This is the ultimate guide for finding the best training programs to learn SEO.
Our list includes the top free and paid SEO courses, certifications, guides, and videos to take you from SEO novice to SEO pro.
It was put together by our team of SEO experts and trainers, who work through these programs themselves and keep this page current as courses change, close, or get replaced.
To help you find the most appropriate training resource for your needs, the list is broken down into the following sections:
1. How To Choose an SEO Training Program
Before you pick a course, it helps to answer three questions. Almost every SEO training program can be placed by how it answers them, and getting them straight will save you a lot of browsing.
What is your current level?
If you are starting from zero, you want a program that explains how search engines work before it asks you to audit anything. A beginner course should cover SEO basics, keyword research, on-page SEO, and technical SEO in that order, and it should take hours rather than months.
If you already run SEO for a site, a beginner course will waste your time. What you want instead is a program built around a specific weakness, such as technical SEO, ecommerce SEO, or optimizing for AI search, and ideally one that includes live sessions so you can ask about your own site.
Free or paid?
Free courses are genuinely good now. Yoast, HubSpot, and Semrush all give away complete courses with certificates and no payment details required, and for learning the fundamentals they are hard to beat.
What you usually give up is depth, support, and a path. Free courses tend to be self-contained lessons rather than a curriculum, they rarely include feedback on your own work, and nobody answers your questions.
Paid courses buy you three things worth paying for: a sequence that takes you from beginning to end, a real instructor you can reach, and material that is kept up to date. Prices range from under $100 for a self-paced bundle to a few thousand for live in-person training.
Do you need a certification?
This is the question most people get wrong, because two different things are called a certificate.
A certificate of completion is issued to everyone who finishes the lessons. You can get it without doing any extra work, and it confirms that you followed a course.
An SEO certification is awarded only to students who complete a course and pass a graded exam or assignment. It is the one worth putting on a resume, because it certifies that you were tested.
If you are learning for your own site, the distinction does not matter and you should optimize for the teaching. If you are learning to get hired or to win clients, follow a program that ends in a graded exam.
One thing no certificate does is prove you can rank a page. Every SEO hiring manager will ask what you have actually ranked, so treat the certificate as the start of the conversation, not the end of it.
2. SEO Courses
SEO courses are the most popular method for training in SEO. A good SEO course will teach you both basic and advanced SEO concepts in a structural way.
SEO courses are usually prepared by experienced SEOs who share tricks and techniques you won’t find published online.
There is a plethora of SEO courses worth considering. There are free and paid options costing less than $100 to a few hundred.
Duration is also a differentiating factor. Some courses can be completed in a few hours, while others may take a few weeks.
You can find below some great options to consider. All courses are on-demand and delivered 100% online, i.e., you don’t have to attend any classes or show up at specific times.
The Complete SEO Course (Reliablesoft)
The course was crafted by Digital Marketing and SEO expert Alex Chris, and it’s a step-by-step guide to SEO.
It is designed for beginners but is also beneficial for more advanced SEO practitioners who want to refresh their skills or stay updated on current best practices.
It is now sold as a bundle of six courses rather than a single course:
- The Complete SEO Course
- AI SEO Course
- eCommerce SEO Course
- Growth Hacking Course
- Google Analytics Course
- AI Traffic Mastery Course
Between them they cover SEO basics, how search engines work, keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, off-page SEO, local SEO, mobile SEO, and SEO for WordPress.
The AI SEO and AI Traffic Mastery courses are the part worth calling out. Search results now open with an AI Overview on most informational queries, and getting cited in one is a different job from ranking first. Very few SEO courses teach it yet.
It is presented in an easy-to-follow format with video and written lessons. It also provides downloadable resources for offline study.
Reviews for the course have been positive, with students praising its clear and thorough approach to SEO.
The bundle costs $67 instead of $360, and it includes unlimited lifetime access, free updates, email support, an SEO certification, and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
A good free course to learn SEO is the SEO Training: SEO For Beginners course by Yoast Academy.
Yoast is the company behind Yoast SEO, the most popular SEO plugin for WordPress. The team at Yoast created the SEO course to help users understand what SEO is and how it works.
You can register for the course for free and get access to two hours of video covering the following:
- SEO Basics
- Technical SEO
- Content SEO
It includes quizzes, and you get a certificate and a badge when you finish. No payment details are needed.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialization (Coursera)
One of the highly rated SEO courses offered by Coursera is the SEO Specialization, produced in collaboration with UC Davis and delivered by two experienced SEO practitioners.
