I know in this deep online ocean of shiny objects it can be hard to find the best SEO courses or online training when it comes to search engine optimization.
I personally have been there before but many many moons ago.
About 12 years ago I went head first into SEO and went from course to course absorbing as much information as I can.
With that said not every coach or program was created equal. I am going to highlight what I believe are the best SEO tools, groups and courses that really add value and will take you to the next level.
In this complete SEO Guide, you will learn my highest recommendations along with some of my real successes from this skill.
Here is some proof that I actually practice search engine optimization. This image above is me ranking page 1 against a few other industry professionals. ?
I have spent thousands of dollars to be a part of some elite SEO mastermind programs along with thousands of dollars testing new strategies and case studies.
I believe this is one one the most powerful forms of marketing and ways to fuel business growth and sales.
Again, I know there are many confusing myths and updates when it comes to “SEO” so I want to share not only how I get great results but some of my reviews on what is worth investing in.
When it comes down to learning SEO there are a few different types of search engine optimization skills you can learn. They all share similar techniques and tactics but differ slightly.
You may want to learn local SEO to help rank local businesses for local search terms on page one of the search engines.
You may want to learn SEO for E-Commerce which is ranking E-com websites such as Shopify or WordPress Woo-commerce in the top of the search engines for buyer intent keywords.
You also may want to get into affiliate marketing and SEO can definitely help you boost your affiliate commissions for ranking for the right terms and reviews.
Local SEO is slightly different from ranking national or international like you might want to do with affiliate or e-com.
I always recommend starting off with local SEO to get the basics down and then moving into more competitive spaces later on.
Search engine optimization does not have to be so hard to understand.
Many people out there use big words and confusing terminology, especially for beginners and that is why courses that are very precise and easy to follow are what I recommend.
(Lets Cover A Few Key Things That Will Be Discussed In These Trainings )
Learn SEO Step By Step With Training Programs
These are 4 main things all search engine optimization courses should cover
- Keyword Research: (Understanding How, Why And What Keywords To Use And Try And Rank For)
- On Page SEO: (Having The Right Amount Of Optimized Text, Internal Linking, Headings, URL Structure, Titles And Optimized Images)
- Off Page SEO: (Building Proper BackLinks That Will Power Up Your Website And Its Pages)
- PATIENCE: (Understand This Does Not Happen Overnight, Stay Consistent And Continue To Build Authority, Trust And Power)
I am just highlighting these 4 key things but of course, there is much more that goes into each step.
Maybe, you have a little experience with SEO and you understand the gist of things but still not completely sure of a simple process or still not getting the desired results you have set out to get.
I will soon break down 6 SEO training courses that can move you forward
I like to be completely transparent and add as much value as you can when it comes to building an online business and growing personally to become the best version of yourself.
Grow your business, Grow personally And Live a fulfilled life
Why Should You Get an SEO Course or Certification?
This Is A Few Reasons Why You Should Learn SEO? :
Data and Stats do not lie…
SEO has always been extremely powerful but it is on it’s all time growth and even more important than ever.
Many online marketers still cannot grasp their head around exactly how to do SEO with predictable results but they know how powerful this method is.
This organic traffic source has made many millionaires…
Competition is actually declining because no one has the patience nor put in the real effort to give the search engines what they want in order to cash in on this incredible opportunity.
So many businesses need quality SEO for their businesses including small local businesses like roofers, plumbers or even restaurants.
I have clients that have quadrupled their businesses thanks to my process positioning them top of page one for key search terms that helped grow their business and dominate that space.
Corporations, e-com websites and other marketers need good search engine optimization to help with growth and reputation.
This is where you can come in as an expert or use this skill to grow your own online business.
Finding The Best SEO Training Courses
3 Critical Things Before You Buy Any Online Course
- Make sure a real experienced instructor and teacher is behind the training
- Make sure the training material is up to date
- Make sure you are ready to commit hours of learning and implementing what you learn.
Now, Let’s dive into the top list of online SEO training
1. Authority Hacker Affiliate Marketing SEO Course
Simply one of the best Affiliate marketing SEO courses online.
If you are interested in depth training on how to rank authority websites that can bring you passive affiliate commissions each month then this program and training is definitely worth looking into.
I always say find mentors and coaches who truly practice what they preach.
Gael Breton and Mark Webster are the Authority Hackers founders, teachers and they have helped thousands of people scale their websites, quit their 9-5s and grow their online businesses exponentially.
Their formulas and processes not only have proven track records for you to duplicate but they also are teachable and scalable to help you build and automate the whole process.
These guys really know what they are doing and what I like and respect about them is they have real public case studies and are not slick salesmen with hard pressure tactics.
It is rare you find real online courses especially when it comes to search engine optimization where you get to see real results of proof from the coaches along with incredible success stories.
I actually just finished reading an inspiring story of a 7 figure affiliate student from their program.
Someone who bought their affiliate SEO course and put it to work. He never had any search engine optimization or web experience at all and he turned it into a 7 figure business in 2 years.
This is unheard of in the average business world.
Pricing: The course cost $997 but if you go through this link or the button above you can save an incredible discount of almost 50% OFF. Do not miss out!
