What is the difference between Good SEO and Great SEO?

by Shermy Mohan - 2/8/2022 1023 Views

Search Engine Optimization is the most hunted option for marketing a brand to the public and also has become a defining part that makes an edge in the business world.

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Imagine that you are a librarian for every book in the world and people depend on you every day to find the exact book they need. To satisfy the public responses, you need to have a system and you need to know what is inside every book and how books relate to each other.

Your system thus needs to take a lot of information and spit up the best answers for the questions they ask. In the real world search engines like Google and Bing do the job of a librarian. Their system collects information about every webpage so that they can deliver the results when people search it.

Every search engine has a secret recipe called an algorithm for turning all that information into useful search results. Thus it is clear that when your pages have higher rankings they help more people find you. So the key is that your website must have the ingredients needed for search engines to satisfy their algorithm. This is the SEO strategy.

In this highly competitive world with millions of web pages, you have to understand the algorithm clearly and employ the best SEO strategy. Earlier the SEO results were categorized as good SEO and bad SEO. Now even good SEO cannot satisfy the algorithm.

You have to make advancements from Good SEO to Great SEO to push your business forward.

So this article will help you gain the difference between Good SEO and Great SEO. Here is a list of six differences between good SEO and great SEO. They are,

1). The Tactics & Strategic Areas of Focus of SEO

Many SEO experts believe that the difference between Good SEO and Great SEO depends upon the extent of effort and work. This was explained by an analyst as "Good SEO means checking all the boxes. Thus according to many Great SEO is something related to the On-page SEO done correctly, a content strategy, and a way to find links is what makes good SEO.

Many Search engine optimization companies also explain how these tactics lead to increased visibility, traffic, and conversions. Experts support this statement and also add on that Good SEO is making sure an entity can be found through a search at the right time, by the right audience.

According to SEO Group Director at Razorfish Good SEO uses some tactics that currently work to rank. This means that good SEO is improving ranking and results by following best practices

Digital Marketing Specialist at Forthea Interactive elaborates the focus of Good SEO. According to her, doing the standard technical audits, keyword research, content optimization, page speed improvement recommendations and thus ultimately improving a client's visibility get them more business than prior.

Digital marketing specialists opine that Good SEO is the result of implementing strategies and tactics that you have successfully used for years. The Founder & CEO at PureLinqsummarizes the key takeaways about a good SEO program and says it is set up for success against the goals of the program. Marketing pecialists assure that it will increase the likelihood of success if we are trying to include all of the key SEO areas (technical SEO, Content SEO, SEO Analytics, and Link Building). They also warn not to blindly follow Google's search guidelines. It is suggested to use them to help for informed decisions and then do repeated tests.

Now let's understand the tactics and areas of focus that make for Great SEO.

The strategy of great SEO goes beyond the basics. This is elaborated by SEO experts on Google in which they say that great SEO takes actions based on the understanding of how the search engine bots and websites work, and not because those are the best practices. Great SEO can easily identify the cause and the effective solutions outside the checklist of the given basics.

This makes it clear that the focus of Great SEO is creating linkable content and getting high-quality sites to link to that content while also providing stellar technical on-page solutions.

People who study on recent trends in the world of digital marketing says that it is about the defining factors that determine greatness here. According to them, it is the nailing of all four areas: authority, content, page experience, and keyword/industry-specific ranking factors. If one can address the key deficiencies that are holding the website back, we can achieve the so-called greatness.

Thus as per the conclusions made by experts identifying these few things will move the needle on rankings and thus makes our aim achievable.

One thing we have to keep in mind is that Great SEO delivers qualified traffic that converts the potential customers into buyers and meets or exceeds organic key performance indicators and this will continue to drive the business value/ROI subsequently.

2). Focusing on Google & Algorithm Updates

The algorithm updates and constant changes in the industry are the important factors that define what is good and great SEO.

According to the opinion of an SEO Consultant at Flow SEO, a Good SEO caters to the algorithm and finds the right keywords and links, thus increasing organic traffic.

Then what is a Great SEO here?

This is compared by an expert in a digital marketing firm in which he states that Good SEO may get hit by core updates and algorithm changes but great SEO will only get better as it focuses on chasing what Google is trying to reward and not the actual algorithm inputs.

Thus it can be explained that Great SEO is concentrating on the evolution of search, including changes in searcher's behavior and algorithm updates, then adjusting as well as implementing the strategies and tactics that align with it.

Thus the above analysis makes it more clearly saying that Good SEO solves mechanical problems that arise after every algorithm change, while Great SEO is a cross-department mission in creating greater experiences that motivate users to create trust and earn long-term revenue.

3). Solving Problems Holistically

According to SEO experts, SEO often gets stuck in the function and we forget that we need to be business problem solvers and not just techies. This problem is not there in Great SEO as it inspires a shift in the mindset of an organization and involves considering every aspect holistically. Thus it has complete oversight on every interrelated aspect of content, backlinks, technical SEO, and performance and requires measuring and analyzing results to adapt the strategy.