It is a series of five courses covering both basic and advanced SEO concepts, including keyword research, on-page optimization, technical foundations, and content and social tactics.
Coursera estimates around two months to complete at ten hours a week.
Pricing is by Coursera subscription rather than a one-off fee. You can start for free, and financial aid is available on the specialization if you cannot afford the subscription.
AEO Fundamentals (HubSpot Academy)
HubSpot Academy replaced its old SEO training with a course aimed at where search is going rather than where it has been.
AEO Fundamentals covers how answer engines changed search visibility, the EEAT framework, keyword research for AI visibility, optimizing a page for AI citation, and measuring AI visibility in Google Search Console and GA4.
It is free, ends in a certification, and consists of 7 lessons and 19 videos totalling 2 hours and 20 minutes.
If you already know traditional SEO and want the part that is new, this is the fastest way to get it.
Online SEO Training (Bruce Clay)
Bruce Clay has been teaching SEO for longer than almost anyone, and his online course is the closest thing the industry has to a traditional classroom.
The course suits both newcomers and experienced SEOs, since advanced learners can go straight to siloing and technical SEO rather than starting from the basics.
Access is through the Bruce Clay SEO Training and Membership Program rather than a one-time purchase, and membership includes live monthly question and answer sessions.
Bruce Clay also runs a three-day in-person course in Southern California for $2,750, which includes a one-year subscription to their SEOToolSet software.
For more SEO training options, free and paid, read the guide below.
3. SEO Certifications
A more formal way to learn SEO is to register for an SEO certification.
Usually, to obtain an SEO certification, you must complete all courses and lessons of a training program and pass an exam. As explained in the section above, that graded exam is what separates a certification from a certificate of completion, and it is the reason a certification carries weight on a resume.
Some good options are:
SEO Certification Course (Simplilearn)
Simplilearn’s SEO course is aligned with OMCP standards and combines self-paced material with live interactive sessions delivered by working SEO practitioners.
Besides core SEO, it covers competitor analysis, voice search optimization, ecommerce SEO, conversion rate optimization, and auditing, and it teaches the main industry tools including Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and Keyword Planner.
You get lifetime access to the self-paced content and a year of free access to the SE Ranking platform.
Semrush Academy publishes a catalogue of free SEO courses, each ending in a certification exam, taught by well-known SEO practitioners rather than by Semrush staff alone.
The courses are short and specific, which makes them useful for filling a single gap rather than learning SEO end to end. Several are built around Semrush itself, so they are most valuable if you use or plan to use the tool.
There is no cost and no payment details are required.
Read our comprehensive review of the top SEO certifications to become certified by accredited institutions.
4. Google SEO Courses
Google does not offer a dedicated SEO course or SEO certification. It does offer SEO advice inside its digital marketing programs and through its own documentation.
Google retired the Digital Garage version of its Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification, so the short SEO lessons that used to sit there, Get Started With Search and Get Discovered With Search, are no longer available. What remains is summarized below.
Attract and Engage Customers (Google)
The Attract and Engage Customers course is part of the Google Digital Marketing and eCommerce professional certificate. The course is prepared by Google employees and delivered through Coursera.
Although Google does not name the course 'SEO', the content covers several aspects of search engine optimization, like search engine algorithms, serps, keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, and more.
The total time of this course is 21 hours and has no prerequisites.
For our full assessment of the wider certificate, read the review below.
Google's own SEO documentation is not a course, but it is the only source on this page that is written by the people who build the ranking systems.
The SEO Starter Guide covers how Google finds and understands pages, what you can influence, and, just as usefully, what Google says is not worth your time.
Read it alongside a structured course rather than instead of one. It tells you what Google wants, not how to do the work.
Read the guide below to discover all available Google SEO courses, including free and paid options.
5. Online SEO Guides & eBooks
Another great option to learn SEO is free guides and eBooks. Many companies, including Google, have released easy-to-digest guides to help beginners perform basic SEO tasks.
These guides will not make you an SEO expert, but they will help you avoid mistakes that may hinder your SEO efforts.
The Beginner’s Guide to SEO (Reliablesoft)
The Reliablesoft SEO guide is perfect for beginners. It starts from the beginning explaining what SEO is, why it's important, and how SEO works.
