Best SEO Courses Online – Free & Paid Options
Earning a degree is a good thing for some professions. After all, you wouldnt want a doctor who learned his trade via YouTube videos taking out your appendix, would you? Of course not.
But for other professions, you can learn just as much, if not more, than a college curriculums worth online for a fraction of the cost. Search engine optimization is one of those things.
Thats not to say theres no value in an SEO specialist earning a degree any education is a good thing, particularly if its in a related field like computer science, marketing, or communications.
But as you probably know, the SEO field is in a constant state of flux. And its more than competitors tweaking their strategies to jump ahead of you; its also regular and sometimes major changes to Googles search algorithm.
If youre just getting started in SEO, youre a mid-level professional looking to add tools to your toolbox, or even a seasoned veteran seeking the latest tricks, weve got just the thing.
Below, weve compiled a list of the best online SEO courses available, so you can find exactly what youre looking for.
A marketing and sales software developer, HubSpot always thinks of marketers needs. And that includes its SEO Certification Course. It covers the basics of SEO, including evaluating your current site, building backlinks, and performing keyword research.
Length: Under three hours for six total lessons
Another SEO software tools provider, Ahrefs, offers a free course for SEO beginners. This program starts from scratch, explaining why SEO is important and guiding participants through the basics of keyword research, page optimization, and beginning technical SEO.
Length: 14 lessons over two hours
The makers of the popular SEO plugin for WordPress want to help you learn more about SEO with a free online course. Yoasts program is designed to quickly equip you with the knowledge you need to impact your sites ranking as quickly as possible positively.
Length: Two hours
When it comes to ecommerce, Shopify is the big dog on the block. To help online retailers maximize their impact and revenue, Shopify offers free SEO training for beginners. With its focus on digital shopping, this course is ideal for entrepreneurs.
Length: 16 lessons in just over one hour
The makers of keyword research and analytics tool Semrush offer a course for intermediate SEO professionals covering on-page and technical SEO. Upon completion of this, you can test for certification.
Length: Seven lessons in one hour
Popular blogging platform WordPress offers an entry-level course to introduce you to the fundamentals of SEO. Content is available on-demand, and you will receive a certificate of completion.
Conductor offers several free SEO courses, including SEO Basics, Paid & Organic Synergy, and Evangelizing SEO. All are intended to help you maximize your digital marketing strategy and increase search rankings.
Length: 1:30 for SEO basics
Local SEO puts you in front of customers right when theyre looking for you which means its really important. This coursefrom BrightLocal Academy will equip you with the knowledge and skills to start showing up on those searches conducted in your neighborhood.
Length: Eight lessons + certification in roughly one hour
This course, designed by UC Davis, will help you quickly get up to speed on the basics of search engine optimization. It includes information on developing a strategy, keyword research, and search behavior.
Length: 11 videos, eight hours to complete
More in-depth than this previous one, this program will teach you how to perform competitive analysis, develop influencer relationships, and create reports on your findings.
Length: Five courses
Free is always a great thing, but if youre looking for something a little more serious and focused, it might be worth your time to invest in a paid course. Here are some of the best ones:
Simplilearn is an online boot camp educator. Its Advanced SEO Course is intended to prepare you for a role as a full-stack SEO professional. This in-depth program focuses on everything from the basics of the search field to advanced skills like off-page optimization, developing a content marketing strategy, and managing analytics.
Length: 58 lessons ranging from under five minutes to roughly an hour and a half.
Price: Self-paced learning $1,199, online boot camp $1,499
SEO software provider Moz offers a wide variety of training options through its Moz Academy. Of particular interest is the SEO Essentials Certification. This course is intended to provide you with the knowledge you need to get started in SEO, including developing an understanding of how search engines operate.
Length: Six hours of instructor-guided content
Price: $595
Looking for something more advanced? This on-demand course is designed to equip you with the skills you need to take your technical SEO expertise from beginner to intermediate. Youll learn about crawlability, indexability, accessibility, and site performance.
