunited or even Google these are sites that grew on word of mouth much more than clever seo tactics. I think much has been made of web 2.0 so maybe we should all be thinking of SEO 2.0 and knowing even a number 1 result is not always enough.

Its difficult to create a unique idea as its quickly copied and cultivated but its seems to me the most successfull sites create a community alongside there commercial activities. Sites like eBay and Amazon were pioneers in this (Amazon for reviews incase this leaves you scratching your head).

The future will indeed present tougher challenges for webmarketers and seo's alike and the bottom line will be CONVERSION.