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3 Ways to Learn SEO for Free
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So you want to learn SEO for free? Understanding and knowing the SEO process to implement it can be an excellent skill to have, whether you have your own website or you would like to start an SEO agency or undertake freelance work.
The trouble is where to start your SEO education.
The internet has endless articles, videos, and free SEO courses, but where is the best place to start for the total beginner?
When trying to learn SEO skills most people will browse the internet looking for random information.
The trouble is that there is a lot of conflicting information that can be misleading, out of date or worse will cause you to get a penalty.
Because SEO has been going on for many years it has changed a great deal.
This means that some of the strategies and techniques you will find mentioned are not relevant anymore.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and is the process of ensuring that your website is visible to engines. For example, Google Search Results.
SEO consists of 3 main areas:
- On Page SEO
- Off Page SEO
- Technical SEO
By implementing the right SEO practices, you can get higher rankings on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) which will lead to more organic traffic for your business or website.
Want to learn more about these 3 areas of SEO? Check out our post on – 3 Parts of SEO (Technical, On-site, and Off-site)
Lets dive in to the 3 Ways to Learn SEO for Free:
1. Search Engine Optimisation Beginner Guides
The best place to start your SEO journey is by looking at the Beginner SEO Guides on one of the respected SEO websites. Starting this way you will be learning all things SEO the right way!
Our advice would be to take a look at a few of the guides and see which ones suit you’re reading style.
It’s going to be a lot of extra hard work if you don’t feel comfortable with how the information is presented.
Here are our top 3 Free guides:
Semrush
https://www.seo-copilot.co.uk/SemrushSEO
Moz
https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo
Ahefs
https://ahrefs.com/blog/learn-seo/
2. Free Certification SEO Course
Let’s take a look at some free online courses!
Semrush SEO Academy
Semrush is here to show you the ropes when it comes time for search engine optimisation and provides SEO certification on completion.
With their free SEO courses, they will cover all SEO fundamentals, from On-Page and Off-Page SEO basics through technical details, understanding the search engines, SEO metrics, SEO best practices, and the best bit they supply excellent course material along the way.
https://www.seo-copilot.co.uk/SemrushSEO
HubSpot SEO Academy
HubSpot Academy’s more content-oriented courses include videos on inbound marketing, email, and even Instagram.
Note: it is imperative that you watch these modules with 1.5 x speed!
You’ll see exactly why after your first class finishes up.
Google Academy
Google also provides free SEO courses on their own tools, so if you want to be an expert in Google Analytics you can follow through their beginner’s course to the more advanced levels.
Once you pass you can download your certificate for the office wall.
https://analytics.google.com/analytics/academy/
Udemy SEO
With a world-class team of experts at your disposal, you’ll be able to understand what SEO is and how it can help grow traffic for your site.
Whether someone has just started out in the industry or wants some fresh ideas on optimising content across multiple channels.
Udemy provides all this knowledge with an easily accessible interface so everyone wins!
We just suggest you check out a trainers reviews first as some are better than others and you need to find someone you like the sound of and their training style.
https://www.udemy.com/topic/seo/
Advice:
Stick to your chosen SEO training provider, moving from guide to guide will only end up confusing you as they will all approach the same subjects from slightly different angles.
There is nothing wrong in using other well-respected SEO websites as a reference through.
The Respected SEO Giants
My advice is to always start with the most respected resources, here we have listed some of the well well-known and respected sites to start your research and you can use them alongside your chosen beginners guide to SEO.
Moz – (Previously called SEO Moz)
They offer the SEO beginner the perfect place to start when learning about how it works, with clear precise information on all aspects of search engine optimization (SEO).
Not only do they have free SEO training in the form of an SEO beginners guide but they also have more advanced guides on the best SEO tools, link building and building your own SEO strategy.
You can also take advantage of Moz’s SEO community and get involved in discussions and find answers to your questions from like-minded people.
Search Engine Land
This website offers 9 step tutorial and SEO guide to learn the SEO basics, it is ideal for anyone new to the industry and interested in learning SEO processes the right way.
Search Engine Roundtable
You can’t afford to ignore the search engine roundtable! With their expert insights on what Google is cooking up next, you’ll be sure not only to stay current but also successful in the world of SEO.
Search Engine Journal
The Search Engine Journal is a great source for anyone who wants to Keep up with the latest Google updates and learn SEO from experts in this field.
3. YouTube (one of the worlds largest Search Engines)
There is no denying that YouTube has fast become the number one resource to learn new skills, watching videos is much easier than spending your time I’m sat Reading numerous blog posts.
For this reason, we would suggest using YouTube channels as a place to start.
Here is a list of channels with feel would be beneficial to you but remember to search there an archive of material for their beginner courses.
Rank Math
https://www.seo-copilot.co.uk/RankMath
The New Kid On The Block in some regards but they are a powerful alternative to the Yoast SEO plugin. an SEO plug-in refers to third-party software yeah that can be easily installed into a WordPress website and will help guide you through setting up your content to be SEO friendly.
I especially like the Rank Math YouTube channel because the videos are clear ear and easy to follow so even for an SEO total Novice.
Moz Whiteboard Fridays
The whiteboard Friday videos by Moz are a little bit more advanced and maybe something you move into once you understand the fundamentals of SEO.
However, they do have a range of starter videos for any beginners wanting to learn SEO.
Semrush
Semrush is a company that offers excellent SEO software.
This software will help you analyse your website for issues, compare your website with your competition, and also so provide many insights which can provide opportunities for ranking higher in the search results.
Matt Diggity
Matt shares a wealth of knowledge on his channel from real test results carried out by himself and his team.
SEO Tools (Free and Paid) Plus Resources
Ok so you will probably not need these tools until you are a good way through your beginner training, however, we collated this list of the best tools around so that when you are ready you have them ready.
Note: Most of these tools have help videos and support by the provider. Also because they are very popular there are also lots of tutorial videos on YouTube too.
Google Analytics (Site statistics)
Google Search Console (Possible site issues)
Google Trends (See first hand trend information)
Also Asked (Helps with content creations)
Answerthepublic (Similar to Also Asked but my preference)
Semrush (SEO and Marketing Tools) – Our recommended tools
LinkWhisper (Internal linking tool) – Our recommended tools
RankMath (SEO WordPress Plugin) – Our recommended tools
Siteliner
Google Mobile Friendly Checker
Google Site Speed Insights
GTMetrix
Panguin Tool (Penalty Checker)
Detailed (Excellent Browser Plugin for page analysis)
SEOquake (SEOquake is probably the most powerful SEO browser Extension)
Final Thoughts
Take your time with this article, check out the links and the videos from seo professionals and find yourself a free course to get started.
Make sure you follow the SEO best practices as this will keep you on the right side from the beginning.
Learning SEO will not be fast and you need to listen to the SEO experts, as they have spent years crafting their skills.
Use our provided free SEO resources because we have taken the time to find, research, and provide the very best places to start your SEO knowledge.
