Learning SEO is something anyone can do. And the best part is you can
do it mostly on your own as long as you know where to begin.
With the right resources and tools, you can quickly learn the basics
of search engine optimization. Then you can start applying what you’ve
learned and be well on your way to becoming an expert.
Unlike the pioneers of SEO, who learned everything the hard way, and
struggled to gather information, new generations have it all handed to
them. However, the information is not always structured. You need to
approach more than one resource in order to get into the subtleties of
search engine optimization.
I’ve separated the wheat from the chaff for all of you willing to
learn SEO, and organized it in a common-sense list that will guide you
through the steps. Below you will find some of the best free and paid
resources for learning SEO. Grab a notebook, a pen, and start your
online education!
- How Search Engines Work
- SEO Learning Guides
- Courses for Learning SEO
- Video/Audio Classes
- Keyword Research
- Link Building
- On-page Optimization
- Glossaries/Dictionaries
- Tools for SEO
- Forums for Discussion
- Ongoing Resources
- Essential Readings
- Mobile SEO
- Website Performance
- SEO/ Digital Conferences
1. How Search Engines Work
As a search engine optimizer it is imperative you understand how
search engines work. In general, you will probably be working with
Google, Yahoo! and Bing search engines, but if you target different
international markets, you might be dealing with Yandex, Baidu, and
other SEs as well. Below, you will find the best resources for
understanding how search engines work, what crawling and indexing mean,
and how SEO’s practices must adapt to these algorithms.
1. How Search Works
– Google created this visual story that makes it really easy to
understand how search, crawling and indexing work. It gives important
cues on how Google extracts information from their index in order to
provide you with results they think will be most relevant for the
queries you enter.
2. Inside Search
– Check this out for more accurate and detailed information on how
search works, what algorithms are and what they do, and how Google works
to fight spam in order to give you only the most relevant, freshest
results. The page also leads you to their Webmaster Guidelines,
which provide essential information if your aim is a friendly
relationship with Google’s algorithms. All in all, you should pay a lot
of importance to Google’s support website and articles, since they lend
crucial information.
3. Search Help from Google – Learn about the different types of search, what SafeSearch is (tip: it was created by Matt Cutts),
what location-specific search is, how to search by image (as opposed to
keyword phrases), how to filter and refine your search, and basically
use Google’s search function to its maximum potential.
4. How Bing Search Works
– Information from Bing’s official blog on how their search engine
works. You can also check out the SEO guidelines for Bing from the
official source, or this Princeton blog post explaining how Bing
functions as compared to Google – nifty information indeed!
5. How Yahoo Search Works
– This article by SEOBook clarifies not only how Yahoo! search works,
but how it does so as compared to other notable search engines. However,
it does focus more on Yahoo functions in particular, offering great
insights into the history of one of the oldest search engines in
existence.
6. Search Engines
– In this piece by Links&Law, you get some pretty straightforward
explanations on what search engines are, and are provided with excellent
information on the history of search engines in general.
7. Search Engine History
– There is such a thing as a search engine freak. If you’re really
curious about how search engines started, how many there were, what they
were able to do, and how they evolved, this detailed article is manna
from the skies.
8. How Search Engines Work –
Mike Grehan wrote a great theoretical paper called “New Signals to
Search Engines” that detailed what I thought was the best (read “most
honest”) history of the Internet. Since I first published this guide,
links where the paper was available kept changing, so I duly updated
them here. This year, it seems to have vanished, and I’ve replaced the
link to one of his shorter articles on how search engines work. However,
I want readers to still know about the paper, perhaps it’ll resurface
some day, or you may be able to find it. I also recommend his blog,
which is full of in-depth articles that are still useful today, although
it hasn’t been updated since 2014.
9. Google Data Center FAQ
– In order to get a comprehensive understanding of how Google functions
as a search engine, you need to learn about its multiple data centers.
Google has data centers throughout the US, but some are located in
Europe as well. These data centers house the servers which power the
search engine – some deal with data storage, others with crawling,
indexing, or Google ads. Their exact number is unknown, as Google is a
bit secretive in order avoid informing competitors’ decisions. I highly
recommend this article by Rich Miller, which gives you all the known
facts + the existing theories on Google’s data centers.
10. Google Crawling, Indexing & Ranking
– This document from Google Webmaster Central answers the most common
questions, and more, about how the search engine crawls, indexes and
ranks pages and websites. If you’re keen on learning SEO, start from the
bottom, by understanding how search engines work – particularly
Google’s. With a solid basis of how Google search works, you’ll be
perfectly prepared to tackle difficult SEO decisions. You might also
want to check out this technical SEO guide to crawling, indexing and ranking
written by Paddy Moogan, for a slightly different approach, and some
extra info. While Google’s guide above may be more focused on informing
webmasters in general, Paddy’s guide takes the SEO’s point-of-view.
11. Google Algorithm Cheat Sheet: Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird
– A big part of doing SEO is knowing Google’s algorithms, and
understanding how they influence search and your site. It’s all
explained very neatly, and in depth by Marie Haines in this article.
She’ll take you through what an algorithm change is, what each of the
algorithms does on its own and, more importantly, what to do in case
you’re negatively affected by an algo update. As usual, it’s also worth
skimming through the comments on Moz-published articles, since their
community always raises good points, and the discussions often clarify
tricky aspects of SEO and other digital-related matters.
12. A Guide to Major Google Algorithms
– This short guide by Michael Martinez also covers some of the Google
algorithms that you need to know about, including more recent ones like RankBrain.
And keep Martinez’ site, SEO Theory, bookmarked. It’s a good idea to
visit it from time to time, he’s got an excellent understanding of SEO
and has a very direct approach to the practice.
13. The Complete Guide to Google Penalties (Both Manual and Algorithmic)
– While we’re on the algo chapter, I thought I should add this great
guide on major Google penalties that you need to avoid, complete with
how to recover in case they hit your site. Neil Patel’s article will
help you either find the solution to a penalty problem, or learn how to
protect your site against penalties and work with the algorithms instead
of fearing them.
14. The Ultimate Google Algorithm Cheat Sheet
– What makes many of Neil Patel’s articles and guides so great, and not
just for beginner SEOs, is that they often take a step-by-step, how-to
approach to subjects or SEO tactics that can otherwise be difficult to
grasp or tackle. It’s pure, practical SEO knowledge in your hands, like
this cheat sheet on Google algos that will confront you with even the
smallest, but important effects of these algorithms.
2. SEO Learning Guides
In order to bring your education as close as possible to taking a
step-by-step class, you should begin with one of the more comprehensive
guides available online. The ones below will provide you with your first
steps into the SEO world and get you familiarized with important terms
and concepts that you’ll be using throughout your work.
You can learn SEO quite well by using just these guides, but all in
all, you should go through resources I’ve listed in each category in
order to get in depth understanding of the field.
15. Moz Beginner’s Guide to SEO
– Any rookie SEO, or anyone who wants to learn about the field, should
look into this guide, which takes you through all the basics. Presented
with a bit of infographic-style division, the guide breaks down
information in easily digestible capsules. You could also bookmark, for
further reading, their SEO learning page,
where you’ll find resources on link building, social media, and get
access to plenty more course and articles – most of which are free.