Length: Three hours of instructor-led content
Price: $395
Yet another Moz Academy course intended for intermediate to advanced SEO professionals, this on-demand program will teach you how to identify and analyze your competitors SEO campaigns, conduct audits, and evaluate your rivals social media presence.
Length: Three hours of instructor-led content
Price: $395
An online continuing education platform for marketing professionals, ClickMinded offers an SEO certification course designed with busy professionals in mind. It will teach you the basics of search engine optimization, and upon passing the final exam, youll be awarded certification. It also includes lifetime access to five mini-SEO courses.
Length: Three to six hours
Price: Single courses from $997
This in-depth SEO course goes far beyond the fundamentals, helping you take your skills to the next level. A bigger time investment than some courses on this list, it is intended to be a comprehensive course on all things SEO.
Length: 25+ hours
Price: Self-paced learning for $1,199, online boot camp for $1,499
Learn everything from basic skills to advanced concepts in this online university. SEO 101 focuses on how search engines work and the skills and principles you need to know to improve your ranking.
Length: Eight modules over 32+ hours
Price: $40/month paid monthly; $33/month paid annually
Bruce Clay programmed the worlds first webpage analysis tool. Now, hes sharing his expertise in search engine optimization via SEOTraining.com. This exhaustive course is learn-at-your-own-pace and features everything from beginning SEO training to advanced tactics.
Length: 15+ hours over 48 videos
Price: $1,495 for a one-year membership
This structured online course is designed to walk you through every aspect of SEO and show you how to make it work for you. SERanking also offers a course on Content SEO to further expand your knowledge.
Length: 41 lessons over six hours
Price: Basic subscription starting at $39.20/month
This program is designed for people who dont have degrees in computer science or related fields. It breaks down how search engines work and gives you specific steps to help you maximize your ranking without needing to learn a coding language.
Length: Seven lessons, 60-90 minutes each
Price: $595 annual subscription
Learn the basics of SEO and how to structure your website in this online course from UC San Diego. Youll gain practical experience performing the duties of an SEO specialist while learning to use various online tools.
Length: Three credit hours
Price: $695
Learn to perform competitive analysis, create a keyword strategy and develop a crawler-friendly site architecture in this online course. This program will provide you with a solid understanding of SEO tactics and best practices.
Length: Three credit hours, five weeks
Prices: $1,194
This online course will equip you with work-ready skills to allow you to take on an SEO role with confidence. In addition to a practical understanding of best practices, youll also receive an industry-recognized certificate from Africas top university.
Length: 10 weeks with 10 hours per week
Learn to perform competitive research and develop SEO strategies in this micro-course. Youll gain a thorough understanding of how Google works and learn best practices to help you climb the rankings.
Length: 15 hours
Price: $559 Canadian
The great thing about the internet (aside from the fun of optimizing websites for search engines) is the absolute wealth of information it brings you. Here are a few other resources you can use to learn more about search engine optimization:
LinkedIn is more than a professional networking site its also a great place to learn.
At the time of writing, there were 521 SEO-related videos and courses available. And with such a large number to choose from, theres sure to be something of value for every skill level.
Online tech learning platform PluralSight is a great way to learn new skills including digital marketing and SEO.
A great place to earn tech certifications, you can even use it to learn to code if you want to add that to your growing set of web skills. A free trial is available, and then plans start at $299 per year.
Another learning platform dedicated to helping you level up your skillset, Udemy has a number of SEO videos.
Each video lesson is sold separately, but this gives you the benefit of choosing exactly which aspect of SEO you want to learn more about. Courses start at $14.99 each.
Skillshare offers a wide range of original videos on a variety of creative and tech topics, including, you guessed it, SEO.
Its a great place to brush up on the fundamentals or focus on a specific area for improvement. Prices start at $159 per year for teams.