PROS:
- Well put together. Every step was explained in detail.
- Real live case studies
- True teachers who actually practice what they preach
CONS:
- I really have nothing negative to say about this course. This training is very well put together but it requires a lot of work and some patience. If you are serious about starting any business it is going to cost time, money and extreme effort.If you are not willing to commit in business then I highly suggest you do not start a business.
2. SEMRush Academy SEO Course Overview
SEMRush Offers a few online training classes for search engine optimization
SEMRush is a very popular tool when it comes to the SEO community and the paid advertisement world.
I know my partner and I personally use this software weekly.
This course has an array of different training and depending on your level of SEO or understanding it may be a bit hard to understand some of the terminology right off the bat.
The course instructor in most of the videos is Greg Gifford.
The training is broken down into main topics that get discussed and explained.
Each video is only about 3-6 minutes long and SEMRush also gives you a Recap of each video down below each training video provided in text format.
Another cool feature is the Put Into Practice option above each training where you answer questions on what you have learned to assure you have a simple understanding of the knowledge you are absorbing.
Although it has a great easy to follow dashboard to follow I like to learn with more of an over the shoulder approach and actually watch someone do each step on an active project so I can pause and implement it on my project.
Pricing: The cost for all their training is absolutely free however they do have some paid tools such as SEMRush itself.
PROS:
- The course is laid out very well and easy to follow.
- The SEMRush Software itself Incredible tool that can scrape good data for your projects
- Certificate of course completion
CONS:
- Not very interactive or over the shoulder step by step tutorials provided in depth
CHECK OUT OUR LOCAL SEO COURSE HERE
3. Best Local SEO Course
I do have a local SEO course that my team and I put together. You can check it out here. Maps MasterClass
I also have the Digital Real Estate Secrets course. This training focuses on the Rank And Rent Model but can also be a skill you use for local SEO clients.
We put a lot of time and effort into this training and it is literally step by step over the shoulder and perfect for a beginner.
We explain the key elements in detail when it comes to search engine optimization basics and break everything down as you follow along.
I know it sounds biased because it is our course but I feel we deliver absolute value when it comes to understanding local SEO and getting your first optimized website up and on its way to ranking page 1.
Unlike many other courses this is just not all theory and “talk” but an actual over the shoulder view of us actually taking actionable steps that you can follow along and implement.
We have checklists and a system in place that builds our complete formula and process of making sure we are getting things done.
This is inside the local SEO training course
All of the modules are organized in order to the left. You click within each module to access the training videos that are already in step by step order.
Once you complete a step you check it off on your accountability checklist. This is why so many students successfully get their website up quickly even as a beginner.
This is a paid membership program that offers incredible support.
4. Udemy SEO Courses
Udemy has exploded over the last few years as a go to place for online learning.
I personally almost put our SEO training on Udemy but decided not to once exploring the platform further.
There are so many basic and cheap courses by so many course creators it is very hard to tell what is worth it and what is not.
Even with all of the affordable and cheap prices I personally went through a few training sessions and I was not super impressed.
I mean the old saying is you get what you pay for.
I am sure with enough thorough investigation and reading reviews you can find a good SEO training on this platform.
I can say a highly recommended course on Udemy is by Peter Kent called Complete SEO Training. If you click to visit the website link above you can search this on their platform.
I do like how a lot of instructors including Peter Kent have previews to their training before you join. This way you can get a good feeling and overview of what is inside the course.
Great, if you are new or on a budget.
Pricing: Udemy pricing really varies depending on the course creator and what special deals they have going on. Many of the creators give some insane discounts and you can get some training for as little as $10.99
PROS:
- Worth the cost to check out of few of the programs
- Always insane discounts
- Can preview trainings first
CONS:
- Most of the training is basic skill sets and requires further education for advanced techniques.
CHECK OUT OUR LOCAL SEO COURSE HERE
5. YOAST SEO Training Academy Overview
Yoast is the most popular SEO plugin amongst any WordPress website user.
Yoast Academy is the SEO course and training videos which is different from their well known on page optimization plugin.
All of my websites are built and optimized on WordPress with Yoast SEO.
This course has different training levels from basic to technical upto premium. The big difference between these training options is the amount of content you get and what they actually cover.
The basic is obviously just SEO basics and if you have any experience at all this most likely will not interest you.
The course has a variety of instructors including the CEO Joost De Valk
The different training covers key things such as keyword research, sit structure and SEO copywriting.
Yoast also offers just a technical SEO training for $299 per year. You will also get SEO news and latest updates shared with you.
What I find great about this search engine optimization course is how it is more hands on. You actually get to write an SEO blog after learning proper structure, write some code and practice the skills.
Also, if you feel stuck or have any questions you can get support from the Yoast team and get feedback from an expert.
Pricing: Yoast has a free basic training just like their free plugin but this is just an overview of basic SEO and might only be appealing to fresh beginners who know nothing. The other training offered cost anywhere from $299 per year upto $499 per year.
PROS:
- Easy to follow World-renowned SEO authorities like Joost de Valk and Jono Alderson share the experience.
