Updated: This article has been updated on March 15th, 2023 to review all sources and links.
How do I learn about digital marketing and SEO if there is no “official” educational source for it?
Full disclosure: there is no “official”, industry wide, “standard” SEO certification. You can get Google Ads certified. You can get Google Analytics certified. (Both of which will help with your SEO efforts, incidentally.) There are many good beginner guides, like this one from 1stOnTheList, a local SEO company near Vancouver, BC. Google does offer a great SEO Starter Guide as well as Webmaster Guidelines to help you on your SEO journey, but you cannot get Google SEO “certified”. In fact, there is no formal SEO certification at all, Google-endorsed or otherwise. (Note: There are plenty of agencies and third-party sites out there offering SEO ‘Certification’ courses. And yes, many of these are well worth it – see our list below for starters. But no: no matter how they spin it, none of these are, as yet, Google-endorsed or even recommended.)
Remember in the good old days, when the only ‘certification’ you needed was your reputation and your demonstrated know-how and skill? SEO is a bit like that. It’s a new-age skill in an old-school package. You earn your place in the SEO world, and the trust of employers, in a positively primitive way: with proven performance and exhibited expertise.
How do you get to that point of SEO smarts, though, where you can put on the show of expert performance required to succeed? Given that SEO is all about online expertise, the obvious and best place to find that expertise is, *ahem*… online. There are literally tens of thousands of online courses available for SEO training.
Here, we delve into why there isn’t an official Google-endorsed SEO certification program (yet); why doing an SEO course(s) is still worth it; and our top 10 SEO courses, training programs and learning tools out there right now (paid and free).
Why Isn’t There an ‘Official’ SEO Certification?
Why isn’t there an official, industry-recognized SEO certification? Let us count the reasons:
- SEO is an ever-changing beast. For reference, mid-way through 2019, Google revealed that they made 3200 changes to search in 2018. That’s around nine changes per day, dramatically up from the 350-400 changes it made back in 2010 (just one change a day, which at the time we all thought was ridiculous!) Keeping these numbers in mind, it goes without saying that trying to decide what SEO practices to include in any Google-validated SEO certification would be difficult. No. Impossible. Even the most SEO-savvy and brilliant SEO minds out there do not have access to these algorithms, so while there are definitely best practices which can be reasonably confirmed and followed, there is never going to be 100% consensus on what to include in an industry-recognized SEO certification.
- There are plenty of brilliant SEO professionals out there. But which one of those would be given the official nod to offer an industry-recognized gold standard in SEO certifications would mean everyone agreeing on who is the most brilliant of all. Never. Going. To. Happen.
- Ironically, Google is great at keeping secrets. You can find anything and everything using Google search. Everything except the exact details of Google’s search algorithms, that is. For any official SEO certification program to be 100% accurate, valid and purposeful, Google would have to spill the beans and tell us more about their search algorithms and how they work than they are ever going to be willing to do. (We’re all ears and eyes Google… ready when you are!) Listen carefully to any of the public interviews given by Google Search representatives, and you’ll find a common theme: they never give straightforward answers. There are implications and suggestions, but never full facts. They’re not trying to bamboozle us, they’re just trying to make sure nobody can bamboozle their users (i.e., searchers) by gaming the system.
Is Taking an SEO Course Worth It?
Short answer? Yes. (Otherwise we wouldn’t be writing this guide to the best SEO courses out there, would we?)
Long answer? Yes, and here’s why: Over 4.5 billion people worldwide use the Internet on a daily basis. (Internet World Stats – at last calculation, June 2019). It’s also been well-documented that Google processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average, which translates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. (Internet Live Stats) To make any sort of impression, to get seen at all amidst all that traffic and search activity, companies need their websites to be easy to find. SEO know-how is the most direct route to search success.
But beware: while there are a million guides out there promising you quick and easy SEO fixes, SEO – really good SEO – doesn’t come easy. Google has made sure of that. Which is where SEO courses and training come in.
Whether you’re learning SEO as a career move, or simply on a DIY basis, in order to put SEO best practices into place for your own business, your best bet is, undoubtedly, to take a course or two to get you started. Here, we list our 10 best courses, training and knowledge centres available online to help you make friends with Google’s algorithms and influence potential employers seeking SEO professionals. Some of these are paid, some are free, all are worthwhile for anyone hoping to make it in the world of SEO.
10 Best SEO Courses and Training for 2020
1. Google Courses & Essential Knowledge
As with all things online, and SEO specifically, start with Google.
Starter Guide
Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide offers pages and pages of excellent advice, ranging from:
- SEO basics to get found on Google
- SEO best practices related to structure, content, markup, titles and more
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Mobile optimization – a key element of SEO for 2019 and beyond
- Content (text and image) optimization
- Guide to using links
- Analysing your site for search performance and user behaviour
- Additional resources
- And more.