While Good SEO addresses existing site and content issues, it is to be noted that the Great SEO goes out of the technical nitty-gritty, to fundamentally understand a business

"as a whole from top to bottom and its holistic marketing strategy. It's the drive to truly understand how search engine optimization can fit into the big picture for a brand, and how it can also work with other channels.” – SEO experts

The SEO Content Strategist at The Blog smith also has a similar view. According to her, good SEO focuses on doing a few things well but great SEO does more than that. Analysts elaborate this point by stating that Great SEO will involve identifying and understanding all the available opportunities to improve a site and thus it will strategically prioritize those tasks and assist with the implementation and execution of them.

So, when we narrowly analyze the problem we can say that greatness in SEO is demonstrated by the over-delivering and future-proofing of the campaign to ensure that the work is done to the test of time. This means that strategy and efforts should always provide a positive benefit now and in the future. Great SEO will also future-proof a site because it doesn't rely on only tactical leverage, but on the strategic prioritization of user experience through the lens of search. So think about it wisely in a comprehensive manner so that you can achieve the greatness that the search engine demands.

4). Sticking to the Point using Reporting and Utilizing Tools

SEO analysts realize the value of knowing and utilizing tools to analyze data. They also understand how important it is to communicate and report things.

Thus we can understand that Good SEO involves using widely available SEO tools to surface opportunities and insights without much prioritization or specific advice about what to optimize and how but according to Indigo Great SEO is knowing which reports are read, how the underlying themes interconnect observable changes, and which tools to use.

Thus the difference is that Great SEO can interpret the observable output as it relates to changes in the (typically unobservable) internal systems while Good SEO knows how to read reports and use diagnostic tools.

The researchers when compares good SEO and great SEO and comes down to this statement: "Impact: Be sure to move the needle for your clients and this is what separates the best from the rest.”

An analyst from a leading SEO Company also has a similar opinion and adds that the difference between Good SEO and Great SEO is how you measure success.

5). Prioritizing the User

Giving importance to the user is another great point that differentiates good SEO from Great SEO. It means understanding what matters most, which is the user and making that your priority overall defines the greatness.

In layman terms, Good SEO is SEO that works for Google. While Great SEO works for Google and users it understands what users are trying to accomplish and then builds something that helps them accomplish it, using Good SEO best practices

Thus we can come to the point that Good SEO means thinking about humans. This means starting with the data, collecting all the information you can and doing thorough research, but then switching back to thinking about real people. It reminds us that SEO is just another form of marketing, and if we always keep this perspective in mind then we can elevate the quality of your SEO work to the next level.

The above analysis tells us that Greatness in SEO depends on providing an amazing user experience, understanding your audience, and catering to their needs. Thus Great SEO is always about considering the final human end-user over search engine robots or finding a way to bridge the gap.

Thus according to digital marketing experts, a Great SEO always integrates the brand narrative, the needs and aspirations of the audience as well as the preferences of search engines. Apart from driving the organic traffic they also focus on demand, MQLs, and revenue. They collaborate with other functions such as marketing and sales and then turn the vision of the company into reality.

6). Focusing on the quality of Team

Good SEO professionals can identify their strengths and work in collaboration with others to accomplish objectives while Great SEO happens when experts who excel at their respective areas collaborate towards a common goal. Thus by building solutions with a long-term mission in mind, as well as the collaboration of opportunities with other departments, the short-term fires will get solved in the process.

Thus Great SEO supports other marketing efforts like contributing towards the success of a business and the work alongside these teams make sure the business as a whole benefit.

Thus the difference between Good SEO and Great SEO comes down to education. This reminds us to take the time to educate and inform the client as to why they are making the suggested changes to help the client to value and appreciate the SEO work being done.

If you want Great SEO you have to put marketing, website design, and public relations back in the hands of the experts who are armed with the knowledge. These roles now play an essential role in modern marketing strategy for a world where search engines are a critical touch point in the consumer journey. Thus ensuring these things will surely reward you and will help your business grow.

Key Takeaways

Thus from the above article, we can conclude how important is SEO in the modern world. From these shared views it is evident that knowing and being updated to the best practices, tactics, and strategies will only make our aim fruitful. Thus sufficient efforts should be needed to get updated on SEO tools and use them well.

Thus in short a Good SEO strategy can help you rank on the search engine while a Great SEO strategy is going to get you ranked on the first page of the search engine when someone searches for your target keywords. Thus a great SEO strategist is going to have your website optimized in a way that makes it rank for multiple keywords within the same industry.

Also while a Good SEO strategy involves optimizing your website for the search engines, a Great SEO strategy involves optimizing your website and also developing relationships with high-quality websites that are willing to link to your website. Even if you are running a small business locally, the impact that SEO have on your life will be tremendous. It will boost your brand confidence and improve your site visibility to the public.

Coming to an end, if you are looking for guaranteed results, then you need to go with a Great SEO strategy instead of just a good SEO strategy.

Category :

SEO News

Tags :

WhiteLabelSEO, SEO Guide

About Shermy Mohan

I, Shermy have been a lead Technical News Writer since 2018. I’m good at doing research and conveying it into writing. I write on Marketing trending topics, fresh Search Engine & Social Media updates and News. .... more info about the author