16. Search Engine Land’s “What is SEO?”
– As you learn more about SEO, you will realize that Search Engine Land
is one of the most valued sources for information and news. You might
like to subscribe to their newsletter or follow their website closely
for reports on Google and the SE optimization industry. Their SEO guide
is very well divided and explained, and offers a lot of actionable
advice that can be useful to beginners and pros alike. They’re also
quite proud of their Periodic Table of SEO Success Factors, which lists
what they have found to be the most important elements of optimization.
17. SEOBook’s 7-Day Guide
– SEOBook does a very good job explaining the why’s and how’s of search
engine optimization. This guide to SEO for beginners is excellent for
your first steps in understanding what you’ll be dealing with. The
lessons you find here are applicable and presented in a straightforward
manner, so that even newbies can get the gist of things. The information
you find on SEOBook is always relevant, unbiased, and to the point, so
you can rely on their articles and posts to learn any news or updates
about Google and SEO.
18. The Advanced Guide to SEO
– This guide on SEO, written by Neil Patel (founder of Quick Sprout)
lays out important strategies that you can put to practice. While it is
aimed at advanced SEOs, anyone can gain insight into the ongoing work of
optimization. The content is very well structured and exemplified, so
you should be able to follow the instructions even with minimal
experience.
19. SEO Tutorial for 2016 and Beyond
– Your online education will be much enrichened by learning from this
SEO tutorial for beginners. Webpage FX is a wholesome resource of
information on all levels and offers some interesting eBooks as well – I
mention those that might interest you in the Essential Readings category below.
20. SEO 101
– A short guide written by Jill Kocher. While it doesn’t offer a lot of
additional information you won’t find in the above-mentioned guides,
her article places a lot of focus on keyword research and provides a lot
of practical examples and strategies that should benefit any optimizer.
When you’re done learning from her actionable articles, you might also
like to check out the equally important second part of her guide, SEO
201, which tackles more technical aspects.
21. Google Search Engine Optimization Guide
– It doesn’t get any better than this: a comprehensive,
well-structured, well-explained and exemplified SEO guide right from the
horse’s mouth! Google created this internal guide to serve its
employees, but it is just as valuable to anyone looking to perform
optimization on their websites. Here, you will truly find the best (i.e.
Google-approved) practices you need to employ in order to increase your
odds at ranking in Google’s top results.
22. Google’s Digital Marketing Course
– Google is not one of the best sources of information thanks to their
powerful search engine only, but through internally generated content as
well. While they may be meagre with catering intelligence on
algorithms, they provide a lot of extremely useful data and support in
other areas – guiding users, webmasters, SEOs, marketers and business
persons in general. This digital marketing course should teach you how
and what tactics to apply in order to be a successful part of 21st
century (online) marketing.
23. Ultimate Guide to Bing SEO
– Most of what you’ve been learning about search engine optimization
refers to Google, because it is the most popular search engine. However,
many SEOs get to work with other engines as well. Featured on TechTage,
this article by Rohit Palit offers excellent insight into optimizing
for the second most important search engine.
24. SEO for Bloggers
– This post by Ashley Faulkes addresses the importance of SEO in
promoting your content and your website/blog by default. It does focus
on creating exceptional content in order to attract attention, links,
bookmarks, likes and the like, but all that through a SEO perspective.
The points made for keyword research, on-page optimization, link and
relationship building get you in the right mindset for producing content
so that both readers and search engines are met with quality.
25. SEO Checklist
– This short and to the point checklist will come in very handy to all
beginner optimizers who want to make sure the more important elements of
SEO are present on their websites. You can pair it with Ian Cleary’s
other article on SEO Ranking Factors and thus have a basic tactic for foolproofing your efforts.
26. WordPress SEO Tips
– WordPress is one of the best blogging platforms to start your online
presence with, especially if you can’t invest in a paid domain for your
site. It’s very SEO-friendly, but most of all, webmaster-friendly, so
beginners can dive into it easily and successfully. If that’s what
you’ll choose for your site, then it’s worth taking a look at this very
thorough article-guide put together by Matt Banner.
In it, you’ll get actionable tips on all the details you need to work
around to optimize for the search engine and for the users.
27. Complete Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization
– This is another excellent beginner guide to SEO. Wordstream is also a
steady and reliable source of valuable SEO information, and this post
is no exception. Although most of the information it in overlaps with
that of other guides in this list (how could it be otherwise?), I
recommend that as a beginner, you try various sources. Each different
guide has its own strong points, or might explain a topic in a way
that’s easier for you to understand.
28. Beginner’s Guide to SEO
– I know, I know. Another beginner guide to search engine optimization.
But if it’s just as good, or perhaps better than the other guides in
this list, it needs to be mentioned. Search Engine Journal are one of
the highest-authority sites on SEO in general. They’re not only a SEO
and digital news site, but an educational one too, amassing thoughts,
ideas and learning from the industry’s thought leaders.
29. E-commerce SEO: The Definitive Guide
– For those of you interested in learning SEO for eCommerce, I
recommend this dedicated guide written by Brian Dean. You would need to
focus on more conversion-focused keywords, or search terms that express
buyer intent. Building content, links, traffic and general site and
brand authority require a different approach for eCommerce sites, and
this guide is quite thorough in teaching you what to do and most
importantly, how to do it. You will learn about keyword research and
targeting, competitor tracking, site architecture, on-page SEO, internal
links, technical SEO, content marketing, site auditing, and more.
3. Courses for Learning SEO
The problem with SEO is you can’t go to any school to learn it
(unless you live in certain parts of the US). The internet is your
oyster, but first you need to find your oyster knife. It can be
difficult for beginners to know where to start. Moreover, not everything
you read on the web is noteworthy or truly helpful in teaching you how
to SEO.
Nevertheless, the courses below are your best bet at a complete
education. Decide how fast you want to become good, but don’t rely on a
single class to teach you all there is to know. Some of these courses
even offer a certificate or diploma when you graduate, so you’ll have a
better chance at getting hired in the field or attracting clients.
30. Wordtracker Academy
– Though well enough organized, Wordtracker’s Academy is not the most
complete course you could take. However, it gives you an idea of the
important topics on learning about SEO. It’s got separate categories
dealing with keyword research or link building, PPC, and content
writing. It has an apt category on social media marketing
which looks at all social media platforms separately and underlines
their importance, as well as how to integrate them into your marketing
campaign – this however might be better suited later on in your
education.
31. DistilledU
– Short for Distilled University, is a great resource for beginners to
learn the basics of SEO. This link takes you to their SEO 101 class and
Further SEO, if you find it useful to deepen your knowledge within this
source. You have to pay for this course, but it is very thorough and
well explained. One of the main points recommending it is the fact that
each module ends with an interactive quiz that helps you review what
you’ve learned. The modules are also nicely broken down, so you learn at
your own pace, when you get the time.
32. Moz Academy
– Although they now provide their own services and tools, Moz (former
SEOMoz) started out as a purely instructive website, which explains why
they’re still one of the best sources for information, data, and news in
the world of search engine optimization. It then only stands to reason
that they have their own academy – here you will find webinars and video
lessons on subjects like inbound marketing, SEO, social media, or link
building.
