Getting a degree is a must for some careers.
I’m sure you wouldn’t want your surgeon to have learned his craft by watching YouTube tutorials.
Yikes.
However, for some hustles, you can learn just as much from an online course for a fraction of the price of college tuition.
You can learn a lot more, especially regarding practical, real-world advice.
And among these courses is SEO or search engine optimization.
Okay, I’m not saying that a degree encompassing SEO isn’t valuable.
Any type of education is advantageous, especially in a specialized industry like marketing or communications.
But since you’re here, you know SEO is constantly evolving.
It involves frequent, sometimes significant adjustments to Google’s search algorithm.
And we can’t ignore that our most vigorous competitors are constantly streamlining their techniques to get a leg up.
We always have to keep up somehow, right?
Well, I have the ideal solution for you, whether you’re just starting in SEO or a mid-level expert trying to expand your toolkit.
I’ve compiled a list of the top SEO courses available today.
Some are free, and some are paid, but all will undoubtedly add value to your SEO practices.
Let’s explore them all!
The Top SEO Courses Online
Blog Growth Engine
In the online course called ‘Blog Growth Engine,’ students will discover a range of profitable blogging skills, like:
- Affiliate marketing
- Monetizing content creation
- Securing sponsorships
- Acquiring guest posts
- Building a minimum viable website from the ground up
- Setting up ad revenues
- Keyword monetization
- Acquiring clients
- Leveraging link exchange partnerships
- Scaling your existing content through outsourcing
The now legendary Adam Enfroy created this SEO course.
The cool thing about this course is its limitless access to Adam’s experienced team for one-on-one guidance.
Because of this personalized support, students never have to worry about plateauing or giving up on their blogging journey.
The goal of this course is to help people monetize their blogging efforts.
That’s why Adam is still investing time and energy into his website as a shining beacon.
And with his practical knowledge, he can update his course to keep up with the changing SEO landscape.
I can confidently say that this is why his students’ efforts still bear fruit after all these years.
When you sign up for Blog Growth Engine, you’ll learn how to choose a niche and explore the content templates that work best these days.
Aside from the in-depth training, you’ll have many other tools, not to mention access to a community of like-minded folks.
The Affiliate Lab
Professional SEO marketer Matt Diggity developed the affiliate course The Affiliate Lab.
Students will learn the fundamentals of website development, SEO, monetization, and exit strategies.
This course will teach you all you need to know about SEO from the ground up.
So, who’s this Matt Diggity?
Well, regarding SEO and affiliate marketing, it’s safe to say that he stands on his own two feet.
Aside from this course, perhaps his MOST notable accomplishment is holding an annual SEO conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It would be tricky to find someone with more advanced expertise on the subjects tackled in this course, and there are a lot!
Affiliate Lab is a comprehensive training package with an extensive core program and many other resources.
That’s why it comes with a HEFTY price tag.
So, is it worth it?
Yes, the results speak for themselves.
This course is beneficial for serious folks who are trying to scale multiple affiliate sites.
You’ll need to become an SEO expert unless you want to rely solely on paid advertising, and Matt can help you get there.
This course will teach you both on-site and off-site SEO strategies to help you dominate your rivals in organic search results!
The Project 24 System by Income School
Rickey Kesler and Jim Harmer founded Income School, an online marketing company that teaches folks to monetize their blogs and videos.
The Project 24 curriculum includes many modules to help you earn money online and gain financial independence.
You can learn everything from choosing a niche, conducting search engine analysis, making content, and monetizing your efforts.
If you want to create a SUCCESSFUL internet business that can generate cash semi-passively after you’ve set up the foundation, this is a course to consider seriously.
This business strategy is ideal for those who like to set their hours and work from anywhere they choose.
It could also work for those who need part-time work or hope to one day replace their dull day job.
Some technical know-how is required to start with Income School.
For example, you’ll have to know how to purchase a domain name and set up hosting.
But don’t worry!
These tasks are detailed on the Income School YouTube channel for free.
Watching a couple of their videos will also give you an idea of what to look forward to.
Authority Hacker
This online marketing education company was founded by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, two successful entrepreneurs in their own right.
Authority Hacker has three courses to choose from, each geared toward a specific skill level, which are:
- The Authority Site System 3.0 for Beginners
- Authority Hacker Core Web Vitals for Mid-Level Sites
- Authority Hacker Pro for Established Sites
So, no matter where you are on the skill ladder, you can benefit from their over-the-shoulder videos, blogs, and podcasts.
Buy, why choose these guys?
Well, they walk their talk.
The Authority Hacker team consistently produces and operates high-quality sites and is transparent about their numbers.
They only impart tactics that they use themselves.
These developers aren’t in it for shallow clout.
They work hard to develop legitimate, high-performing websites that will bring in traffic and revenue for the foreseeable future in the “white hat” way.
Even though it may sound like a lot of steps and an intimidating amount of time, the training is straightforward to follow.
You won’t ever wonder what the next step is when choosing Authority Hacker because everything is organized.
If you want a step-by-step guide and someone to “watch over your shoulder,” you would benefit from their courses.
Passive Income Geek
With the help of videos, text, and tools, the Passive Income Geek Course teaches students how to set up and monetize niche sites at their own pace.
It will also let you connect to other people who have invested in the same program.
Well, that sums up the fundamentals of the course.
Let’s move on to the meat of this product.
This course is jam-packed with comprehensive modules involving the following:
- Picking a lucrative niche
- Choosing a domain name
- Setting up your site
- Researching topics
- Producing high-return content
- SEO
- Monetization
- Social Media
- Outsourcing
Of course, these topics are further broken down into detailed subsections.
And if you sign up for this course, you earn access to the Ezoic network.
This is a welcome bonus because most site owners see more return with Ezoic than Google Ads.