While Google is quite clear up front that “This guide won’t provide any secrets that’ll automatically rank your site first in Google (sorry!),” following the best practices outlined in the guide should indeed “make it easier for search engines to crawl, index and understand your content.” Coming as it does direct from the very source of search, it’s a veritable treasure trove of accurate information to getting started with SEO. Ignore it at your own peril.
Google Search Console
Learn how to use Google Search Console.
Technically speaking, this isn’t an actual SEO course, but knowing how to use this free Google Tool can help you “monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot (a) site’s presence in Google Search results … Search Console helps you understand and improve how Google sees (a) site.” Which is really what SEO is all about – getting seen on Google (and other search engines).
Google itself recommends that all SEO specialists learn, and use, Google Search Console. As they put it, “As someone focused on online marketing, Search Console will help you monitor your website traffic, optimize your ranking, and make informed decisions about the appearance of your site’s search results. You can use the information in Search Console to influence technical decisions for the website and do sophisticated marketing analysis in conjunction with other Google tools like Analytics, Google Trends, and Google Ads.”
If you have any hope of making at as an SEO professional, you’re going to need all the help you can get. Who better to help you win at Google than … Google!
2. Udemy: SEO 2020: Complete SEO Training + SEO for WordPress Websites
This course has been widely lauded as the best SEO course out there.
Description: “Rank 1 on Google with Technical SEO, 1s Page speed, UX SEO, Backlink SEO, Keyword Research SEO + WordPress SEO Training.”
What you will learn:
- SEO Training on 40 SEO factors
- How those SEO factors affects the ranking of websites on Google
- 8 Technical SEO factors
- How to make your website to load in less than 0.5 seconds & increase sales / conversions by 2X
- Essential skills to optimize your website for Google, Bing & Yandex search engines
- How to improve the User experience of your website – The future of SEO
- How to use the best free SEO tools across the entire web
- Low competition, high traffic optimized long tail keyword list
- An actionable list of more than 25 White Hat Backlink generation sources
- Expired SEO techniques / Myths, which can hurt your website
- And more…
How long it will take you: approximately 8.5 hours
Cost: CA$16.99* (full lifetime access)
3. Moz: SEO Training Course by Moz (via Udemy)
It makes sense that SEO giant Moz would offer an SEO basics course. Moz also offers an ‘Advanced SEO: Tactics & Strategy’ course, but you need to request an invitation to be accepted to this private course.
Description: “Learn SEO tips and tricks in this SEO training course from Moz.”
What you will learn:
- SEO strategy development
- Site audits and structure
- Keyword research basics
- On-page SEO fundamentals
- Link building and off-page SEO
- SEO for SERP features
- Reporting on SEO
How long it will take you: approximately 3.5 hours
Cost: Free (full lifetime access)
4. Udemy: Complete SEO Training With Top SEO Expert Peter Kent
Who better than the author of SEO for Dummies, Peter Kent, to get you started on the path to SEO success?
Description: “Win the SEO Game & Dominate The Search Engines With the Author of Best-Selling Search Engine Optimization for Dummies.”
What you will learn:
- How to pick the best keywords for SEO
- How to prepare your site
- How to avoid things that hurt your site SEO
- The role of content in SEO
- How to optimize your pages – meta tags, formatting body text and images, etc.
- How to boost SEO with structured data markup
- How to submit your site to search engines and directories
- How to use Local-Search SEO
- The importance of links in SEO
- How to find places to get great links to your site
How long it will take you: approximately 8 hours
Cost: $15.99* (full lifetime access)
5. Skillshare ~ SEO Today: Strategies to Earn Trust, Rank High, and Stand Out
When Rand Fishkin, founder of SparkToro and previously co-founder of Moz and Inbound.org, and SEO industry legend looks deep into your eyes and tells you he’s going to take you through the “deep tactical and strategic elements of SEO” it’s hard to not get excited!
Description: “Join ‘Wizard of Moz’ Rand Fishkin to learn how to earn trust, rank high, drive traffic, and stand out.”
What you will learn:
- Link earning strategies to help your content rank higher
- On-page SEO optimizations to serve users first
- The latest in search engine results pages (SERP) including rich snippets and schema markup (and why it’s time to go beyond “10 blue links”)
- Best practices for mobile SEO and maximizing visibility for both mobile and desktop
- Exclusive list of checklists, tools, links and resources included
How long it will take you: approximately 1.5 hours
Cost: Free
6. Yoast Academy: Online SEO Training
Listen. They’re not called “Yoast – SEO for everyone” for nothing. You probably already know Yoast as the amazing WordPress plugin, the SEO wizards who basically do all your SEO for you on your WordPress site. These guys know SEO and now they want you to know it too.
