What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization is the process of ranking a website a top search engine results by improving its visibility without using Google ads. You accomplish this by improving the quality and quantity of content on a website. You must also increase the quality and number of off-site links that vouch for the content. There's plenty of complexity to the world of SEO, but if you can get a handle on it, your digital marketing business will grow quickly.
The best SEO course is going to cover all types of SEO in depth, provide substantial support, and the course creators will actively keep students up to date with what Google is doing with their core algorithm. You're also not going to learn any spammy techniques or rank quick methods. If a course is teaching you how to rank with bots, avoid it.
As a 7-figure earner with SEO, I still continue to invest in groundbreaking optimization courses to make sure that I have the most robust SEO skills that help rank my websites globally for some of the toughest keywords.
Wondering what's the best SEO course? In this article, I list the best SEO courses in 2024 that provide you with the most value in getting you started with search engine optimization.
Expensive SEO Courses
SEO for Real Estate Investors by Jerryll Noorden
Jerryll Noorden shows you how to generate 4-12 highly motivated real estate seller leads using search engine optimization as opposed to using paid traffic ads. Jerryll teaches you how to set up your branding through social media and how to create your website. You also learn in-depth strategies with on and off page SEO optimization, as well as how to perform proper keyword research. In this program, Jerryll actually checks your progress through his course. It's a course where, although Jerryll is busy in his own real estate business, he still makes sure that his students are on track.
Pros
One-on-one mentoring provided to you
You're given a proven website template that is optimized for conversions. You'll clearly see what page optimization should look like.
Jerryll is hands-on with you in this program
Cons
Real estate lead generation with free traffic doesn't provide an ROI as soon as you may want
Real estate SEO is a long-process
The real estate industry is not a passive one
Price:
SEO for Real Estate Investors costs $25,800
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The Blueprint Training by Ryan Stewart
This SEO training course is designed specifically for up-and-coming SEOs who want to build out their business' structure and in-house processes. You learn everything from quoting prospects to building desired content and ultimately making your clients happy by achieving the results you laid out for them. You get 8 weeks of comprehensive video training content. This is a complete SEO course with plenty of support.
Pros
Ryan has created a holistic training that covers pretty much every topic, from SEO basics to advanced SEO, that an agency needs to bring results and scale.
He includes a lot of diagrams and graphics that help visually explain his SEO strategy in each lesson.
Bi-weekly consulting sessions on Zoom & private Slack community for support
They provide you with an SEO toolsuite and SEO reporting suite to help you run your SEO business efficiently for maximum profits. This is a complete SEO training
Cons
One of the more expensive SEO courses
Price:
The Blueprint Training costs $5,000
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Rank Daddy Elite by Brandon Olson
Rank Daddy Elite by Brandon Olson teaches you an SEO method called "Trust Based Ranking". The goal is to rank your clients' websites by adding useful, accurate content which will boost your rankings.
Pros
Training on how to rank your Google Business profile in Google Maps.
Email support if you have any issues.
Two live coaching calls each week.
They provide you with an outsourcing service to help you save time in your business.
Cons
They kicked Brandon Olson out of the local lead generation coaching program where he learned everything he knows about SEO.
Brandon teaches you the basics of SEO but upsells you to their outsourcing service.
Price:
Rank Daddy Elite costs $1,947.
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SEO That Works by Brian Dean
This search engine optimization course is perfect for you if you're looking to build out a blog. Brian is one of the top SEOs in the world and his site, Backlinko, is ranked for many keywords and search terms. Through his blog, he teaches all aspects of SEO. In this course, you're going to be taught up to date, step-by-step ways to structure your content so you can improve your content marketing. He emphasizes the importance of high quality content and links to boost your rankings. They have featured Brian on Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and other reputable sources. The problem with this course is that it's not always open for purchase. If you're patient, you'll be learning SEO the right way.
Pros
Brian Dean's SEO methods are all white hat methods
You learn advanced link building strategies and how to promote your content
Brian is a 7-figure SEO expert
Private Facebook community
Cons
SEO takes time to provide you with results
You won't learn about PBNs which is essential to ranking clients locally
Price:
SEO That Works costs $900 (Enrollment is open once per year; currently closed)
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Affordable SEO Courses
SEO Training by Jellyfish Training
Jellyfish currently offers a full range of SEO training courses. They hold the courses on specific dates, and you can sign up in advance. Depending on what level your SEO knowledge is at, you can choose the course that will help you better your skills to make you an overall SEO expert. These courses were once only available for UK residents, it's now open for US citizens.
Pros
There are several SEO courses that touch on a specific aspect of SEO (Introduction, Technical, local SEO, copywriting, etc.)