33. I Will Teach You SEO
– This course might be exactly what you need. It is specifically
targeted at beginners, or those who want to get started on SEO, and
hosted on the great database that is Udemy. Held by Matthew Capala – and
alternately titled “SEO Like I’m Five” -, the course is linked to
through Adam Connell’s review, which gives you the strong points of
attending and offers a discount, too! You might also like to check out Adam’s article on SEO Truth, for pointers on how to correctly approach SEO in the now.
34. Digital Marketing Training
– These courses, created and presented by Jeff Sauer, are extremely
valuable in that they focus on explaining Google Analytics – a tool
that, as you’ll see, is fundamental for SEO work. The courses charge a
fee, but you can verify how relevant they are to you prior to buying, as
you get a preview of each class. Nevertheless, they are divided on
levels, so the beginner training might actually benefit you.
35. Tutorialspoint SEO Tutorial
– Although a bit simplified, this tutorial is very on-point and starts
off by clearing up the most important terms you need to get familiarized
with. Take note, however, that this was probably written quite some
time ago, and in the world of SEO, that can mean a lot of relevancy is
lost. For instance, at some point, the tutorial mentions the importance
of adding meta keyword descriptions, something all good SEOs know is no
longer valid. The head of Webspam team, Matt Cutts, explains why Google
doesn’t use the keyword meta tag. You should also check out what meta
tags Google does use in ranking
your website. Another instance of outdated content is the tutorial’s
reference to the Google Keyword Tool, which has long ago become the
Keyword Planner.
36. Copyblogger’s Internet Marketing Education
– Copyblogger is another valuable resource when it comes to staying on
top of your game in online marketing and SEO in general. Behind the
link, you will find a complete course of education comprised of some 15
ebooks, an e-mail based marketing course divided in 20 installments, and
a reference list to some of their most valuable material. All of it is
free, but you have to register in order to get access and subscribe to
their newsletter – something you may have done in the future anyway.
37. Google’s Webmaster Academy
– For a complete understanding of best practices and guidelines to what
Google favors, take this course detailing the dos and don’ts of
creating a good website that Googlebots crawl and index properly, and
which the search engine favors in rankings. Albeit somewhat advanced for
a beginner, it will introduce you to the more technical aspects of
optimization – some of which you will need to deal with yourself.
38. SEO That Works
– Brian Dean is the type of author that produces a lot of quality,
valuable content, and I have referenced to several resources offered by
him throughout this list. Here is his course on SEO, which is
unfortunately closed at the moment. However, I recommend joining the
waiting list, so you can be among the first getting access when classes
are resumed!
39. Hubspot Academy
– This may not be about SEO directly, but it does cover the broader
topic: online marketing. If you want to excel at SEO, you should strive
to be the best marketer you can be. Hubspot has a real academy with real
teachers, and if you’re lucky enough to live in Massachusetts, you can
actually attend a class. If not, check out their Customer Projects,
which help you practice techniques of blog post optimization, or
content offer – these basically tell you what to do in order to, well…
do marketing and consumer outreach. For more targeted information, you
can register and download their free ebook, Learning SEO From the
Experts, or browse to your heart’s content through their vast Marketing
Library.
40. How to Make Infographics
– Even though this guide is SEO-adjacent as well, you will learn that
the infographic is yet another form of content that attracts traffic and
attention, and is one of the greatest ways of producing added value and
conveying information or a message. This article will provide you with
the basic steps and know-how of creating engaging and shareable
infographics.
41. Do you need an SEO?
– Google explains what clients should ask when looking to hire an SEO.
The article will give you good insights on your responsibilities and
obligations as an optimizer, and perhaps guide you towards learning
areas you wouldn’t have thought about adding to your education.
42. Google Analytics Academy
– If you want to be a good SEO and rank well in Google, you’ll need to
master its tools. These free courses offered by Google not only provide
you with in-depth knowledge of how to use Analytics to your benefit,
from eCommerce to mobile, and test your knowledge, but some of them come
with a certification as well, which will look great on your resume if
you want to get clients as an SEO. And if you’re going to rely on Google
Analytics for the success (and health) of your site, what better choice
than to learn from the source?
43. Market Motive SEO and Digital Courses
– Market Motive offers a complete set of online courses that can be
taken individually, or at team level. What’s more, you can choose
between a (cheaper) self-paced learning approach, or a more
comprehensive coached online classroom with the advantage of direct
feedback from your teachers. Although these course can cost a pretty
penny, they’re well worth considering if you’re looking for a serious
career in SEO, and a thorough, practical knowledge base on the subject.
44. Instant eTraining Certification
– Another good source for SEO classes and certification. Instant
eTraining also offer certification in other branches of digital
marketing like Social Media, Analytics, Content Marketing, and more.
It’s also worth checking out their Free Resources
page for webinars that cover these topics and more. And if you’re not
able, or willing to spend on a full course, you can try their video
library that features smaller bites of information for all level
learners.
4. Video/Audio Classes
Some people find it easier to learn visually. Luckily, the world of
SEO learning is filled with such opportunities, and I have selected some
of the best resources you can get your eyes on.
It might be best to stay away from webinars or classes you can simply
find on YouTube or other free video platforms, because they are harder
to vet, and may advise you to practice gray, or even black hat SEO
techniques. However, I do mention a couple of YouTube resources below
that have been posted by good names from SEO, so they are definitely
useful and will teach you plenty effective things.
45. Moz Webinars
– By now, it should be no surprise to you that Moz is one of your best
sources when it comes to learning and perfecting your optimization
skills. Here, you can either sign up for prospective webinars, or check
out their archive and select those that are of immediate interest to
you.
46. Quick Sprout University
– This is an interesting origin of information and knowledge for
beginner, intermediate, and advanced SEOs alike. Neil Patel and his team
produce great content that addresses both common and uncommon issues in
this field. Behind the link, you have free access to literally tens, if
not hundreds of videos that teach you theory and practice, offering
insight into the complex world of SEO. You could begin with courses like
How to Find Perfect Keywords for SEO,
hosted by Brian Dean. The fact that each video is supported by a
written transcript is yet another point to recommend this resource.
47. Udemy Courses
– Udemy is one of the largest databases of courses on a wide variety of
topics. Although most of them charge a fee, you can also find free
courses that are just as helpful. For SEO and SEO-related topics, go to
the Marketing
category and select whatever concerns you. Moz’s courses are especially
noteworthy (not to mention free), but keep an eye out for everything
related to your interest.
48. Whiteboard Friday
– Generally presented by Moz’s own Rand Fishkin, Whiteboard Friday
answers the most common and pertinent questions from the Moz Community,
as well as other questions SEOs have in general. While some of the
episodes may tackle advanced, technical subjects, you can also find
simpler concepts addressed, and very nicely explained by Rand.
49. KISSmetrics Webinars
– These guys are also rather thorough when it comes to applying and
teaching SEO techniques, and their webinars are held by some of the best
names in the field. You can browse through their webinar archive for
subjects you’re interested in, or sign up for their future webinars,
which come out about once a week. It’s true that most of the topics they
approach are advanced, but you can also find some which are more
appropriate for beginner levels.