It includes step-by-step instructions that guide you through the most important SEO factors. The guide is written in an easy-to-understand language, a factor very important for those that have no prior experience with SEO.
Search Engine Starter Guide (Google)
The SEO guide by Google has been published and refined for years, and it is kept current as Google's own guidance changes.
As stated by Google, "If you own, manage, monetize, or promote online content via Google Search, this guide is meant for you. You might be the owner of a growing and thriving business, the website owner of a dozen sites, the SEO specialist in a web agency or a DIY SEO expert passionate about the mechanics of Search: this guide is meant for you."
The guide can be accessed online, and it's free.
One of the most popular online SEO guides is the Beginners Guide to SEO by Moz. The Moz guide is a gentle introduction to SEO for beginners and those who want to refresh their basic SEO knowledge.
For downloadable SEO resources, check out the guide below.
6. SEO Training (YouTube)
Another option to learn SEO is YouTube. There are many great video courses that teach SEO from reputable training academies.
The problem with YouTube SEO courses is that they are difficult to update, so before watching, make sure that the video was released recently.
Some good training options are presented below.
Complete SEO Course for Beginners: Learn to Rank #1 in Google (Ahrefs)
The Complete SEO Course by Ahrefs is two hours long and includes the most common SEO topics like keyword research, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.
The video is enriched with nice visuals and animations, making it a pleasure to watch. You can watch the whole video or make use of chapters to study a specific concept.
SEO Unlocked is delivered by the world-famous marketer Neil Patel. The course consists of 26 videos, published on YouTube for free.
This is the first video in the series, which is 10 minutes long. In this video, Neil introduces learners to SEO and sets a lesson plan for approaching SEO learning.
The SEO Full Course by SimpliLearn is a comprehensive training resource that is 12 hours long.
As expected, it covers SEO in detail but also touches on Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, Google algorithmic changes, and preparing for an SEO job interview.
If you want more YouTube SEO courses, click the link below.
7. SEO Training FAQ
These are some popular questions regarding SEO training.
Can I Learn SEO Myself?
Yes, you can definitely learn SEO yourself. You should start by understanding the basics of SEO and how search engines rank pages.
The essential topics to cover are keyword research, on-page SEO, link building, and technical SEO.
You can build the necessary skills through free and paid online SEO resources, such as the ones presented in this article.
Remember that SEO is a continuous learning process, because search engine algorithms keep changing and what worked last year may not work now.
For a step-by-step SEO learning plan, read the following post.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Google SEO?
On average, it takes beginners 3-4 months to learn SEO from scratch. This assumes that you know nothing about SEO and spend a couple of hours per day going through a course or reading other resources.
After the four months period, you won’t become an SEO expert, but you’ll know the theory of SEO and what you can do about it.
To become prominent in SEO, you need to do a lot of practice, and the best way to do this is to:
- Start your own website
- Do your keyword research
- Publish SEO-optimized content
- Monitor your progress
For more details, read the guide below, which includes more tips on learning SEO.
How Can I Become SEO Certified?
To become SEO certified, you need to complete a training program that ends in a graded exam or assignment, then pass it.
The route depends on your budget. Free certifications are available from Yoast, HubSpot Academy, and Semrush Academy, and they are real certifications with exams rather than attendance certificates. Paid programs such as Simplilearn add live instruction and a broader syllabus.
Be careful with courses that advertise a "certificate" without mentioning an exam, since those are certificates of completion and carry much less weight with employers.
Are SEO Courses Worth It?
Yes, SEO courses are worth it. They provide structured learning and expert insights, which can accelerate your understanding of SEO principles and practices.
They're especially valuable for beginners, but even experienced professionals can benefit from updated courses due to the dynamic nature of SEO.
When choosing an SEO course, it is important to check the last-updated date to ensure that it teaches the latest techniques and practices. This matters more than it used to, because AI Overviews changed how search results are presented and older courses do not cover it at all.
Does SEO Require Coding?
SEO does not require coding. Most modern CMS allows you to change your HTML headings, titles, and other settings without writing any code manually.
You can become a great SEO professional without knowing to code. It is not a requirement for learning SEO. In addition, most SEO teams have dedicated programmers to handle the coding tasks.
Does Google Offer a Free SEO Course?
Google does not offer a dedicated SEO course but provides SEO lessons through the Digital Marketing & eCommerce certificate and free documentation in its SEO Starter Guide.
For more options, look at the Google SEO Courses section.