You can also use the Ezoic Site Speed Accelerator Tool, lightning-fastening site loading times.
Now is an excellent time to sign up for this course because the community is still tiny yet highly active.
You can swap SEO tips with other entrepreneurs trying to dominate search engines like you!
EasyWins.io
Do you prefer to learn in an individualized way?
If so, EasyWins is a game changer when mastering SEO.
It’s not technically a course, though.
It’s more of a checklist of 120+ tried-and-tested strategies that will make niche sites thrive.
This company was founded by Mushfiq Sarker, a prolific website flipper who has sold over 200 sites for six figures.
He created this database so anyone can follow in his footsteps, one step at a time!
EasyWins is made to be intuitive, making it accessible to all website owners who are willing to learn.
It can also be the ultimate resource for people interested in (or currently engaged in) the business of flipping websites for a profit.
As soon as you sign up for either of their two pricing plans, AirTable will provide you with a checklist of “simple wins.”
These are suggested tasks to turn your site into a solid moneymaker.
As for the learning bit, each task includes detailed instructions on what to do and why it’s essential.
You’ll see details, samples, categories, and results in the boxes next to each task.
These will help you determine which tasks to prioritize because you’ll know how they will affect your site’s overall success.
And this is where the personalized approach comes in.
You’ll have to keep yourself accountable and cross off tasks once you’ve accomplished them.
If you’re into setting small goals, this database will come in handy for knowing what you need to do next.
Google SEO Fundamentals by UC Davis on Coursera
If you’re an absolute beginner or want to stick to the classic route, it doesn’t get any more basic than this course.
You can familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of SEO with the course.
Even Google Digital Garage recommends it because it’s by the University of California Davis.
This free SEO course covers the fundamentals, including on-page and off-page SEO, interpreting Google Analytics, and keyword research.
Although familiarity with HTML is not required, it is helpful.
Please note that this course was updated not too long ago.
Still, this isn’t the course to take if you want to focus on the latest tools and trends in SEO.
Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide by Google
Since you’re most likely trying to dominate Google search engine results, what better way to learn how to do that than by turning to the company itself?
First, you’ll learn the fundamentals of on-page SEO, like how to get your site on Google search results.
This will teach you how to create a sitemap for Google to locate your content.
A lot of SEO is trying to make your material more easily digestible by Google and your audience through meta description tags, headline tags, and structured data markups.
Lastly, you’ll discover why using the Performance Report and other tools like Keyword Planner and the Google Search Console is crucial to making your site more engaging.
It will also cover optimizing your images with the proper elements and making your site more mobile-friendly.
So, if your primary concern is to increase your site’s visibility, this guide is worth the read!
Semrush Technical SEO course with Bastian Grimm
Learn EVERYTHING you need to know about technical SEO in this all-encompassing course that covers topics like:
- Link building
- Crawling
- Indexing
- HTTP response
- Log files
- Site performance
- Advanced SEO tools
Each lecture follows a set of recommended readings and an exercise using Semrush’s tools to put what you’ve learned into practice.
The Technical SEO Exam is available to those who have finished the course.
You can also skip the training and put your technical SEO know-how to the test straight away.
This could be a refresher if you already have a solid foundation in the field.
If you do well, Semrush will award you a FREE certificate attesting to your technical SEO expertise!
SEO Training Course with Ahrefs
If you’re new to SEO and looking to get up to speed quickly, this online training course is for you.
It is helpful for stressed marketers and business owners who want to learn the basics of SEO but don’t have much time.
The four sections of this Ahrefs video course address the fundamentals of SEO.
The videos are informative and brief, making every second count.
The course provides actionable advice that can be applied to a digital marketing plan immediately.
This course is presented through whiteboard animations.
It goes by quickly, so it’ll help to be familiar with SEO basics beforehand.
SEO Unlocked by Neil Patel
This SEO course is a simple video series.
It uses tools like a Personal Goal Worksheet, where you write a note to yourself to keep you motivated and accountable throughout the course.
There’s also a Taskmaster sheet, which lists assignments for each module.
The lecturer offers ADDITIONAL reading materials through web links.
I’m talking about the successful online entrepreneur Neil Patel.
He’s the mastermind behind this straightforward and valuable course.
He covers everything you need to know about SEO, affiliate marketing, and general online money-making techniques.
Ubersuggest is cited as its primary resource, a pretty robust keyword research tool.
This might convince you to start using it for planning your content.
30 Days of SEO by MOZ Academy
This course quickly moves through audience expansion, SEO auditing, web page enhancements, and domain authority.
It’s meant to serve as an introduction to SEO for those WITHOUT prior knowledge.
So, don’t be discouraged if you think you’re going into this blind!
Courses like this can make you feel you know what you’re talking about.
While this might not be the course for you if you’re striving to be an SEO specialist, it’s comprehensive enough for the beginning of your SEO journey.
It’s designed specifically for people trying to learn SEO for practical reasons.
Maybe you’ve decided to upgrade your toolkit.
Maybe you’re trying to address a hole in your current SEO strategy.
This is the course where you can pick up something valuable.
It’s important to note that this course REQUIRES a Moz Pro subscription or at least signing up for the free trial.
You can still take it for FREE!
And since MOZ Academy offers this, it will push Moz tools.
Each course’s four modules take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete, NOT including any required “HOMEWORK.”
They SUGGEST finishing at least 1 module every week to STAY within the free trial period of 4 weeks.
Final Thoughts
There you have it: the best SEO courses and resources to check out in 2023!
I commend you for trying to expand your skillset and keeping up with the ever-changing SEO landscape.
If you can afford more comprehensive and personalized courses, go for it!
Remember, your online businesses can only be as good as the effort you put into them, so it’s best to keep learning!