50. HubSpot Broadcasts
– These audio broadcasts can become useful when you have learned enough
about SEO and start needing to refine your techniques and finding new
avenues for keyword research, specialized link building techniques, or
resources for content topics. What’s more, you can download and save
slides from each broadcast, so you can revisit the information and reuse
it anytime you need.
51. NoBoard SEO Series
– Helpful video lesson series by Dan Shure, which targets pretty
specific and niche-oriented subjects. Thus, they can come in handy when
you’re having trouble with particular aspects of optimization, such as
when to use rel=nofollow links, what the best times to tweet are, how to
deal with anchor text in backlinks, and many more.
52. Vertical Measures
– Although these webinar broadcasts can get quite specific and
niche-oriented, you can also find easier to approach subjects, like link
building strategies and creating content marketing plans. They also
come with downloadable slides.
53. Ecommerce SEO 101
– These video lessons introduce you to aspects of running an online
store, but focus on broader SEO topics as well. For instance, you can
learn some SEO fundamentals, gain insight on how Google ranks websites,
how to target the right keywords for your business, or how to steer
clear of Google penalties.
54. Attracta Basics of SEO
– Spend some of your time learning the basics of SEO from Attracta.
They too approach advanced issues, but there’s also a series of webinars
targeting fundamentals of search engine optimization. An upvote for
this resource stems from the fact that each webinar is paired with a
transcript, so if there’s anything you didn’t understand very well, you
can simply look over the text and reexamine the information.
55. Free SEO Training Course
– Jason McDonald proposes some free webinars that introduce you to what
he considers to be the top ten free SEO tools. Such a topic has to be
of interest to both beginner and advanced optimizers, and especially to
freelancing SEOs who might not dispose of the best budgets.
56. The State of Link Building
– A comprehensive webinar by Linkarati, hosted by Jesse Stoler, which
was recorded at the end of last year. Thus, what he discusses with his
guests is extremely relevant to this year’s link building efforts.
57. Technical SEO Course
– If you want to be able to handle your SEO top to bottom, then you’re
going to have to get technical. Without a corresponding background, that
might be difficult to handle at first. But you can start with this
course taught by the founder of Distilled, Will Critchlow. This is
quality and actionable information that you’ll be able to start applying
right away. And if you’re the visual learner type, you may find it
easier to accumulate and digest information with this course that spit
into bite-sized lessons, each with its own assessment tests.
5. Keyword Research
Keyword research is an important part of SEO, and it is the basis of a
successful marketing campaign. Knowing how to choose your keywords is
essential to getting your message across and promoting your content,
product, or services. Whether you’re looking to increase traffic or
conversions, this is where you start. The articles and guides below
focus on keyword research and strategies.
58. Backlinko on Keyword Research
– Backlinko generates some commendable and practical visual guides on
various SEO topics. This article on keyword research, written by Brian
Dean, starts off pretty basic and alerts you on the importance of
keywords, but goes on to demonstrate the best methods of searching for
the right keywords, providing you with strategies and resources. You can
also save the guide as a PDF and keep it nearby as an asset in your
first campaigns; it includes compelling notes on the uses and
limitations of Google’s Keyword Planner, and offers a few interesting
alternatives you should keep an eye on.
59. Copyblogger’s Keyword Guides
– Behind this link you will find access to two separate keyword
research guides produced by Copyblogger. All you need to do is register
with an account and you’ll get the Keyword Research: A Real World Guide
and Content Marketing Research: The Crucial First Step. Not only that,
but you are also given the option to download 14 more books on content
writing and marketing, SEO and other related subjects, and a 20-part
course on online marketing – basically the same deal mentioned above.
60. Hubspot’s A Beginner Guide
– This article by Hubspot (written by Rachel Sprung) is quite
insightful and provides fundamental knowledge on researching keywords.
It is very nicely completed by another Hubspot article, Keyword Research 101,
written by Samantha Winchell. The latter article however, focuses on
alternatives for research and presents you with resources and methods.
61. Moz Visual Guide on Keyword Targeting
– Rand Fishkin conscientiously explains how to target keywords and
perform on-page optimization for ideal SEO results. This article of his
is wonderfully supported by data and graphics that aid the learning
process and make all that information easy to absorb.
62. How to Find Profit-Driving Keywords
– In this piece from Wordstream, you will learn about some of their
best and free keyword research tools (such as the Keyword Niche Finder
or the Keyword Grouper). I suggest reading the other articles they
recommend too, they are considerably insightful and constructive.
63. Distilled’s 7 Places to Look for Keywords
– When you get a good grip on how keyword research is performed, you
might like to check out this very actionable article from Distilled,
which provides creative ways of expanding your keyword list other than
Google’s AdWords Planner.
64. Six Pillars of Keyword Research
– This is a short, straightforward, but useful article taking you
through the fundamental steps of finding the right keywords. It may be
more theoretical than practical, but it gets you in the right mindset
for the process and preaches the importance of relying on data. What’s
more, it was written by Bruce Clay, one of the leading SEO minds in the industry.
65. Keyword Strategy in Depth – If you’re willing to
pay for classes, this is just one of the courses Lynda.com offers. In
the Video/Audio Classes
category above, I have also listed video and audio classes that you
might find useful. For some, it might be easier to learn visually, or
directly from a teacher, but in the end, it’s up to you how much time
and money you’re willing to invest in becoming an SEO professional. In
all fairness, you may get a faster education by signing in and paying a
fee for online courses like this one, but I recommend doing proper
research before signing off on anything (SEO-oriented forums, such as
SEOBook, might be a better source for real customer/student opinions,
rather than the websites themselves).
66. How to Do Keyword Research for SEO
– Here comes an in-depth article on keyword research that stresses the
priority of selecting the right keywords for your goals. Nick Eubanks
takes you through the most important steps of this first SEO stage;
paired with his article on how to optimize pages for your target keywords,
this becomes a full-on guide any beginner would be smart to follow. And
if that’s not enough for you, Nick also holds a 7-day course on
mastering keyword research. Register here and you also get a 20%
discount for the course, using the AWR20 coupon code!
67. Nutshell Guide to Proper Keyword Research
– As long as you do search engine optimization, keyword research will
be one of the most important tasks you have to deal with. You’ll see
that SEOs often have different approaches to this, and prefer different
types of tools. That’s why it’s an excellent idea to see what they all
have to say, try their methods, and determine what works best for you.
Here you have a short guide on keyword research by the Content Marketing
Institute, another site you’d benefit from following up close.
6. Link Building
Link building is one of the heaviest responsibilities of a search
engine marketer, because it has to be done with finesse and a lot of
planning.
Define it as you may, link building is an art which requires multiple
aptitudes, including knowing how to approach others in your industry,
and where to find them. The following resources detail all the tactics
of earning or acquiring links in order to boost the visibility and
authority of your website.
68. What is Link Building?
– Although it doesn’t offer any strategies for link building, this
article by John Ball does a good job of explaining why we need it, how
it used to be done, and where it stands within today’s SEO. The article
is less than one year old, so everything in it is still relevant.
69. 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity
– In this article published on SEOBook, Aaron Wall and Andy Hogans
explain why link building will still matter just as much in the future,
but they also list, as promised, 101 ways of building links (although
not much detail is provided). You might also like to look over this
rather general article on Link Building, which supplies a few more ideas
on how to earn links and offers other related, valuable advice you
should keep in mind.