One of the best things about working in SEO is that no two days are ever alike. And as long as Google keeps tinkering away with its algorithm, trying to fine-tune search results, there will always be a need for a skilled professional to help websites climb the rankings on search results pages.
The course discussed runs the gamut from free courses for absolute beginners to detailed classes on one specific aspect of SEO.
Just remember, no matter how long youve been doing it or how good you are, your education is never done. Keep learning its the only way to ensure your website gets the ranking it deserves.
More Resources:
Featured Image: GaudiLab/Shutterstock
Read more:
Best SEO Courses Online - Free & Paid Options
- 70+ PPC and Google Adwords Interview Questions and Answers for 2025 - Simplilearn - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Reframing SEO: Why training search engines is the new game in the age of AI - Search Engine Land - August 29th, 2024 [August 29th, 2024]
- Redefining SEO: How training search engines is shaping the future of digital content - Tech Edition - August 29th, 2024 [August 29th, 2024]
- SEO University Partners with Salterra to Launch Advanced Schema - WICZ - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- SEO University Partners with Salterra to Launch Advanced Schema Course, Empowering SEO Professionals with Expert Training - Barchart - August 20th, 2024 [August 20th, 2024]
- SEO University Partners with Salterra to Launch Advanced Schema - openPR - August 20th, 2024 [August 20th, 2024]
- Top Websites to Learn SEO in 2024 - Analytics Insight - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- What is the process to Learn SEO Step by Step? - INSCMagazine - January 30th, 2024 [January 30th, 2024]
- Park Seo-joon Mentions V's Photo At Army Training Center, He Wore The Same Raincoat As I Did 15 Years Go - KBIZoom - December 17th, 2023 [December 17th, 2023]
- The Bicycle Coalition Attends the Vision Zero Cities 2023 Conference - Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- The 40 best crime movies of all time - Entertainment Weekly News - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- 50 Remote Jobs That Pay Over $50000 a Year: Part Two Jobs ... - Medium - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- How Search Generative Experience works and why retrieval ... - Search Engine Land - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- ONE: Radzuan responds to Stamp rematch talk, impressed by title win - South China Morning Post - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- California Law Limits Bitcoin ATM Transactions to $1,000 to Thwart ... - Slashdot - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Tech CEO Sentenced To 5 Years in IP Address Scheme - Slashdot - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Is Digital Marketing Training Worth it - Kings of War - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The 2023 Nonprofit Power 100 - City & State - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- 'Embarrassing' Court Document Google Wanted to Hide Finally ... - Slashdot - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- H&R Block, Meta, and Google Slapped With RICO Suit, Allegedly ... - Slashdot - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- FBI Indicts Goldman Sachs Analyst Who Tried Using Xbox Chat for ... - Slashdot - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- 8 top marketing certifications and courses for 2023 - TechTarget - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- How to win SEO allies and influence the brand guardians - Search Engine Land - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- How relying on LLMs can lead to SEO disaster - Search Engine Land - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Become the next generation of multimedia content creators and ... - Education Times - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- A Week in My Life: Fiona Brindle, Head of SEO, TrunkBBI - Prolific North - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Preparing the underserved: Five Auburn University alumni ... - Office of Communications and Marketing - July 17th, 2023 [July 17th, 2023]
- Should You Have a Go at Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? - Printing Impressions - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Chris Raulf of Boulder SEO Marketing to Give Masterclass on Micro ... - Digital Journal - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Augmented Reality Training Simulator Market 2031 Key Insights and ... - KaleidoScot - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Training Software Market 2023 Trends with Analysis on Key Players ... - KaleidoScot - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Training Outsourcing Market 2023 Trends with Analysis on Key ... - KaleidoScot - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- COVID-19 Impact Analysis of Education Market 2031 | Key Players ... - KaleidoScot - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- MarTechBot: Insights from real-world usage (so far) - MarTech - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Cognitive Assessment and Training Healthcare Market 2031 Growth ... - KaleidoScot - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Prestige whisky brand appoints Wild PR to support business growth - Bdaily News - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Erling Haaland Names Toughest Opponent He's Faced This Year ... - Sports Lens - June 9th, 2023 [June 9th, 2023]
