For years, search engine optimization (SEO) has been hailed as the holy grail of digital marketing. But focusing solely on traffic metrics is a trap that many businesses fall into, believing that increased visitors will automatically translate into more sales. The reality? Not quite. As Luke Carthy, an eCommerce SEO and conversion consultant, put it in a recent LinkedIn post, “Sometimes SEO can ‘win,’ and yet the business can still lose.” This hard truth has emerged for countless brands that invest heavily in SEO without giving equal attention to conversion rate optimization (CRO).

Why Traffic Alone Doesn’t Cut It

Driving traffic to your website is only half the battle. “Traffic is up, significantly compared to 6/12 months prior. However, sales, unfortunately, haven’t bestowed the same growth,” says Carthy. It’s a scenario many businesses are familiar with—pumping thousands into SEO, only to find themselves with little to show for it other than higher site visits. As Carthy notes, the all-eggs-in-one-basket SEO approach might win the traffic war but not the sales war.

A major issue for many businesses is the over-reliance on SEO metrics like organic traffic and keyword rankings. However, these indicators don’t always equate to business success. Martynas Mandrijauskas, an SEOpreneur, points out a common pitfall: “It seems like you’ve been focusing on higher-volume keywords instead of targeting low-volume, high-conversion-rate hidden gems. This strategy might have increased your traffic, but it hasn’t translated into sales.”

The Role of CRO in Maximizing ROI

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) plays a crucial role in transforming traffic into revenue. It focuses on improving the user experience (UX) on your website, streamlining the customer journey from click to conversion. Carthy emphasizes, “Traffic must be combined with initiatives to boost conversion and optimize UX in order to maximize returns and drive true growth.” The reality is that a surge in traffic will do little if visitors bounce off the site due to a poor UX or an overly complex purchasing process.

Michael Ralph, co-founder of MEGA SEO, shares a similar sentiment: “More traffic without more sales just costs more in a number of ways. It also diverts budget.” By optimizing the website for conversions, businesses can ensure that every visitor has a better chance of becoming a paying customer, thereby maximizing the return on SEO investments.

The Danger of Vanity Metrics

One of the major issues with relying purely on SEO is the emphasis on vanity metrics. Metrics like traffic volume, click-through rate (CTR), and impressions might look impressive on a report, but they don’t tell the full story. As Alana D., a marketing strategist, puts it, “Traffic alone is often just a vanity metric. It doesn’t tell you whether those visitors are qualified or if they’re aligned with your business goals.”

Kevin Kapezi, an SEO expert, echoes this sentiment: “We have to remind ourselves that we are hired to grow business sales and that’s the true measure of things. I’m sure they’d be happy if clicks/impressions were down and sales were on the up and up.” In essence, it’s far more valuable to have fewer visitors who convert at a higher rate than to bring in a flood of traffic that doesn’t move the sales needle.

The SEO + CRO Formula for Success

The key to success in digital marketing is the marriage of SEO and CRO. SEO drives the traffic, but CRO converts that traffic into paying customers. It’s a simple equation but one that many businesses overlook. “SEO + CRO really is a winning combo,” says Carthy.

This approach ensures that businesses are not just casting a wide net but are effectively capturing the right kind of audience—the type of visitors who are ready to make a purchase. By focusing on conversion alongside SEO, businesses can optimize their user journey, reduce bounce rates, and increase sales.

As Gert Mellak, an SEO consultant, notes, “On top of SEO, one of the first things we always establish is soft and hard conversions to check on traffic quality.” It’s not enough to just drive traffic to a site; businesses need to understand how that traffic behaves and where they can improve to facilitate conversions. After all, the ultimate goal of any digital marketing strategy is not to rank high on Google but to generate real business results.

Integrating SEO and CRO for Long-Term Growth

An integrated strategy combining SEO with CRO and UX optimization is essential for sustainable growth. Focusing on SEO alone can lead to missed opportunities, wasted budget, and ultimately, frustration. As Luke Carthy warns, “The all-eggs-in-SEO approach doesn’t work, and even if it does, it doesn’t maximize returns on your investments if you’ve neglected user experience.”

Businesses must shift their focus from pure traffic growth to holistic strategies that encompass user experience, conversion, and long-term customer value. In other words, traffic is only part of the equation—without strong CRO, it’s like “filling a shop with customers who never buy,” as Carthy puts it.

It might seem obvious, but it’s well worth a re-focus: SEO + CRO is the winning combo. By integrating these two powerful strategies, brands can not only attract visitors but also convert them into loyal customers, driving meaningful, long-term growth.