70. Wordstream’s How to Build Links for Free
– A resourceful article expanding on the importance of link building
and offering a few ideas on how to do it. It is very well completed by
this Link Building Strategy
list which takes you to other useful articles that are divided on
levels of expertise: beginner, intermediate and expert – this is a
resource for the long term.
71. The Noob Guide to Link Building
– Michael King (or MyCool King, as he likes to dub himself) is a
well-known SEO and blogger, and here he comes with a definitive piece on
link building, in an article written for the Moz Blog. The piece is
very actionable, offering step by step methods for link building, and
ideas for content creation that attracts links or at least gives you a
good chance at successfully asking for them.
72. A Definitive Guide
– This guide from Brian Dean is a highly valuable resource if you want
to learn what link building is, why it is important, and what the best
methods of doing it are. Very visual and well structured, you can
download this 9-chapter guide as a PDF and keep it nearby as an
essential resource. It takes you from the fundamentals of building
links, through content marketing and email outreach, explaining even
what black hat techniques are and how to stay away from them.
73. The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building
– Written by Paddy Moogan, this guide is another source of
comprehensive and well-structured information on the subject. I would
easily compare it with the guide above in terms of quality and quantity
of information. The “booklet” is about 90 pages long, so arm yourself
with patience, pen and paper.
74. Improved Link Building
– Moz is always a top-notch source of information, and this article by
Cyrus Shepard (a SEO guy to look out for) details some interesting
points on SEO copywriting and by default improving your link building
tactics.
75. Link Building Tactics
– This must be the motherload of information on link building. There is
no way of describing this article/guide without seeming exaggerated, so
I’ll leave it to you to discover just how resourceful it is. I
thoroughly enjoyed how well structured the article is, giving you
pointers on the difficulty of each tactic, the time it takes to
accomplish it, and even the link value of every strategy. Kudos, Jon Cooper!
76. Link Building in 2015
– Here you find detailed instruction on how to approach the task of
building links in 2015, and applicable strategies that improve the
authority of your site. Every strategy proposed by Adam Connell is also
paired with the type of content that works best for it. Don’t miss out
on the cheat-sheet provided by the author, it can be valuable to
beginners and professionals alike.
77. Link Building is Not Illegal
– You can take his word for it, he’s Matt Cutts. Although almost 2
years old, this interview of Eric Enge with Matt Cutts is still quite
relevant, because it gives us feedback directly from Google on how we
should approach link building, and what types of approaches can be more
successful.
78. The Advanced Guide to Link Building
– Another link building guide by Neil Patel and Brian Dean via Quick
Sprout, which you will find extremely useful once you start this chapter
of your marketing campaign. Inside, the authors talk about how to find
good link sources, what types of content naturally attract links, what
backlinks are most valuable, how to forge relationships in order to gain
good links, and more.
79. Definitive Guide to White Hat Tiered Link Building
– An extremely thorough guide by Rohit Palit that will become useful
once you start needing to refine your link building techniques. As such,
I recommend keeping it in mind for the latter part of your education,
and studying it when you’re ready to put these actionable advice to
practice.
80. Curated Guide to Building Links without Content
– Link building is a part of SEO that requires the combination of
several skills. Yet besides those skills, you also need to be constantly
looking for new ways of attracting or earning links. This refreshing
guide can be useful to any SEO, even those who rely on content to build
links. It lists out several strategies and techniques, such as broken
links, image links, or relying on sources like HARO.
81. 33 SEO Experts Share Their Link Building Strategies
– When you’ve mastered the other theory resources listed in this
category, it might be worth your while to check out how the experts
approach link building. Although this article was published in 2014, all
the tips and advice offered here are just as valid today. SEO is indeed
a fluid practice, but things don’t change drastically overnight.
Beginners and advanced SEOs alike have a lot to learn from the likes of
Rand Fishkin, Adam Connell, Sean Si, Neil Patel, Ian Lurie, and more.
82. Link Building in 2016
– The HOBO Web blog is always an excellent source for information on
anything SEO-related. But here you’ll find an even greater resource in
this link building guide that’s been adapted and updated for 2016,
written by Shaun Anderson. This 31-chapter guide starts from the basics
of what link building is, to explaining what natural and unnatural links
are, and proceeds to reinforce or dismantle new and old link building
techniques. Reading this guide, you can learn what is still valid and
what isn’t, or whether older techniques are successful again. Definitely
a resource worth browsing, for beginners and advanced SEOs alike.
83. 9 Link Building Resources
– If you’re looking to further perfect your link building techniques
and find new sources and resources to improve your site’s link profile,
then you should check out this very, VERY in-depth article from
Quicksprout’s Neil Patel. As I’ve mentioned on other occasions
throughout this SEO resources list, Patel’s articles are always not just
extremely detailed, but very practical as well, providing step-by-step
ways of achieving a given goal.
84. 50 Link Building Strategies for eCommerce
– Link building still is one of the most important aspects of SEO
because it brings the highest growth on site authority and targeted
traffic. In this awesome resource, you find 50 dedicated strategies for
building links on eCommerce sites. While it doesn’t go very in-depth
with explaining how to apply each practice, it is a good article in
amassing such a diverse array of practices that you can choose from, and
which you can learn more about from other sources, or simply by
practicing and finding out what works for you.
85. 44 SEO Experts on eCommerce Link Building
– I find expert round-ups very useful, since they gather lovely
nutshells of digital wisdom. But you should also look at the relevance
of the topic, the age of the article containing the advice, and, most
importantly perhaps, checking to see if those are real experts. This
article manages to succeed on every account, and you get some great
eCommerce link building advice from professionals like Will Critchlow,
Neil Patel, Mike King, Jon Cooper, Justin Briggs, Paddy Moogan, Ann
Smarty, Brian Dean, and many, many more.
86. Link Building Strategies (Your SEO Squad)
– Link building will be one of the most difficult aspects of SEO that
you must handle, so the more learning resources you can get your hands
on, the better. I recently came across this wonderful guide on link
building written by Matt LaClear, which takes your through all the basic
steps of link building, and beyond. Learn how to place your first links
on all assets owned by you, then move on to heavier stuff like earning
links from strong domains and industry influencers. And if you’re really
keen on learning link building and managing it for yourself (as you
should), then I also recommend purchasing Matt’s ebook on Link Building – a small price to pay for real, enduring wins.
7. On-page Optimization
Content adjustments stand at the core of any search engine
optimization strategy. Fortunately, there are loads of tools and
learning material instructing you on what to look out for when
performing on-page optimization. Below, you will find some of the more
pertinent articles and guides on the subject.
87. Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimized Page – This time a shorter guide from Backlinko, written by Brian Dean,
but just as significant in drawing attention to some of the most
important factors of on-page. The attached infographic makes it easy to
understand what the factors are and where they go on the page. I
recommend keeping it close, especially in your first endeavors.
88. 9 Step On-Page SEO Guide
– This succinct guide from Hubspot is great at explaining, in an easy
to comprehend manner, what the most important factors of on-page
optimization are. It is very meticulous and can be used as a template.
89. On-Page Factors by Moz
– A neat article presenting the essentials of optimizing your pages and
making them crawler-accessible and search-engine-adorable.