- Local Brand Advisor Proves Its Worth As Leading and Results ... - Digital Journal - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Family: The Unbreakable Bond - K-drama Episode 10 Recap ... - TheReviewGeek - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Salesbop: The AI-Powered Sales Coach and Trainer ... - Digital Journal - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Career Technical Educational Opportunities for Students Attending ... - Demopolis Times - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Doctor Cha Episode 13 Twitter Reactions: Cliffhanger Over ... - Leisure Byte - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- The National Eating Disorder Helpline Replaced Its Staff With a ... - The Mary Sue - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Brendan Johnston: A 15 year pro-racing quest with a gravel resolution - Cyclingnews - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Business Briefing: Apple Blossom Holistic, business news and ... - Laois Today - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- How the media is covering ChatGPT - Columbia Journalism Review - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- BSM to Host a Complimentary Webinar Entitled "AI and SEO. The ... - Digital Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Developing Skills to Stay Competitive - ATD - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The biggest challenges facing small businesses and how to ... - Arizona Big Media - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Priyanka Chopra Jonas On Husband Nick Jonas' 'Mean' Martini, Her ... - ELLE UK - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Idaho Towns Bankrolling Donald Trump's Campaign - News Radio 1310 KLIX - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Online Stable Startup: Tips and Tricks for Launching a Horse Business - Everything Horse UK - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- ReKommendations: My Perfect Stranger, Duty After School, and more; K-dramas to catch up with this weekend - PINKVILLA - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Full Cast of Netflix's 'Black Knight' - We Got This Covered - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Thanet business news: CAMRA awards, Thanet Earth, Dirtee Feast ... - The Isle of Thanet News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Top 100: New to the List Fast Action Pest Control - PCT Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- We are in content marketing era, the opportunities are diverse - Capital FM Kenya - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 25+ Best Remote Jobs Without Degree or Experience in 2023 - Southwest Journal - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- SEO Fight Club Episode 198 Explores AI Training Corpus And AI ... - Digital Journal - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Various Advantages of HubSpot - CIOReview - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- How to Start and Grow a Successful Real Estate Business: Business ... - RealtyBizNews - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Small Business, Big Results: Rely on Top SEO Company in Ahmedabad - The Week - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- How to Get Google's Attention with AI-Generated Content - PR News - For Smart Communicators - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Meet the next Leadership Academy for Women in Media cohort in ... - Poynter - May 12th, 2023 [May 12th, 2023]
- Republic of Korea and U.S. Navy Conduct Combined Maritime ... - Pacific Command - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Boostly introduces ChatGPT integration for direct booking websites - Short Term Rentalz - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- YACSS Announces Panel of Speakers for the First Annual YACSS SEO Conference - Yahoo Finance - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Google On Protecting Anchor Text Signal From Spam Site Influence - Search Engine Journal - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- How To Start A Business In 11 Steps (2023 Guide) - Forbes - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Ocean Tomo, a part of J.S. Held Welcomes Delegation from Korea ... - PR Web - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Lionel Messi Returns To PSG Training After Suspension Lifted - Sports Lens - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Engaging Consumers in a Generative AI World - BCG - May 10th, 2023 [May 10th, 2023]
- Alyse Anderson has been training with Rose Namajunas - Asian MMA - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- 12 questions to ask SEO platform vendors during the demo - MarTech - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results - Search Engine Journal - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- Roses and thorns: 5-6-23 - The Commercial Dispatch - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- Achieving success in your own terms through the eyes of six Filipino ... - Manila Bulletin - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- Rethinking SEO Strategy: Mindset Coach Helps Businesses Achieve ... - BusinessMole - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Achieving SEO Success: Mindset Coach Offers Innovative Problem ... - Business Manchester - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Megan Bridgeman named SEO editor based on the West Coast - The Washington Post - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]