What, Exactly, Is Good SEO?

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Anthony Duignan-Cabrera, a seasoned journalist, digital marketer, and content strategist who helped drive explosive growth at Patch. When I was introduced to him as an SEO consultant, I couldn’t help but cringe a little. Even though this particular engagement focuses on search strategy, that label carries some baggage. It often implies that we’re still in the business of gaming algorithms or chasing vanity rankings, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Anthony didn’t hold back. “I don’t like SEO,” he told me straight away.
My answer? “Neither do I.”
For years, SEO was treated like a mathematical puzzle: identify ranking factors, reverse-engineer the algorithm, optimize for the formula. This mechanical approach created an industry obsessed with tricks and shortcuts — keyword stuffing, link schemes, thin content — that often undermined the user experience.
Fortunately, Google (and other search engines) have steadily dismantled those tactics. The algorithms have evolved. What search engines want today is simple: to connect users with the most relevant, helpful content possible. If they fail to do that, users will stop trusting them, and stop using them.
That is the central truth of modern SEO. It isn’t about making you rank better for the sake of rankings. It’s about helping you connect with the right prospects — the people who are genuinely searching for what you offer.
Good SEO today is not a math problem. It’s a people problem. It’s about understanding your audience, knowing their intent, and creating content and experiences that serve them. It’s about trust, relevance, and genuine value.
Years ago, I noticed an interesting pattern in my analytics. The traffic that mattered most — the visitors who stuck around, engaged, and converted — didn’t come from the big, flashy keywords. I didn’t even rank exceptionally well for some of those terms. The traffic that performed came from long-tail, conversational queries — real questions from real people — that matched up with authentic, helpful content.
That realization changed my entire approach. Instead of chasing rankings, I focused on writing better content more often — content designed to answer questions, solve problems, and help people. Over time, that shift tripled the traffic to my site. More importantly, it attracted the right audience.
This is why I often compare SEO today to having a good email marketing strategy. Every agency should understand the fundamentals — technical SEO, site architecture, keyword research — just as they would understand how to build an opt-in email list. However, the real value lies in the content: frequent, relevant, and compelling material that fosters a connection with the audience.
If you had to choose between investing in technical tweaks, backlinks, and keyword manipulation — or investing in content development (design, research, writing, storytelling) — content will win, every time.
Questions Your SEO Consultant Should Ask
When looking for an SEO partner, this is the key thing to remember: you want someone who isn’t trying to get you to rank higher simply for the sake of rankings. You want someone who is focused on helping you reach and connect with the right prospects. That means they will start by asking about your business:
- Who is your ideal customer?
- How do you generate leads?
- What is your cost per lead?
- What does your sales funnel look like?
- How do you currently convert prospects into customers?
- Who are your competitors?
- Where do your best opportunities lie?
These are the right questions.
If, on the other hand, an SEO consultant starts by telling you what keywords you should rank for — or worse, makes promises about getting you on page one — run. Page one rankings are meaningless if they aren’t bringing you qualified prospects.
Ultimately, excellent SEO isn’t about ranking. It’s about discoverability and connection. When you create content that is useful, insightful, and relevant — content that helps people — it will naturally get shared, cited, and linked. It will earn attention, not demand it. And as a result, it will rank.
Good SEO aligns perfectly with what search engines now want: to connect users with the most helpful results. And that should be your goal too: not simply ranking higher, but building real relationships with the people who matter to your business.