When all is said and done, SEO is secondary to the amount of value you provide.
What is the purpose of your website?
If it’s to make money, then what value are you providing to people that’ll make them visit and spend their time (and/or money).
If it’s to help people then what value are you providing that someone else can’t provide? How easy is it for customers to get that value?
Search Engine Optimization is aimed at bringing visitors to your website - what happens next?
If you really think you deserve a top 3 spot or a #1 spot in the Search Engine Result Pages then the tough question to ask yourself is - Does my website deserve that position? Why? How can I add even more value?