It is nearly impossible to get a fair starting point to compete.
Do you compete on website position or webpage position on Google?
If website is page 100 but top page is at page 3 then how to compete with various positions?

Then the type of content on the website and page are different.
If your page talks about your family but suddenly compettion you post about EPL football. Isn't that cheating?
What if your competition starts reviewing pornhub offerings and beat your EPL ?

Good also do not come cheap.
So starters can google some basic about search engines and fulfill those requirements. Make a check list.
When you decide to hire a SEO specialist, that list lets you decide what service can they offer beyond list.