dumb question about seo?

[Matt]

Look at the performance of your SEO for previous projects and the competitiveness of their keywords there is a clear hierarchy among SEO's. One of the first things an SEO should do is analyze the competitiveness of your market and advise you on the best keywords to target to maximize your investment. There are many niches which are not competitive at all but could yield excellent conversions and qualified leads vs trophy phrases. Also with Geo-targeted search results you need to realize that you may rank in one area for your keyword but not in other areas. I have not seen many keywords which are so competitive that they have 10 seo's working on one keyword.