There are 2 sides of SEO that you need to consider, and you're not going to succeed (at least for long) without both of them.

The first part, you're probably familiar with if you're reading this right now. I call it The Checklist. This is the side of SEO that's simple and somewhat easy. The tasks that take a bit of time and know-how, and are generally considered "best practices."

It’s the stuff you can look up, check off your list, and apply to your website. We have a ton of content around these checklist items, and you can certainly work on them, learn about them, and master them.

But the mistake most people make is that they stop there, or they get frustrated when crossing off that last checklist item doesn’t lead them to immediate rankings. That's because they're completely missing the other side of the coin (or maybe even willfully ignoring it because it's not so straightforward.)

Part 2 is the part that people struggle with, that's hard to automate, and that's not so clearly list-able. It's the part that requires skill, creativity, and strategy. Because ranking on Google or anywhere else isn't as simple as crossing off a checklist and calling it a day.

Here are some quintessential elements of Part 2 that you might want to consider:

• An understanding of consumer psychology and how you're addressing it in your Search strategy, especially as it applies to your core audience.

• A creative style that sets your content and website apart from competition—even if you're talking about the same topics.

• A distribution strategy that gets what's on your website out to the world.

• Relationship-building with real people, creators, journalists, and your audience.

You can cross off almost every item on a "best practices" list and still be left with absolutely no rankings, traffic, or customers. It's a good foundation, but it's not going to get you where you want to go.

Part 2 is why I no longer view SEO as a "niche" of marketing or a standalone service. It's a lens through which to approach marketing as a whole.

The Search lens ends up touching social media, public relations, community building, and so much more that goes way beyond your website.

Siloing SEO into a checklist or pretending that any sort of "hack" is going to make a long-term dent isn't enough. Embrace the 2 sides, embrace the difficulty, and don't major in the minors.