Comprehensive training courses, easy to digest
Virtual and private sessions are available for you to choose from. They hold private sessions in several locations in the UK
You can purchase the YouTube Optimization & Marketing course
Cons
You could get a lot of the info needed on the Jellyfish blog and YouTube channel
Expensive because they charge you almost full price for each level of SEO
Price:
SEO Training by Jellyfish costs $549 per course
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Traffic Hacks Accelerator by Greg Morrison
The Traffic Hacks Accelerator course was started by Greg Morrison after parted ways with the OMG Machines digital marketing course. That course was a collection of entrepreneurs who taught students how to rank a website on Google and monetize it, and even get paid to rank their clients' sites. Greg Morrison has been an SEO specialist for years. He and his colleagues put together Traffic Hacks Accelerator to help beginners and agency owners scale their SEO business past $100K in revenue each month. They accomplish this by helping you remove the common issues you may face so you can run a more efficient business. When you join, they grant you access to their private Facebook group for support.
Pros
They provide you with automation software that will help you scale your business faster
They hold live webinars every month
You get sales training
Step-by-step training videos
Cons
You pay for an entire year and if you think the course isn't for you, you don't get your money back
Price:
The Accelerator costs $497 per month for a 12 month commitment
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Cheap SEO Courses
Semrush Academy
Semrush offers not just one free SEO certification course but several that teach search engine marketing and offer SEO tool packages. Semrush has gathered some of the industries' top SEO experts to teach various aspects of SEO. You'll learn from Brian Dean, Fernando Angulo, Wes McDowell, and more. After you join, you get access to the private Facebook group.
Pros
SEMrush offers SEO courses in every sphere of search engine optimization
There is training on both SEO fundamentals and the technical aspect of this business model
Laid out in a clear, intuitive fashion
Recaps of each lesson in print, below each video lesson, great for quick references
Cons
Could be more condensed to save time, but they broke the videos up into 3-6 minute segments, so they aren't like college lectures
Lesson index is not searchable (no search function)
Price:
Semrush Academy is a free SEO course
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Best SEO Courses for Beginners
Gotch SEO Academy by Nathan Gotch
Gotch SEO Academy, founded by esteemed SEO expert Nathan Gotch, offers a comprehensive digital marketing agency course and coaching program, focusing on a unique 2-phase strategy designed to empower entrepreneurs to build and scale successful SEO agencies. Members can choose between two levels: 'SEO Specialist' for beginners and 'SEO Expert' for advanced learners. Additionally, Gotch SEO Academy provides valuable services like lifetime access to coaching, weekly calls, community forums, and a certification upon course completion.
Price: Goth SEO Academy costs $9,000 to $11,000 for lifetime access
More Info: Gotch SEO Academy Review
Authority Hacker Pro by Gael Breton & Mark Webster
Authority Hacker, led by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, is a digital marketing education company specializing in teaching the creation and monetization of authority sites. Their courses, including The Authority Site System 3.0 and Authority Hacker Pro, primarily focus on SEO strategies to build site authority and achieve high search engine rankings. These courses cater to both beginners and advanced marketers, guiding them through processes like niche selection, keyword research, site building, content creation, and link building. Students learn to monetize their sites through product sales or affiliate marketing, though this requires additional investment in tools like Ahrefs, Elementor, Asana, ConvertKit, and possibly outsourcing, which can amount to a significant monthly expense.
Price: Authority Hacker Pro;s beginner course, Authority Site System, costs $1,499.
More Info: Authority Hacker Pro Review
SEO for Writers by Larry Ludwig
SEO for Writers is an online course by Larry Ludwig. The course specifically targets writers, editors, and content creators seeking to enhance their understanding of search engine optimization and improve their content's visibility on Google. Also, the course covers lessons on essential SEO concepts, keyword research techniques, crafting compelling headlines, optimizing URL slugs, and more. With a focus on improving content discoverability and leveraging digital marketing tools, the course aims to empower participants to effectively enhance their online presence and reach a broader audience.
Price: SEO for Writers costs $197.
More Info: SEO for Writers Review
Practical Programmatic SEO by Ian Nuttal
Ian Nuttall's "Practical Programmatic SEO" is a comprehensive online course designed to teach the nuances of programmatic SEO (pSEO). It aims at a diverse audience, including developers, entrepreneurs, and bloggers, and caters to all coding skill levels.
Nuttall, known for his positive online reputation and active engagement in the SEO community, emphasizes the importance of valuable content in pSEO to avoid negative ranking impact. The course's key feature is its focus on generating large numbers of web pages using pSEO, targeting long-tail keywords to boost traffic and revenue.
Price: Ian Nuttal's Practical Programmatic SEO costs $197.
More Info: Practical Programmatic SEO Review
Side Hustle Nation by Nick Loper
The Side Hustle Nation Traffic Course teaches you how to drive targeted traffic to your websites using SEO and content creation. The course contains video tutorials, practical exercises, and real-world case studies so students can learn how to optimize their online presence and increase visibility and conversion. This is a good affordable course for beginner affiliate marketers and digital marketing freelancers.
Price: The Side Hustle Nation Traffic Course costs $129.