- The Yoast Plugin is an awesome and powerful plugin that is free and works very well for any WordPress web users.
- Certificate of course completion
CONS:
- If you are a novice or an expert looking for more advanced strategies and information this is not for you.
CHECK OUT OUR LOCAL SEO COURSE HERE
6. HubSpot Free SEO Crash Course
Hubspot has a crash mini SEO course that is absolutely free.
To my knowledge it is not as dynamic or specific in tactics as some of the paid courses mentioned above but still good for a beginner to explore.
Hubspot is a well known platform with a bunch of marketing information and tools like Hubspot CRM and a blog that gets over 7 Million monthly visits.
Optimizing content is a focal point in this crash course along with link building overview.
Lindsay Kolowich, Matthew Howellsbarby and Justin Champion are the instructors in this training material.
You will get immediate access to 6 lessons with 22 videos and then 3 quizzes at the end. This short training should take you about an hour and a half to complete.
Pricing: This Hubspot SEO Course is free.
PROS:
- They offer a cool insight with Hubspot using their website as a demo on how they optimize, strategize and gain traffic from the search engines by ranking blog posts high.
- Offers quizzes from what you learn in the training
CONS:
- Short and brief training material.
CHECK OUT OUR LOCAL SEO COURSE HERE
You can also check out the SEO training course by MOZ which also offers some good beginner tips and tools that can help your SEO journey.
Many courses offer some type of certification once you complete the training but again this does not automatically make you a complete expert.
You just need great practical training and understanding and there are plenty of courses that do not give certifications but have incredible information and techniques. This includes technical SEO, content optimization and quality link building.
Why Should You Invest in SEO Training?
There comes a time where you need to actually commit to something in life and in business.
SEO may be popular but still so underrated in my opinion and not utilized enough or done correctly to really see the incredible impact this can have on a business.
Investing in quality SEO training is one thing that is critical for success.
The other key thing is to make sure you are actually implementing what you learn. I think so many individuals want to live their dreams but are not living in reality when it comes to the work that is involved to get there.
This is where Accountability comes in.
One of the main important reasons I tell everyone is to find a coach or mentor who really practices what they are preaching and divulge into their material. Become the best student.
I believe buying a training course automatically holds some accountability versus joining in for free.
When you pay for something of quality you are committed more and quite frankly the more you invest the more you are invested in putting in the real effort to make it work.
I have personally invested thousands and thousands of dollars per year on training and mentorship over the last 10 years. I am committed to learning, growing and becoming the best version of myself.
Is There A Google SEO Certification
The simple answer is NO.
Google does not have a SEO certification program and this is understandable.
Google is an incredible search engine but if you want to learn how to rank a certification is not necessary from any training.
Certifications are more of a trophy for finishing up the training you joined and although they are a great symbol of accomplishment you still need to put your skills to test and this does not mean you are guaranteed success.
Like i mentioned earlier there are plenty of courses that are incredible and they do not reward anyone with a certification.
How Do I Become A SEO Specialist And Learn Fast
When it comes to SEO or any online marketing skill you can not expect to be an expert or specialist overnight.
Search engine optimization not only takes time to learn and implement but also takes time to show its effects on your online projects.
This is why over the years I have tested out my own personal case studies and continue to launch new websites and push the SEO boundaries to see where we can go and what is working.
Watching some of my personal favorite SEO experts grow over the years and getting inside access to their training material and case studies as well gives me the confidence and understanding of what it takes, why it works and why it is worth it.
Understanding that a new brand you launch will take hours of commitment and maybe even a year or two of investing is not for everyone.
Building steadily each week will eventually compound and create the success that you have been waiting for. I completely understand this process from real experience.
Patience is key in this business.
What Is the Best SEO Course?
This comes down to what you are looking to accomplish and how serious you are taking this skill and your business.
My highest recommendations are listed above. The paid programs are real in depth and full of quality learning material, support and taught by real practitioners in the SEO space.
There are of course the free courses I mentioned above for anyone who is on the fence.
Again, some of you may want to learn affiliate marketing SEO and learn how to rank a niche blog. My number 1 recommendation for this is Authority hackers with a complete training on this topic with every step laid out.
If you are looking into Local SEO check out Digital Real Estate Secrets.
With that said there are plenty of free courses that go over the basics and many online paid courses that vary in styles, topics, beginner level or advanced level.
It is up to you to put in the research like are you doing now by reading this blog post and finding the best course that fits with your time and needs.
“Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
―Dale Carnegie
Can You learn SEO Without Training And Courses
Of course you can learn SEO on your own and go through the ups and downs that many other beginners go through.
Since the search engines are constantly changing and new algorithms are constantly being launched it can be a frustrating and very confusing path to go down on your own.
There are free training videos on Youtube and you always have blogs that you can read but again with so many different current updates you need to make sure that the content is up to date and still effective.
If you are serious about growing a real brand, blog or even local website I suggest you think about also taking your strategy and skills seriously.
Invest and fully dedicate your focus on this skill without distractions and without the new shiny object getting your off track.
I hope this article gave you some great insight on just a few of the best SEO courses in my opinion and from my experience that are out there to choose from.