Description: “Our online SEO training courses teach you vital SEO skills you can apply at once. Find out how to outrank your competition and become the best result… Make quick and lasting improvements to your site… practice actual SEO skills from keyword research to technical SEO. Developed by world class SEOs and education experts trusted by the world’s biggest brands.”
What you will learn: What won’t you learn? The suite of Yoast SEO courses run the gamut from beginners to full-scale technical know-how. (They even offer a course on multilingual SEO!) It is possibly the most comprehensive SEO learning opportunity online.
How long it will take you: Varies
Cost: Training subscriptions range from $22.42 to $41.58 per month, with a free course for beginners.
7. Shopify Academy: SEO Course for Ecommerce
Designed specifically for ecommerce, this SEO for ecommerce course for beginners teaches learners how to optimize online stores to get found on Google. Discover what Google values in search results, how to research and select keywords relevant to (an) online store, and how to develop an ecommerce SEO strategy specific to (an) online store.
Description: “SEO Training for Beginners: How to get found on Google and earn more traffic in 2019. A 3-step SEO framework designed for ecommerce entrepreneurs who want to learn the fundamentals fast.”
What you will learn:
- What matters most for ecommerce SEO: learn how Google works and the factors it considers when presenting search results
- How to make people find you online: keyword research helps you discover the words and terms people use to find you.
- How to optimize your Shopify store (which can be translated to other online stores)
- How to add keywords to product pages, write meta descriptions, add alt-text to images and more.
- You will also get a Shopify SEO cheat sheet – a step-by-step guide to a SEO strategy for a Shopify site (which can be translated to other online stores)
How long it will take you: 30 minutes
Cost: Free
8. HubSpot ~ Free Crash Course in SEO Training
Four lessons. 21 videos. Three quizzes. A short and very SEO-sweet crash course designed to give you the very best of the SEO basics in bite-sized chunks you’re guaranteed to remember.
Description: “Learn all things SEO, including link building, topic clusters, building search authority, and an inside look into how HubSpot uses blogging to rank #1 on Google.”
What you will learn:
- How to evaluate and improve your website’s SEO looking at things like
- Selecting the right keywords for your website
- Teaching you how to make sure search engines understand the content on your page
- Giving you an understanding of how search engines crawl your site
- On-page and off-page SEO
- How to build backlinks to your website at scale to increase your website’s visibility on the search engine results page
- Learn and leverage the tactics HubSpot’s blog team uses to rank #1 on Google
How long it will take you: 1 hour and 36 minutes
Cost: Free
9. HubSpot ~ Free Download: On-Page SEO Template
Follow up your HubSpot crash course in SEO by then downloading their free on-page SEO template. More of a tool than a course, this is nevertheless one of the most hands-on SEO learning opportunities out there.
Description: “Learn to implement your SEO strategy step-by-step in 2020 with a free template designed to help you easily track on-page SEO elements.”
What you will learn/benefit from:
- Organize on-page SEO strategy
- Coordinate pages and keywords more easily
- Implement key SEO elements according to best practices
- Track changes and results all in one place
- Perfect your pages as a first-time or advanced user
How long it will take you: Ongoing
Cost: Free
10. Get Your Hands Dirty
Again, this isn’t technically an SEO course. But there’s nothing like actually diving in and doing the work to learn the work. Dive in the deep end; sink or swim; practice makes perfect… and all that.
- Practice on your own website. If you have to build a fake one, do it. WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Sitebuilder, Hostgator. There are lots of free options for you to make it happen and use that space to put your SEO skills into practice.
- Find an internship or entry-level position. Search for jobs in an SEO agency or the SEO department of a company (there are plenty out there), and get your foot in the door doing actual, real-life SEO work. (Even if it means taking a pay cut.) Preferably with real-life SEO professional who can teach you along the way. Which brings us to…
- Find a mentor. Just like in the good old days, find a ‘master’ and become his/her apprentice. Put your ego aside and learn from experienced SEOs professional who are already demonstrating proven results in the field.
- Keep learning. Don’t get complacent. SEO continues to morph and evolve at a breakneck pace. So should you. It’s not like riding a bike; you do need to learn it again, and again, and again. If you don’t keep learning new skills, you will fall off. Continue to do your research. Stay up to date. Understand that “Content is King” and become a better writer, or if you have to find a good content creator, take the proper steps to finding one. Use Google search to win at Google search. The Internet is a marvelous place to keep learning new things and find the latest in SEO education and updates. Use it.
*Note: At the time of writing, all Udemy courses were on sale at the prices listed here; prices may change.