How to Be a Great SEO

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No this is not another blog about upskilling yourself to be a better SEO.

Today's blog is about the additional skills that can take you from being a really good SEO to a great one, it's those skills that separate the good from great.

I see it every day online, experienced SEOs giving good SEO advice, but sometimes, their advice comes flat.

It's not their experience that's the issue, it's the mindset so let's unpack that!

Be Open

In a field like SEO where the only constant is change, and new insights and tactics are shared all the time, you need to be open to new ideas.

I mean, that what makes SEO work interesting.

Holding on to what you know and always done in the past is also great

Old is gold, right?

But over and over in conversations online I see the same pattern

People becoming defensive when commenting on a post they disagree with

People criticizing something just because it's new

People calling anyone they disagree with a scammer or a fraud

This mindset doesn’t just hold you back personally; it also slows the growth of the entire community.

Instead, be open, be curious, take a moment to think, ask more questions.

That said, it's also ok to respectfully disagree!

Critical Thinking

Don't go whichever the wind blows, don't just follow the crowds, just because a lot of people are saying GEO is the same (or not the same) as SEO, it does not mean you have to agree.

Our brains take the easiest path, we really don't want to think, thinking is very energy consuming, so following is easier and more efficient in that aspect.

But on multiple occasions this year I found myself pausing to ask the question "how did we as an industry miss that?"

Take the Google API Warehouse leaks from last year. How did we collectively move on so quickly? Why didn’t they meaningfully change the way we approach SEO? There’s still so much in that leak worth unpacking and yet, most of us (myself included) just… moved on.

That’s made me reflect on whether we’re truly thinking critically, or if we’re selectively focusing on what feels immediately valuable, popular, or easy to talk about.

Are we leading our thinking, or just following trends?

Go the Extra Mile

It’s easy to get comfortable in SEO when everything becomes a checklist.
Done. Done. Done. ✅
And on to the next task.

Checklists are useful, they keep us organized and consistent.

But some of the most valuable growth I’ve experienced came from slowing down and going beyond them.

Taking a bit of extra time to look deeper into the data. Pulling out insights instead of just reporting numbers. Asking not just what happened, but why it happened.

Sometimes it’s even simpler than that. You searched for something today, we all do. Before moving on, pause for a moment and really look at the SERPs. What’s ranking? What’s changed? What stands out?

Ask “why” three to five times and try to follow those answers. That habit alone has taken my understanding of SEO to a completely different level.

That extra curiosity and willingness to look a little deeper, is often what separates good SEO work from great SEO thinking.

And That’s a Wrap (Almost 😄)

We’re all a work in progress.

We’re all growing and learning all the time, at least, I hope we are 😄

All I’m really saying is this: let’s be intentional about how we grow, and where we choose to invest that growth.

As a matter of fact, there’s no single path to becoming a great SEO. But staying open to new ideas, sharpening your critical thinking, and consistently going the extra mile will definitely help you along that journey.

That's that for today folks,

🥳🥳🥳 HAPPY HOLIDAYS 🎉🎉🎉 in advance

and see you next newsletter!

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Disclaimer: LLMs were used to assist in wording and phrasing this blog.