SEO Courses and Resources for Writers and Marketers

Are you interested in taking SEO courses but don’t know where to get started? Don’t worry – that’s how most of us start out!

In my very first blog post about SEO, I briefly addressed some of its key components, and how each of these are super important for the ranking of your website or blog. Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to intern at one of Turkey’s top SEO agencies. And yes, I spent the summer interning even though I’m working full-time because remote is the way forward and I could show up after working hours.

I know, I have weird interests. But it’s actually because I’ve been tracking the progress of this website for a while and I’ve been wondering about it. Full disclosure: my blog is literally a place where I try out the newest SEO tricks I learn. Sometimes they fail, sometimes they succeed. 

Sometimes, I’ll come back to this website after weeks only to see that the three-month-result rule works and I did get a decent amount of traffic. If I’d posted in those months, I probably would’ve had a following by now.

But, even though everyone tells me that I should write what everyone wants to read, I refuse to do so. Because this is my space, at the moment. When I become a corporate sellout, I’ll announce it. For now, this blog is kind of like the one-stop-shop I wish I had access to when I started writing and learning all about SEO and stuff.

Which, amazingly, brings us to the topic of this blog post: SEO courses.

What to Consider Before Registering

Due to its high demand, it’s not a surprise to see that many SEO agencies offer courses that teach you SEO. However, these courses can be very pricey, and it’s not affordable for everyone.

Of course, I’m talking about a very long time ago, before SEO was as common as it is today. But the fact remains: SEO courses are expensive. And unlike a few years ago, some of these courses aren’t that good.

The first thing I would recommend to anyone interested in SEO is to go onto YouTube. There are plenty of great resources available there, and it’s free.

However, not all expensive SEO courses are bad. Some are definitely worth it. But for beginners, it can be hard to distinguish between the good ones and the great ones.

You should definitely consider how well suited the course is to you. Some courses are self-paced, while others are live workshops. It’s extremely crucial that you’re able to probably grasp the concept before moving ahead.

It’s entirely too easy to get lost when dealing with the more technical parts of SEO if you don’t properly understand simpler concepts.

As with most things in life, you need to understand what you’re doing to see results. That’s why I keep saying that SEO’s tricky. It’s really easy to get caught up with the “numbers” and the pre-established rules. Many people think that if they read a hundred books on SEO, they’re automatically SEO experts.

That’s not how it works.

If you don’t understand what you’re doing, you won’t be able to develop a successful SEO strategy.

The Best SEO Courses in the Market 

So, without further ado, here’s a list of the best SEO training courses on the internet. I’ve divided them into three categories based on your expertise: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Personally, I consider myself somewhere between intermediate and advanced. 

The day this website gets a million visitors or views (whichever comes first), I’ll consider myself an SEO expert. But before we get ahead of ourselves, here’s the list.

1. The Basic SEO Course

As I’ve already said in the previous section, beginners should definitely use YouTube as a resource to learn more about SEO. But if you’re looking for a more structured approach that’ll definitely tell you everything you need to know, look no further than Hubspot Academy’s SEO Training Certification Course.

This is, hands down, the most comprehensive basic SEO certification course on the entire internet. Better yet, it’s absolutely free!

The course is only six hours long, with six sections that emphasize on the basics, on-page and technical SEO, link building, website optimization, and more. This was one of the first courses I ever took, and the certification offered at the end (also free) can boost your resume.

2. The Intermediate SEO courses

For the intermediate level, many agencies offer SEO courses with their own tools. Of course, each pushes its own software, so a combination of these courses will be beneficial. Personally, I’m a big fan of Moz, finding it to be more than capable of meeting my requirements. Still, there is no doubt that Ahrefs and Semrush have fantastic courses too. 

• Ahrefs has a series of SEO training courses available for free, without certificates. The modules are self-paced, and each can be completed, on average, in a couple of hours. They deal with a variety of SEO techniques and expand upon social media ranking as well.
• Moz certifications come with a heavy price tag. With courses valued at over $1500 altogether, I would suggest being a bit cautious before indulging. Still, if you know exactly what you’re looking for, Moz has quite a lot to offer.
• Semrush has a range of SEO courses available with certifications for free. Like the others, the courses focuses on using the Semrush tool. However, that is not a bad thing. I’ve actually got a few Semrush certifications, the courses themselves were helpful too, and I would recommend it to everyone- just as I would recommend Moz and Ahrefs.

3. The “Advanced” SEO courses

Finally, we get to the advanced part of your learning journey. This is where things get interesting. Plenty of SEO experts on the internet are claiming to provide you with the “secret” to ranking number one on Google.

While the secret isn’t some recipe or magic potion (it’s merely practice makes perfect), here are some fantastic SEO programs that can help you get to the coveted front page of every search engine.

Advanced Search Engine Optimization Strategies

Advanced Search Engine Optimization Strategies by UCDavies is an SEO course on Coursera. It has a 94% content rating from over 2000 reviews. This specialization is for those with at least two years of industry experience. It deals with global web marketing, application SEO, and more. Basically, I should be taking this course if I want those million views. It costs $80, but financial aid is always available on Coursera. I’ve been eying this one for a while, but I’m afraid I won’t commit to finishing it. The total course duration is 25 hours, and it is pretty intensive.

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate is another Coursera certification that can take your SEO knowledge to the next level. Marketing, in my opinion, is the natural evolution from copywriting. When you’ve got the right skills, especially if it is the means of attracting an audience, you’ll want to learn ways of expanding on that talent. This Google certification offers that and more, making you a proper digital marketer.

Yoast Academy

Yoast Academy offers a premium membership for SEO workshops and trainings, along with integration on WordPress itself. While many people consider the courses to be intermediate level, I would say that it seems that way because we know what they’re talking about. That just shows that you know what’s happening. Unlike other courses on this list, Yoast doesn’t pick up from scratch. It gets right into the nitty-gritty of things, and with the WordPress add-on, you can make sure that your blogs and web pages have near-perfect on-page SEO. Basically, this is a cross between a course and a tool, and I find it to be very useful.

Get Started Now! 

Hopefully, you’ll find these SEO training courses helpful. As you begin your copywriting journey, don’t forget that practice makes perfect. With these free SEO tools available at your disposal, you can totally master keyword research, link building, and more. I use these tools, as well as paid ones, regularly to hone my skill set. It won’t happen immediately, but if you start out today, you’ll still know far more than you did yesterday, and that’s all that matters.