More Info: Side Hustle Nation Review
Shinefy by Chase Reiner
Shinefy is a platform that offers an all-in-one AI-powered content creation and SEO tools. The platform also includes all of Chase Reiner's previous SEO courses. Shinefy's primary strategy leverages AI to streamline content production and optimize for viral trends and SEO, enhancing productivity while addressing concerns about content quality and regulations.
Price: Shinefy costs $97 per month or $497 per year.
More Info: Shinefy Review
SEO FAQs
The 4 types of SEO are on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO and local SEO. On-page SEO refers to the optimization of the content and format of your website for the search engines. Off-page SEO are the actions taken outside of your website to affect your rankings. Technical SEO has more to do with making sure your website's code is clean and effective. Local SEO is a strategy to help your business rank at the top of local search results on Google.
How much time passes before you see results with SEO depends on several factors. Each niche and market is going to provide you with results at different times. Another factor is how much competition you're up against and how good or bad that competition is in a particular niche and market. SEO is a long-term play though, sometimes, you can see fast results.
- Ahrefs: SEO Keyword Tool
- SEMRush
- Google Search Console: Google Analytics
- Moz Pro
- Ubersuggest
- Answer The Public
- SpyFu
- KWFinder: Keyword Research
- Yoast SEO for WordPress
The most important factor in SEO marketing is to provide quality content. All aspects of SEO are important, but if your content isn't good, people won't be interested in what you have to say or sell.
Is SEO worth it in 2024?
SEO is worth it in 2024 because Google isn't going anywhere and there are many marketers and business owners who are lazy, who won't put in the time and work to rank their sites or who simply don't know how to. This gives you an advantage if you are ready to put in the work to rank your sites.
Like most online business models though, SEO is not a get-rick-quick-scheme and there are some downsides to the business model. You've may have to wait months before you see any results. You've got to take time to create content, optimize and update it. Then you have to set up a system where you can get relevant, highly influential backlinks. If you go too fast adding backlinks and citations, you may hurt your rankings because Google will view your site as spam, so you need to set up a schedule for when to place links.
The biggest issue with is client retention. SEO clients want to leave you if they don't see results when they want to. They don't understand that SEO takes time and there will be some months where they have to pay you but not see the immediate ranking of their site. When you do rank their website, they can stop paying you because they see their site ranking and feel they don't need you anymore.
At that point, you end up with no income and on the hunt for the next client which can take time.
Clearly, your income doing SEO for someone else will not pay you a long-term predictable income.
It's much better to use your SEO skills to rank your own digital properties with local lead generation where you have all the control in your business and your profits margins are higher.
Why Lead Generation is Better Than Doing SEO
Local lead generation with SEO for yourself is better than doing SEO for someone else because you own your digital properties. The lead generation sites you build and rank are part of your digital real estate that you can rent to a local small business owner for a monthly fee.
You are in control of your business. You get to choose the niche you generate leads in, what local small business you'll work with and how much money they'll pay you each month.
I built this tree care site that has paid me $2000 every month for over 7 years.
As long as you rank your sites at the top of the search results, they will generate leads. As long as your clients are always getting leads, you're going to get paid.
Client retention with local lead generation is much higher than with SEO alone because you own your sites. You rent your lead generation sites out and you'll always earn a predictable, passive income each month.
Over 7400 people have learned the skills to build, rank and rent lead generation sites. Their goal? To reach financial and time freedom.
To learn how to earn a predictable income with SEO each month without worrying about getting fired by your clients, check out the local lead generation coaching program.
Thanks for this information.
Thanks for such valuable information
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing
Great information shared.. really enjoyed reading this post thank you author for sharing this post .. appreciated
Hey Malaki! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for the kind words. Appreciate it!
So glad to read you experiences
Hi Jafari-thanks for reading. Glad to hear you enjoyed the article. Have you taken any of these courses?
I truly appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark site list and will
Thanks Kasey! Pleased to hear you enjoyed the article and for sure, come back anytime as I publish new content regularly.
very informative article thank you.
Hi Roland. Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for reading.
I do not even understand how I ended up here, but this publication is great
Hi Fernando-glad you enjoyed and thanks for reading!
I really admire the blog-writing approach. I'll add it to my list of preferred places. Great to hear about your experiences. thank you to the author for sharing this information, I really enjoyed reading it.
What kind of SEO do you use? White, gray or black? Or a combination of them?
What's your full opinion on Chad Kimball's Google Maps Business course? I was surprised to not see it on here. I know you provide a small review here: https://ippei.com/easy-local-cash-using-advanced-gmb-techniques/. But it doesn't really say much of anything.
How's it rank among the others? Did you actually implement anything from it?
I really want some passive income, but I also like my day job so I'll be keeping it. I want some income that takes little to no work to maintain. Chad Kimball's course seemed like a really good one.
Looks like a really exciting business model for sure! I’m going to keep this at the back of my mind as probably what I’ll end up doing (looks to be right up my alley).
Have you checked out Greg Jefferies SEO affiliate domination course by any chance? What are your thoughts on that one, if any?