10,000 Hours To Become an SEO Expert
it takes roughly 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve expert-level mastery in any field
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Now supporting both sides of the search aisle: organic and paid.Maybe I’ve been living in a cave, but I recently came across Malcolm Gladwell’s popular claim that it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert at something. (Don’t get me started on the “expert” title.)
It immediately made me think about digital marketing.
Unlike static disciplines, digital marketing is a constantly evolving field. The algorithms we’re optimizing for are proprietary. The rules shift constantly. And even the SERPs themselves are no longer reliably stable —hello AI Overviews!
Put simply: this is a brutal niche to be effective in, let alone master.
And that’s probably why our industry still struggles with its reputation. Everyone thinks they know SEO, but few put in the hours to actually learn it. Especially when the finish line keeps moving.
With organic real estate shrinking, AI getting more aggressive, and competition heating up for what’s left… I wonder if fewer people will even try.
If SEO takes 10,000 hours, but the rulebook resets every 6 months—are we just chasing mastery that never comes?
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Why Is Digital So Damn Hard To Master?
Let’s be real, none of us dreamed of becoming digital marketers when we were kids.
And it doesn’t help that most marketing degrees barely scratch the surface of digital.
I get it. By the time a textbook is printed, half the tactics are already outdated.
So here we are.
Most of us fell into this industry.
And if we want to succeed?
We must teach ourselves by reading, experimenting, networking, failing, and trying again.
Sure, the tools help.
But if your idea of a strategy is plugging in seed keywords, exporting a list, and slapping together a hub-and-spoke calendar…
You’re going to struggle.
What worked 5–10 years ago is now table stakes.
And worse?
We’re seeing more people enter the industry with little to no curiosity, just going through the motions, doing just enough to collect their paycheck.
Which brings me back to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule.
While hours of practice are important, "deliberate practice," which involves focused effort, specific goals, and feedback, is the key factor in achieving expertise, not just the total number of hours logged.
We’ve become complacent.
Checkbox audits. Cookie-cutter reports.
Skills that don’t differentiate anyone from anyone else.
So no, I don’t think AI is coming for your job…But if you’re coasting?
The Passion Drain (And Why That’s Dangerous)
After 15+ years in this industry, I can say it: digital feels tired.
Fewer hot takes. Fewer blog posts. Fewer side projects. A lot less standing out.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you need to hop on the conference speaking circuit to sharpen your skills. But digital marketing has never been an industry where you can coast. And it sure as hell isn’t now.
I understand the fatigue.
Google keeps moving the goalposts.
The game is rigged and uphill.
AI Overviews? Yeah… you can probably hear my sigh through the screen.
The effort it takes to excel is higher than ever.
The reward? Honestly, lower than it’s ever been.
Burnout is real.
But here’s the thing. We’re at a turning point within the industry.
The people who continue to invest in their skills, their knowledge, and real-world experience will be just fine. There will always be a place for those who put in the work.
As for the rest?
I’ve been saying it for over a year:
We’re about to see a purge.
Not by AI.
But by lack of interest, motivation, and overall passion.
Want to Level Up? Here’s What Actually Works
I made a promise to myself (and to you, the readers) that anytime I threw a hard truth out there, I wouldn’t allow myself to sulk in the scary and unknown.
Below are just a few ways to level up and stand out. People have told me that I should be happy others in this industry are stagnant; it will separate me from the crowd. But honestly, I don’t believe half of the people reading this will take action past the first bullet.
Please prove me wrong. Let’s go!
Specialize
“Back in my day,” being a digital jack-of-all-trades was a real advantage.
You could dabble in technical SEO, write some content, run local campaigns, manage PPC, toss in a few Facebook ads, maybe even tweak some front-end code.
That versatility was your safety net.
Today?
Being 10% competent across 10 disciplines is a fast track to unemployment.
What I’m seeing more and more of now are folks who “specialize” in editorial SEO and who completely freeze up when you bring up technical concepts.
Look, I get it, technical SEO can be intimidating.
But in a world where search engines and answer engines are parsing and rendering content differently, this is precisely where you should be leaning in.
If we’ve learned anything from the last 12 months of AI upheaval and Google’s AIO mess, it’s this:
The people who adapt and double down on high-leverage skills always win.
That doesn’t mean you have to know everything. But you better be undeniably good at something.
When people ask me if SEO is finally dying, I usually shrug and say:
“Maybe. Maybe not. But the top 10% of any field always have work.”
Then I mention calligraphers.