90. SEO 101 Page Optimization Like a Pro
– Thorough and significant, this piece written by Zain Shah for Search
Engine Journal segments information well and stands as a pretty good
guide for optimization.
91. On-page Topic Targeting for SEO
– Another useful article from Cyrus Shepard, in which you get
practical, applicable advice on keyword targeting, keyword frequency and
distance, links, and more.
92. SEO Checklist
– This checklist provides you with the most important factors to look
out for when performing optimization on-page. Make sure you check out
the links for off-page optimization and technical factors as well – they
provide further insight into SEO tactics that you should be dealing
with anyways.
93. 2014 SEO Playbook
– This article for on-page by Tom Schmitz lists out the same factors
you have been constantly reading about so far, but it offers nice
explanations on their importance and gives out some clarifying examples
to go with them. Although written for 2014, the ideas in it will still
apply in years to come.
94. Complete On Site Optimization Tutorial
– The author of this post, Sean Si, claims that this is a complete, yet
simplified tutorial for on site optimization. As impossible as that may
seem, the author does manage to structure the information neatly, so
that for each factor listed, you get a link leading to more in depth
explanations.
95. Composing Irresistibly Viral Titles
– Learning how to write good titles is a weighty part of SEO, and has a
lot to do with on-page optimization too. Besides making sure your
titles are the right length, you also want to make sure they are
relevant, and that they attract clicks! This all-embracing article by
Dan Shure lists multiple ways to make titles engaging and optimized.
96. Fat Free Guide to SEO Copywriting
– See what they did there? They used the keyword “free” to get us to
click on the link, except they do charge a symbolic sum to download
their content. In all fairness, the price is a mere $1.27, and the
booklet does touch on important points of copywriting.
97. On-Page SEO Checklist
– What’s better than a guide? A tutorial. And what’s better than a
tutorial? A checklist! – which is what you get for free if you register
with an account on the Webpage FX website. A book like this teaches you
all there is to know and do about on-page optimization. Your reliance on
tools for this task only works in the post-publishing phase, so it’s
best to start off with all your on-page factors ticked off.
98. On-Page SEO for 2016
– If you’ve read even a small part of the resources in this list, you
already know that SEO is not an exact science. It evolves and changes
from year to year, even more often than that – either because Google
keeps updating its search engine’s algorithms, or simply because some
SEO tactics lose their value when they become overused. So while many
things stay the same, others might be altogether changed. But with this
really nice article which details how to do on-page SEO for 2016, you’ve
got your back covered.
99. Step-by-Step Guide for On-Page SEO Management
– Here you’ll find another guide for on-page SEO, this time from
HubSpot, a brand that’s renowned in the digital space for their
top-notch content. While this isn’t one of their most in-depth articles,
I wanted to add it because it’s got a very nice and useful template
which you can use when you’re trying to tweak on-page across your sites.
As such, it’s very useful for those looking to manage several websites
and need to keep track of the improvements they apply.
100. SEOlium On-page Optimization Guide – I
love it when fundamental notions are explained in unambiguous and
simple language, aided by visuals. That’s why I wanted to include this
guide from SEOlium, which manages to explain very clearly and skillfully
what one needs to know and do for effective on-page optimization. If
you’re a SEO novice, or are training one, you might want to share this
resource with them.
8. Glossaries/Dictionaries
As you learn SEO, you will be confronted with lots of new terms and
concepts that can be difficult to grasp at first (especially if you come
from a totally unrelated education background). Thus, having a few
resources that focus solely on explaining those terms to you will come
in very handy and streamline your learning process.
101. SEOBook Glossary
– This is the most comprehensive list of terms I have been able to
find. It doesn’t just define, but it explains and exemplifies more
complex concepts. At the end of the glossary, you also find some links
for even more glossaries, and tips on how to search for definitions on
your own in case there’s something missing.
102. AdWords Terms – This glossary only defines the terms you find in Google AdWords, and will be useful in your interaction with the tool.
103. Searchmetrics Glossary
– Not as thorough, but it does list some terms that the glossaries
above don’t feature. It’s neatly structured, so finding your keywords
will be easy.
104. 15-Minute SEO
– Short, but very to the point and actionable dictionary dealing with
several factors of SEO, on-page optimization and link building. I
recommend it because it grades every factor by importance and influence,
alerting you on which practices are positive, null, or may have a
negative influence on your optimization efforts. Pay attention to
outdated relevancy however – this one ranks the keyword meta tag as a
positive factor, when it is actually null or even damaging to your SEO
efforts.
105. Bluefountainmedia Glossary
– Another good resource for terms definitions. I deem it useful for the
same reason that it features concepts the glossaries above lack, so
keep it nearby.
106. SEO Theory’s SEO Glossary
– You can never have too many glossaries. Just kidding, you can. But I
wanted to include Michael Martinez’ SEO glossary here because it’s just
as good as the others I’ve listed. My hope is that you’ll browse all
these terms glossaries and choose one that you like best to keep
referring to it whenever you encounter a new term.
9. Tools for SEO
Both beginners and experts need to rely on tools in order to
streamline their work. There’s no doubt about it: to perform good SEO,
you need to rely on data – lots of data. But aggregating, sorting and
analyzing all that information would take forever without the right
tools to bring it all together.
From a rookie point-of-view, using keyword or on-page tools will help
you get firsthand experience on how to SEO. Only by getting practical
are you able to understand the theoretical, so here are some tools that
will definitely set you on the right track. The Internet is filled with
them, but it will be your own experience and methods of work that allow
you to decide which ones will be more useful to you.
107. Google Analytics
– Search engine optimizers come in all shapes and sizes; you could be
an expert, hired by the largest companies in the world and provided with
all the resources and budgets you could wish for, or you could be a
freelance blogger looking to increase visibility on your website.
Whichever one you are, there is no doubt you will find good use in
utilizing the free tools Google offers, and Analytics is definitely one
of them. Here are two articles helping you understand Analytics and
coaching you on how to use it to maximum potential: What Google
Analytics can Tell You is a short and simple article explaining what
each category in Analytics does, whereas this Google Analytics Guide
goes pretty in depth with the applications of the tool, where and how
it gets its data, and how it can be useful for you. I also want to
include this article on Understanding Google Analytics by Ian Cleary,
since it features some simple explanations of the categories found in
G.A.
108. Google Webmaster Tools
– This useful collection of tools helps webmasters and SEOs with more
practical aspects of optimization, such as running audits of your
website, alerting you whether parts of the website are not properly
indexed, and much more. Professional optimizers learn to work closely
with GWT in order to track the status of their website, and so should
you; all that can be overwhelming at first, since this toolkit provides
you with a lot of options and operations. For a better understanding of
the tool, take this course from Google on Webmaster Tools Help, and read
this SEO Guide for Webmaster Tools from Search Engine Land.
109. Bing Webmaster Tools
– As you may have gathered, this aggregate of tools is Bing’s own
version of GWT; that is, it’s their main tool for those optimizing
websites for Bing’s search engine, and it offers support with aspects
such as crawling and indexing, submitting sitemaps, checking for metrics
like impressions and clicks, CTR and traffic (data here is gathered
from Yahoo! as well, not just Bing). For some in-depth understanding of
the tool, read the Bing Webmaster Guidelines, this Getting Started
Checklist, and this thorough Overview article written by Simon
Heseltine.
