Are SEO Junkies Just Desperate For Attention?

There are benefits to growing older. You don't have to show your ID all the time, and . . . uh . . . you're not so obsessed with getting the attention of strangers.

Okay, so there aren't many benefits. But that second one is a biggie.

Nothing shouts "immature" like being noisy in public places: rattling windows with the high volume in your souped-up car radio. Showing passersby how drunk and disorderly you can be. Complaining loudly for no good reason at a checkout line, or in an airplane.

It's normal for young people to confuse attention with respect; they'll learn the difference as they grow up. But when mature adults start to equate "eyes" with "the prize"--success--we're just kidding ourselves.

Could our passionate quest for getting an obscene number of hits be simply a sign of our second childhood (or of laziness)?

In the end, what exactly do those thousands of followers get you? If just two of them decide you have something of value and give you a little business, you haven't accomplished much of anything. To be blunt, your ROI sucks.

You would have been better off going to a free networking breakfast and picking up two solid leads. At least then you'd have gotten a decent meal.

Everybody knows that Google and certain experts have made millions--or more--with good SEO tools. But unlike the millions of wannabes out here, they offer something of real value to every visitor. They're leaders because they've brought the most value to the table, not because they've brought the most visitors to their site.

Eyes aren't really the prize. Stop filling the coffers of SEO technicians because of those dreams of sugarplums dancing in your head. Make your online brand quality, not quantity.

It's time to stop trying to rattle more windows, and start getting authentically engaged.