It’s not SEO, but it makes SEO: the hidden director of online success
“It’s not SEO, it’s not GEO. All it knows is what it’s not.” Quoting Spielberg’s Balto with unabashed pride, this article will discuss everything that SEO is not, but which contributes to making it effective.
It’s not SEO, but it does SEO
The metamorphosis is more or less the same: just as Balto discovers that being a sled dog is not enough to face an Arctic storm, SEO has evolved into a wolf by growing, training, and embracing a multitude of elements that seem light years apart.
We’re talking about decent UX, well-maintained social media, and a dense network of online reviews that weren’t written by your uncle with his four different accounts.
SEO is no longer an isolated discipline; it’s a complex beast hungry for consistency, quality, and common sense. Just like Balto stopped being just a dog and became something more.
Let’s take a look, one by one, at all the extra-SEO levers that can transform your strategy from optimized to unavoidable.
UX: when your website isn’t an adventure
What is user experience really and what does it mean for SEO?
In simple terms, it is the set of sensations that the user experiences while browsing your site.
This experience is made up of the site structure, navigation path, fluidity between pages, and layout on desktop and mobile. Everything that makes the experience smooth and enjoyable.
Because even if Google can’t read your mind, it can read numbers very well, and when a user leaves after three clicks, it takes note.
And if the UI, or graphical interface, is just the tip of the iceberg, the UX is the entire journey. To quote Steven Spielberg again, imagine that the user is Indiana Jones and your site is a temple to explore.
If, in order to find the Holy Grail (the CTA), he has to avoid deadly traps, useless puzzles, and annoying pop-ups, he will abandon the mission. A clear map, a few well-placed interactive elements, and a logical path could guide Harrison Ford (our user) to conversion.
What to put in your backpack before setting off on your UX adventure
Here is a list of essential tools for tackling the digital jungle without ending up crushed by the snakes of the bounce rate:
- Quality content that is worth the journey.
Write well and write for your readers. Well-crafted content retains and engages users, encouraging them to stay.
- An impeccable structure and a readable map.
Your site should not resemble a maze with no exit. A clear and logical structure makes the user happy and also guides Google in the right direction.
If your site takes too long to load, the user is already gone. Images should be optimized, code streamlined, and hosting chosen wisely.
- Mobile-First, or die trying.
Today, every adventure starts on a smartphone. Don’t sabotage yourself and give your website the opportunity to be enjoyable on both desktop and mobile devices.
- Micro-interactions, small details, big impact.
Light animations, visual feedback, and smart touches improve the user experience, but also provide useful behavioral data that can be analyzed to refine SEO.
Be careful, even the backpack has to be up to scratch
To contain all this, the container—your website—cannot be like the first price at Decathlon, but must be solid, high-performing, and capable of supporting the weight of a well-defined strategy.
It is not enough to just take care of the content: the technical basis is fundamental.
Do not underestimate the importance of page code, how Google actually sees the site, speed, and usability. All this comes before text and images.
Technical SEO is a prerequisite: without it, nothing works as it should.
Creating content on a site with technical problems is like filling a backpack with holes: no matter how much great content you put in, it will never arrive at its destination full.
Online reviews, the DNA of trust and SEO
Technically, they are not SEO. They do not contain strategic keywords or backlinks from authoritative domains, yet online reviews can influence your organic visibility.
They are the digital equivalent of word of mouth, authentic feedback written by real people who tell you what their experience with your brand was really like. There are constructive, enthusiastic reviews and negative reviews, but they are just as constructive.
They all count, but not all are equally valuable.
A good review is genuine, and if you got it by promising expired candy or asking your uncle to write a couple of positive reviews from different profiles, you are literally cloning feedback like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, and Google, unlike the T-Rex, can see through well-disguised scams.
Google looks for reliable answers, and when it sees a page with real, detailed, and lively reviews, it tends to trust it and reward it in its rankings.
“Try to catch me” on social media too
Social media channels do not directly influence SEO positioning, but if you think they don’t matter, then maybe it’s time to rethink your strategy.
Content that garners likes, comments, and shares does not directly influence the algorithm, but it sends clear signals to Google. This is where social proof comes into play, which is the psychological dynamic whereby what is socially approved is then perceived as more credible and interesting.
Here are some activities you can use to combine SEO and social media:
- Refine your content strategy
SEO and social media have different languages, it’s true, but they can work together.
Analyze the content that performs best on your blog and use it to create carousels, reels, and story slots on social media channels. Similarly, see what engages your community the most and bring it to your website with targeted insights.
- YouTube: your on-demand cinema
A video strategy allows you to cover voice, visual, and keyword searches that your website doesn’t cover. YouTube Shorts, in particular, are a great tool for capturing attention and strengthening your brand’s online presence.
- Retargeting: back to the scene of the crime
Have you brought users to your site? With retargeting, you can bring those people back into the funnel using social media as a strategic reminder. Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn can help you reconnect with audiences who have already shown interest and convert them when they’re ready.
- TikTok and video search
Viral content on the platform can generate Google searches, website traffic, and organic attention even from users who didn’t know you initially.
If you can combine SEO and social media with consistency, impact, and authenticity, they’ll try to catch you, just like they did with Leonardo Di Caprio, and they’ll find you.
EEAT, dial 911: how Google evaluates content quality
We conclude this journey through the rings of the SEO planet and Spielberg’s filmography with one last, but fundamental, creature: EEAT.
- Expertise
- Experience
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
This is the assessment framework that Google uses to determine whether content deserves trust and attention.
The questions Google asks itself, and that you should ask yourself before publishing anything, sound something like this:
- Have you experienced what you’re talking about?
Google looks for signs of real experience.
- Do you have demonstrable expertise?
It’s better if you’re recognized in your field.
- Are you authoritative?
If other authoritative sites mention or link to you, you’re earning points.
- Do you have a reliable website?
Up-to-date content, transparent information. Google loves those who have no skeletons or spam in their closet.
Think of it this way: SEO is how you get there with optimisation, content and technique, and EEAT is why you should be there.
Oscar-winning SEO: why you need a team effort to win online
SEO today is no longer a solo performance, but a choral direction made up of strategies, insights, and tools that together write the script for an Oscar-winning film.
We have seen how fluid UX, curated social media, and authentic content contribute to building a mature, consistent, and credible digital ecosystem. A universe in which every element, even those seemingly behind the scenes, plays a specific role in making SEO shine.
But no great production can be achieved without a cast that is up to the task.
What makes the difference is the extraordinary participation of a competent team, a company capable of evolving, listening, and investing in quality.
Only in this way can you bring your brand up to speed and rewrite, strategy after strategy, the script of the arthouse cinema of digital content.
