8 SEO Best Practices Smart SEOs Use to Rank Higher
INTRODUCTION
Most SEOs follow the same outdated tactics. Smart SEOs? They dominate rankings. Which one are you?
In the ever-evolving landscape of SEO, sticking to old-school methods can leave your website buried in search results. But here’s the truth: mastering SEO best practices isn’t just about keywords and backlinks anymore. It’s about strategy, adaptability, data, and tech. In this guide, we’ll compare how average SEOs operate vs. how smart SEOs think, act, and win—and how you can upgrade your strategy today.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents- Why This Comparison Matters
- Tools Smart SEOs Rely On
- 8 Key Differences Between Most SEOs and Smart SEOs
- Tips to Transition from Basic to Smart SEO
- How to Measure SEO Growth the Smart Way
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Why This Comparison Matters
Google is smarter than ever. It rewards sites that provide real value to users—not just those that check a few SEO boxes. The line between those who “do SEO” and those who “do SEO well” is wider than ever. Understanding that gap—and closing it—is what makes the difference between ranking on page two or owning the featured snippet seo best practices.
Stat: 90.63% of content gets no organic traffic from Google. (Ahrefs)
Analogy: Most SEOs are like people fishing in the wrong part of the lake. Smart SEOs use sonar, know the water depth, and catch the fish everyone else misses.
Tools Smart SEOs Rely On
- ChatGPT & Jasper AI – Smart content ideation & prompt generation
- Surfer SEO / Clearscope – Real-time content scoring
- Ahrefs / SEMrush / Ubersuggest – Keyword & competitive research
- Google Search Console & GA4 – Performance and indexing diagnostics
- Screaming Frog / Sitebulb – Technical SEO auditing
- BrandMentions / Google Alerts – Unlinked mention tracking
8 Key Differences Between Most SEOs and Smart SEOs
1. Keyword Strategy
- Most SEOs: Focus on high-volume keywords with massive competition.
- Smart SEOs: Focus on long-tail, intent-rich, and niche keyword clusters seo best practices.
Example: Ranking for “best SEO tools” vs. “best SEO tools for real estate agents 2024.”
2. Content Creation Approach
- Most SEOs: Publish 800-1,000 word articles stuffed with keywords.
- Smart SEOs: Create authoritative content hubs with multimedia, data, and topical depth.
Case Study: A health blog created a 12,000-word ultimate guide with schema and saw a 3x backlink increase within 3 months.
3. Link Building Strategy
3. Link Building Strategy- Most SEOs: Buy backlinks or engage in shallow guest posting.
- Smart SEOs: Use digital PR, HARO, data-driven content, and convert unlinked mentions.
Real Result: A startup earned links from TechCrunch & Forbes by publishing an industry-first research report.
4. User Experience & Core Web Vitals
- Most SEOs: Ignore bounce rate, site speed, or mobile experience.
- Smart SEOs: Optimize for Google’s Page Experience metrics (LCP, FID, CLS).
Example: After compressing images and implementing lazy loading, a SaaS site saw rankings jump from #8 to #3.
5. Automation & AI in SEO
- Most SEOs: Do everything manually seo best practices.
- Smart SEOs: Automate reporting, use predictive analytics, and generate SEO-optimized drafts with AI.
Tool Tip: Use ChatGPT + Surfer SEO to create fully optimized outlines and first drafts in under 10 minutes.
6. Social Signals & Brand Mentions
- Most SEOs: Think SEO = Google only.
- Smart SEOs: Leverage social media and community engagement to increase authority.
Insight: A LinkedIn carousel on SEO tips brought 10k+ views, 2k site visits, and 12 quality backlinks.
7. Topical Authority Over Keyword Stuffing
- Most SEOs: Write isolated articles targeting single keywords.
- Smart SEOs: Build clusters that boost contextual relevance and authority.
Example: A marketing agency wrote 30 interconnected articles on email funnels. Traffic jumped by 60%.
8. Handling Google Updates
- Most SEOs: Panic every time rankings drop seo best practices.
- Smart SEOs: Stay calm, audit their site, and double down on EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust).
Result: One blog maintained its #1 ranking after three core updates by consistently improving its content depth and author bios.
Tips to Transition from Basic to Smart SEO
- Audit Your Content: Identify thin content. Use Surfer or Clearscope to improve depth.
- Implement Schema: Start with FAQ, How-To, or Article schemas.
- Use Heatmaps: Tools like Hotjar show what users actually care about.
Visual Idea:
Instagram Carousel or LinkedIn Slide: “Most SEOs vs. Smart SEOs” with side-by-side illustrations and performance graphs.
Personal Experience:
When we switched from a “publish more” strategy to a topic cluster model for a client, organic traffic grew 4x in 90 days—with fewer articles.
How to Measure SEO Growth the Smart Way
How to Measure SEO Growth the Smart Way- Google Search Console: Impressions, CTR, index status
- Ahrefs/SEMrush: Keyword movements, traffic value
- GA4: Time on page, conversion paths
- Sitebulb: Technical SEO health reports
Pro Tip: Set up keyword tracking dashboards + use annotations for update tracking.
Conclusion
There’s a massive difference between doing SEO and doing it well. Smart SEOs are always one step ahead—using data, automation, UX, and strategic thinking to drive growth. Don’t settle for average. Evolve your approach and embrace SEO best practices that go beyond the obvious.
Your Turn:
- Pick one area from the smart SEO side and implement it this week seo best practices.
- Share this post with your team or audience and start the conversation.
FAQs
1. What are SEO best practices for 2024?
Focus on user intent, page experience, schema markup, and building topical authority.
2. How do smart SEOs find keywords?
They use tools like Ahrefs, analyze SERP intent, and target low-competition long-tails seo best practices.
3. How does AI help with SEO content?
AI tools like ChatGPT or Jasper can speed up drafts, create outlines, and optimize for readability and structure.
4. What is topical authority in SEO?
It’s about creating interconnected content on a topic to signal expertise to Google seo best practices.
5. How do I improve SEO without backlinks?
Focus on content quality, internal linking, user experience, and on-page SEO .