Or telephone operators.
Or printing press technicians.
Hell, even filing clerks.
Most people moved on.
But the best ones?
Still employed. Still booked. Still thriving.
Side Projects > Theory
We’ve all been guilty of this.
We watched a Whiteboard Friday, read a Search Engine Journal article, or listened to a podcast on how to (or not do) XYZ.
We then take it at face value…. ugh.
I’m all for learning from others, but if that’s all you’re doing? You’re stuck in theory land.
Try to rank for your name (sorry to all the Michael Jordans out there).
Test what happens when you add links.
Remove links.
Disavow things.
Redirect things.
Spam a little.
Break stuff.
Learn.
Not every risk is appropriate for your employer or your clients. But your own project? Fair game.
When I hired SEOs, I looked for candidates who had side projects and could explain what they learned from experimenting.
They almost always made the shortlist and usually got offers.
Fun story! I remember telling the SEO team at a past agency gig that H1 tags don’t magically impact rankings in isolation.
They laughed me out of the room.
Fast forward a bit… and Google reps were echoing what I’d been saying.
Felt pretty good, not gonna lie.
Reflection and Feedback
One of the most painful parts of taking risks is making mistakes. And let’s be honest, getting negative feedback sucks.
But you know what’s worse?
Not growing and not learning. And in some cases, losing your job because you didn’t evolve and pivot to get the results you and your employer wanted to see.
Whether you’re working on your personal side project or managing SEO for a multi-billion-dollar company, feedback and reflection are critical. It’s not just about celebrating wins. It’s about taking a hard look at what didn’t work and asking why.
I’ve learned over the years that the same types of SEO problems tend to show up again and again. Different domains, different verticals, but the patterns are familiar. When that happens, it’s incredibly valuable to be the person who can say, “I’ve seen this before. Here’s what we tried. Here’s what failed. And here’s what eventually worked.”
That experience doesn’t come from wins alone. It comes from failure, reflection, and doing the uncomfortable thing: asking for feedback.
I hate losing. Truly. It drives me nuts. But if I’m honest, the only thing I probably hate more is being told why I lost. Still, as a solo consultant, I don’t have the luxury of avoiding that discomfort. If I lose a pitch, don’t get a contract renewed, or something goes sideways—I ask for feedback every single time.
You can’t grow from something if you don’t even realize it was a learning opportunity.
Surround Yourself With People Who Care
This topic doesn’t get discussed enough in our industry.
When you spend time around winners, you begin to do the things winners do. It’s contagious, in the best way possible.
Feeling stuck or frustrated with your side project? Grab a beer with someone who’s been through it. Listen to their stories, not just the highlight reel, but also the failures. Odds are, you’ll walk away with renewed energy and a few ideas worth testing.
Teaching is another thing we undervalue in this industry. As a manager, one of my favorite aspects of managing folks was welcoming a new intern or junior SEO to the team. When I saw that spark, passion, and curiosity, I’d pull them aside and give them an option (no wrong answers).
I can teach you everything you need to know to succeed in this role.
Or...
I can teach you everything I know. Over ten years of experience, condensed into two or three. But it’ll require more of you. Extra effort, extra time, extra focus. If you’re willing to go all-in, you’ll have the knowledge and experience to land any job you want down the road.
Sounds like a one-sided deal, right?
But here’s the secret: you don’t realize how shaky your knowledge is until you try to explain it in plain, simple English.
If you can teach something clearly, you understand it. If you can’t? You’ve still got more to learn.
And for the love of god, surround yourself with practitioners, not influencers. I’m talking about people who are in the weeds, doing the work and not just tweeting about it. Not just flexing vanity metrics or repackaging everyone else’s ideas.
Hang out with people who care. People who challenge you. People who have receipts.
That’s how you grow.
You Don’t Need to Be an "Expert"… But You Do Need to Give a Sh*t
Let’s wrap this up.
This industry is evolving faster than ever. AI is shaking the foundation. Google keeps moving the goalposts. Organic visibility is harder to win, harder to keep, and the margin for error is shrinking.
So no, you don’t need to be the world’s best digital marketer.
But you do need to care. Deeply. About the work. About the results. About the craft. You need to stay curious. Stay uncomfortable. Be willing to put in the reps.
Because the people phoning it in?
They’re already being replaced by AI, templates, and cheaper talent that check the same boxes.
The ones who care, though?
They’ll always be needed.
They’ll always find work.
It starts by doing more than the bare minimum to collect a paycheck.