110. Google AdWords Keyword Planner
– Let’s get you started with the keyword research basics. If you’ll be
optimizing for Google’s search engine, this should be one of your most
important resources for finding keyword ideas and getting a sense of how
competitive they are.
111. Google Trends
– In time, you will learn that getting unique keyword ideas can prove
tricky if you only use one or two tools. For instance, Google Keyword
Planner (GKP) is the most used tool, so you will be competing with
everyone else for the same keywords, not to mention it only produces
very related terms. However, you can expand your list and get new
suggestions by using Google Trends. This tool has a lot of potential for
those looking to write viral content. Pay attention to Google Correlate
as well, which can give you suggestions on what else people look for in
relation to your keywords.
112. Übersuggest
– This tool offers multiple interesting keyword suggestions through a
simple, yet highly effective method: it takes your keyword, matches it
with all the letters of the alphabet and retrieves suggestions from
Google for all combinations., The list is neatly organized and
displayed, so you can choose only what is most relevant to you. Example:
if your keyword is “coffee”, Ubersuggest starts looking for coffee + a,
coffee + b, and so on; it then brings up combinations like [coffee
allergy] or [coffee beans]. After you’ve selected a relevant list, you
can go back to GKP and verify search volume and competition.
113. Keywordtool.io
– In many ways similar to Ubersuggest, this keyword tool has the extra
value of adding alphabet letters at the front of your selected keyword
as well, so it searches for a + coffee, b + coffee, etc. More than that,
it combines your keyword with 0-10 numbers as well, so your list is
nicely completed. It is ideal for getting into long tail keywords and
expanding your keyword groups.
114. Soovle
– This nifty tool is also quite smart when it comes to expanding a list
of keyword seeds or coming up with unusual suggestions you may not have
found otherwise. It gathers keywords from sources like Google search,
Bing, Yahoo!, Amazon, YouTube, Wikipedia and so on.
115. SEOBook Keyword Tool
– Register with an account, and you’ll gain access to the free version
of SEOBook’s keyword tool. On the same page, below the tool, you find a
helpful article on how to make the most of it.
116. PageSpeed Insights
– Another one of the many free tools from Google, this one helps
webmasters check how fast their pages load. This is important because
anything over a second usually leads to a high bounce rate and decreases
quality of UX.
117. Screaming Frog
– From time to time, it’s a good idea to perform a crawl test of your
website and check whether search engines have properly indexed your
website. Perhaps you would like certain parts of your website to remain
non-indexed (see uses for robots.txt and how to use a robots.txt file), in which case you have to get technical.
118. Open Site Explorer
– This is a powerful, versatile tool from Moz that can be used in a
limited, free version as well. It allows you to analyze the authority of
a page, page link and social metrics, the number of inbound links,
linking domains, anchor text, and more. With a paid account, you get
access to even more tools, like the On-Page Grader, which points out exactly the good and the bad of your on-page factors.
119. SEORCH
– Similar to Moz’s on page grader, this free tool shows you what’s good
about your on-page optimization, what’s bad, and what’s missing.
120. Portent’s Content Idea Generator
– It would be unfair to say that this tool is useful to beginners only.
Sure, as a rookie you may rely on it more often, but even the most
experienced authors run out of ideas from time to time. This clever tool
from Portent is not just an idea generator, but great at suggesting
catchy, clickable titles as well. Each part of the title is explained,
so you learn various tactics of creating attractive headlines. Try it
now, just for fun!
121. Headline Analyzer
– Writing good, luring titles is a key element to getting people to
read your content. This tool from Coschedule analyzes your title in
terms of word balance and grammar, gives you character and word count,
shows you how the title will appear in SERPs or e-mail newsletters, and
provides insightful pointers on how to improve.
122. SEO Review Tools
– Another group of useful tools that aid your SEO efforts. You can
check the authority of your or your competitor’s domains, check for page
authority, backlinks, internal links, search for keywords, verify
redirects, and check social metrics for platforms like Facebook,
Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and many, many more.
123. GoogleGuide
– This is not actually a tool, nor is it an official Google product.
However, it is an extremely resourceful website teaching search nerds
how to get the most out of search, how to refine and filter searches,
how to perform advanced searches, instructing you on everything you need
to know about Google search operators and in which situations they are
useful.
124. Insanely Large List of SEO Tools
– It takes real experience and work to actually gather such a
comprehensive list of SEO gizmos. David Portney’s list includes tools
for every step of SEO you could think of, and then some. Keep this in
your toolbar as a permanent go-to in your learning process, but for your
consequent hire jobs as well! I also need to mention Portent’s
interesting SERP Preview Tool which helps you optimize for increased click through rate chances.
125. Microsoft SEO Toolkit
– This SEO toolkit from Microsoft enables you to manage various aspects
of your site and make sure it’s well optimized for the search engines.
All you have to do is download and install it, then take advantage of
its capabilities for pointing out search engine and UX optimization
opportunities, detailed reporting of page load time and resource usage,
and the very useful error identification of broken or invalid links,
duplicate content, and more.
126. AWR Studyr
– Shamelessly self-promotional, but objectively worthy of being on this
list, the AWRStudyr plugin for Chrome created by our devs at Advanced
Web Ranking, should be part of your free toolkit whether you’re an SEO,
or a web developer. The plugin allows you to verify web pages for
keywords, see if it’s mobile-friendly, check the meta description, and
get a bit techier with pagespeed insights, HTML5 errors, social shares,
mixed content, and more. It’s definitely useful if you want a quick
glance over your website or your competitors.
127. Mobile Friendly Test
– Since I first put together this SEO resources list almost two years
ago, the digital world has turned severely mobile. Nowadays it’s almost
essential for a large majority of online businesses, or businesses that
rely on the online as well, to have a mobile-friendly site, or even a
special mobile dedicated site. As usual, Google’s test tools are very
useful. When it comes to mobile, you either are, or you aren’t. And this
tool shows you what needs to change in case you’re not.
128. Free Keyword Tool from Wordtracker
– As you may already know, Wordtracker specialize in creating highly
performing keyword research tools. But they also offer a free version of
their keyword tools. Albeit limited, if you’re a beginner and only
starting to make keyword lists for your site to create content and
pages, you may find this tool very useful. It gives you nicely related
terms with their respective volumes, assigns a value to the level of
competition for each term, and adds a very nice and useful KEI metric –
the highest potential keywords in your market. You only get 10 related
search terms at a time, but for some of you, it might be just perfect in
the beginning, especially if you combine it with other free tools.
129. Keyword Discovery
– This is another nifty little tool that allows you to find search
terms for your site. What I find nice about it is that it somehow
manages to give you, as you’ll find described on the site, both generic
and long-tail keyword, that are somehow gathered from some 200 search
engines from all over the world. In its free version, the Keyword
Discovery tools offers hundreds of search terms, and search trends for
the last 12 months. If you get the paid version, you’ll get up to 10,000
search terms per query, and a complete 12-month trend history.
