Investments in e-learning in 2022 have increased and there are no signs of slowing down. The global e-learning market will surpass $243 billion by 2022Statist’s estimates.
E-learning was already a growing segment when the pandemic hit fed record numbers in online learning for corporations, individuals and students. In fact, Coursera reported that those enrolled in its courses almost doubled from 2019 to 2020 and has only accelerated from there.
2021 Impact Report, Coursera
Online SEO training is a great way for companies to train SEO teams. KPMG reports employees prefer online training because they don’t have to travel and can learn at their own pace.
It also works for people who need upskilling or retraining as they change careers or look for a new job: “digital marketing” is still in the top 10 most in-demand jobs, according to LinkedIn.
If you are looking for SEO training, there is no shortage of courses. But what is a good SEO training course and how do you evaluate it?
Here are five things to look for in SEO training.
1. Who Created SEO Training?
One of the most important things when evaluating SEO training is to understand who the person or people are behind the training.
There is no “one way” to do SEO, so you won’t find strict standards for how SEO should be taught either. That’s why it’s important to get to the bottom of who’s behind the information. Do they have the experience and knowledge to provide reliable guidance?
Remember, bad SEO advice can kill websites, their rankings, and even entire businesses. So, know the qualifications of the teachers you will be learning from.
Professional advice: When evaluating course creators, look into their years of experience: are they authorities in their space? Can you trust their information? Reviews can help here too. (More on that later.)
2. What material does the SEO training cover?
SEO curriculum can cover everything from broad lessons on SEO concepts to niche topics.
For example, some SEO courses offer an overview of SEO, while others may delve into just one area, such as technical SEO or SEO copywriting.
Using my company’s online SEO training as an example, here is a sample SEO resume:
The Importance of SEO Concepts SEO Know Search Engines Website Anatomy Search Now and in the Future Content for Mobile SEO SEO Local Search Link Strategies Isolation Concepts Technical SEO Practices Best
There are many SEO training courses to choose from, and you can check out a list of independently reviewed SEO courses for 2022 to find out what they’re teaching and how they compare.
Professional advice: Know in advance the concepts you want to learn and then evaluate your options. Also, some people want to have something to show for their SEO training, such as a certificate. So, if this is important to you, you can find out which SEO courses offer some kind of certificate at the end of the course.
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3. How is the information presented?
Not everyone learns the same way. Some people like face-to-face classes, while others prefer videos, podcasts, or even reading. Keep in mind that even within the world of online education, how courses are presented varies.
For example, many online SEO courses have a set of static videos that you can watch at your own pace, and that’s it. Others may offer more resources to complement these videos, such as a hands-on project or downloadable content.
When we decided to make my company’s SEO training classroom online, we wanted to create an experience that was more than passive learning.
We decided to create an SEO training membership site to help fill the void of what people were missing about in-person learning (like collaboration and Q&A) and to cater to different styles of learning
For example, our membership site gives students not only access to video lessons but also:
Course slides for those who like reference materials. Members-only live Q&A discussions so people can bring specific SEO issues to me directly (something people have liked about our in-person training). A student forum where people can connect and discuss. SEO challenges and solutions. eBooks and guides for those who love to read and delve into hot SEO topics. SEO tools for students to use directly in their SEO projects. Email support for the course and tools. A growing library of ask-us – Any style of videos that address specific SEO questions.
Professional advice: Think about how you like to learn and then evaluate how the information is presented. For example:
How many video lessons are there in a course? How long is each video lesson? Are there accompanying materials? Can you ask living people questions? How long do you have access to the materials?
4. How fresh is the information in SEO training?
SEO is constantly changing. Yes, we have best practices, but there is always some new algorithm update, some new discovery, and some breaking SEO news. So you don’t want to learn outdated content.
This is why many of the SEO courses out there can quickly become outdated. And most instructors are unlikely to update their course videos with every new change.
Here, you want to know how dated the SEO resume is and how often the material is updated. This may matter less with certain SEO topics than others, but it’s worth exploring before signing up.
Professional advice: Find information about when the course was created and when it was last updated. You can even ask the course creator if it’s not obvious.
5. What kind of reviews does SEO training get?
There is often no better way to evaluate a course than to read reviews and testimonials. Of course, not everyone will get the same results after taking a course. But if enough people are excited about the SEO course, you can bet it’s probably going to be a good one.
Here, you want to look for visible signs of praise on the web page or course website. How many stars is the course receiving? How many people signed up? What do the witnesses say?
Then do your research on Google. Write “[course name] reviews” and see what appears on third-party websites.
Professional advice: Remember that not every student will like any course. Make sure you read what people didn’t like, but also balance that with good reviews.
SEO training has many benefits
Taking an online SEO training course offers a ton of benefits for multi-taskers. So wherever you are, SEO training can help you with:
Get new SEO hires on pace. Help different internal teams working on a website to access the same page. Enables ongoing training for experienced SEOs. Provide key skills for people looking to upskill or reskill.
Knowing how to evaluate a course can help you invest wisely in the future of your career or business.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Bruce Clay is the founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing optimization company offering search engine optimization, PPC management, paid social media marketing, SEO friendly site architecture, content development and SEO tools and education. Clay authored the book “Search Engine Optimization All-In-One For Dummies,” now in its fourth edition, and “Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals.” He wrote the first web page analysis tool, created the Search Engine Relationship Chart® and is credited with being the first to use the term search engine optimization. Bruce Clay’s renowned SEO training course is available online at SEOtraining.com.
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