130. Wordstream Free Keyword Tools
– For beginner purposes, or for someone who’s managing a single site,
free keyword tools can still make a difference. That’s why I definitely
wanted to add Wordstream’s list of free keyword tools, starting with the
generic tool that relies on a constantly updated database of over a
trillion unique search queries. Then, you can keep refining your lists
by taking your terms through the keyword niche finder, the keyword
grouping tool, or the negative keyword tool. While this might mean a
little bit more work from you than would be required with a paid tool,
in the end, you’re left with a highly valuable keyword list. I also like
the adult filter, and the “nichefy keyword results” filter. Pretty
nifty, but make no mistake – you’ve got a limited number of uses per
day, so use them wisely! You get 10 tries on your first day, and just
one per day from then on.
10. Forums for Discussion
One of the best ways to learn SEO is by talking with others in the
industry. This is easily accomplished by becoming an active member in
forums, but you can also be a simple observer and check to see what
others are discussing.
If you have questions the Internet doesn’t provide answers for,
logging into niche-specific forums can be a great idea and source of
information. As you become more knowledgeable in SEO, you might also
like to check forums to get ideas for posts, keep in touch with
important bloggers and content writers, and even use these platforms to
promote your own work (especially when it solves others’ problems).
Here are a few essential forums and communities you should check out.
For more resources, type in “SEO + forums” in your favorite search
engine and start sifting!
131. Moz Q&A Forum –
The Moz Community is very active, and here you might get the chance to
interact with big names from the SEO industry. For starters, you can
enjoy the free access to reading discussions and finding out what SEOs
talk about, what preoccupies them, and what new trends shift around. If
you want to participate in the conversation and leave a comment, you
need to register with a paid Pro account, something perhaps best suited
later on.
132. WebmasterWorld
– It may be difficult to make sense of this complex forum at first, but
it doesn’t get any better than this. Everything “webmaster” is
discussed in here, and you’ll also stay on top of news concerning
Google, social media platforms, and more. At the bottom of the page,
there is a forum index, so you can select the subjects you’re interested
in. I suggest starting with Google SEO and checking out some of the
discussions there. You must register before having access to forums and
threads.
133. SEO Reddit
– As you read more about search engine optimization, you will see that
lots of optimizers, content writers and online marketers often bring up
Reddit as a good source of information. Reddit is also based on a nice
ranking system, where people get to upvote threads that are useful or
interesting, so the subjects sort themselves out. Being active in this
community is also helpful and will be a good root for content ideas.
134. WarriorForum SEO
– This forum has subsections and threads on everything related to
marketing, webmastering, copywriting, web design, link building, social
media, and more. Here, I’ve linked to their SEO category, which I
recommend starting with.
135. SEO Chat
– A forum entirely dedicated to all things SEO, including search engine
marketing, PPC and other internet marketing related subjects. The
threads are well divided and split into categories, so it should be easy
to browse, even for those with little experience.
136. SEOmastering Forum
– Another resource that might steer you towards useful information and
discussions. However, I wouldn’t recommend the Marketplace category,
since gray and black hat tactics are often discussed and contracted
there – practices Google badly frowns upon, and which you want nothing
to do with.
137. Google+ Link Builders
– This is a nice Google+ community that’s passionate about link
building. They discuss new ideas, test link building techniques and
share their results, or ask for advice from other link builders.
Participate in the discussions, or simply check out their posts; browse
the categories for link building tips, best practices, news and more.
138. Digital Point Forum
– This is another forum that’s got a very active SEO community, with
threads going as far back as 2006 that are still active. Threads with
hundreds of thousands of views and even hundreds of replies, which are
both good indicators on the value of the topics and the community itself
and how involved the members are. Here I’ve linked directly to the SEO
category, but if you go back to Business & Marketing, you can find
topics like Google, Yahoo, Bing, other search engines, General
Marketing, Social Networks, eCommerce, PPC, and more.
139. SEO Mastering – First of all, for you beginners, I recommend this forum because it’s got a special SEO Basics
category where you can go find solutions and answers to your questions,
or create new threads if there are unanswered issues. Later on, you’ll
learn to use forums not just for delicate issues that require in-depth
knowledge, but to inform your keyword and overall marketing strategies.
140. Quora
– Everyone loves Quora. And I mean everyone, not just SEOs and
marketers. Everyone who ever wanted a question answered, on all topics
imaginable, can set up an account, and just ask away. Hundreds or
thousands, perhaps even millions of users are waiting to give you their
two cents. Just like with Reddit, you don’t get just anonymous replies,
but full answers from community leaders, personalities, specialists and
experts in their respective fields. In time, you can position yourself
as a thought leader too, by answering as many questions as possible in
the niche you activate in. And as you’ve probably figured out by this
point, Quora is also an excellent source for content marketing topics –
here is where you see what people are actually interested in.
11. Ongoing Resources
One of the ongoing tasks of an SEO is to be constantly aware of the
changes, updates and events that occur in our field. In order to do
that, you need to know what the most authoritative websites and blogs
are.
There are loads of information out there, but for starters you should
focus on the safest resources, those that give out relevant news and
provide you with interesting articles on innovative and selective SEO
techniques. What you find below is your basis:
141. Search Engine Land
142. Search Engine Watch
143. Search Engine Journal
144. The Moz Blog
145. SEOBook Blog
146. SEO Round Table
147. SEO by the Sea
148. Stone Temple
149. SEO Theory
150. Blind Five Year Old
151. Conversation Marketing
152. Occam’s Razor
153. Distilled
154. ClickZ
12. Essential Readings
There are a lot of books on search engine optimization and marketing
that can help you on your quest to becoming a SEO Jedi. Luckily, some of
them are free, so you have access to a vast deposit of knowledge that
can complete your training. Not all of them target SEO for beginners,
which is why I’ve listed them at the end; they will be part of your
continuous learning process and help you expand your knowledge.
Books in PDF
155. Search Engine Optimization Bible
(second edition) – In this book by Jerry L. Ledford, you will learn
about search engine basics, SEO strategies and optimizing search
strategies, maintaining SEO at a successful level, and much more. It
doesn’t get any more in depth than this. While the book was written in
2009, most of the information found here is still relevant, since it
focuses on introducing you into the world of search engine optimization
and offers a stable structure to evolve off of.
156. Teach Yourself Visually Search Engine Optimization
– If you’re a visual learner, but not particularly keen on videos, you
might like to try this book by Rafiq Elmansy. It lists and explains the
fundamentals of SEO in a visually structured setup; in that regard, it
can be really useful for beginners, allowing you to compare stuffy,
text-heavy courses and articles with a simpler format.
157. The Art of SEO, 2nd Edition
– Eric Enge, Rand Fishkin, Stephan Spencer and Jessie Stricchiola have
collaborated to write this book on “Mastering Search Engine
Optimization”. Each of them has provided their own techniques and
strategies, and this second edition is an updated version .
158. SEO Warrior
– Getting the hang of SEO theory can be exhausting at first, which is
why you’ll find it very useful to use books and guides that put you to
work. This book by John I. Jerkovich introduces you to tactics,
strategies and practices that you can actually use to test your
knowledge and, further on, to progress with your optimization work for
best results.
159. SEO Secrets
– You have to pay for this book on SEO by Danny Dover, but for good
reason. In it, you’ll find most everything you need to know about search
engine optimization, and more. It can be your learning manual, your
go-to guide when you’re having problems with no apparent or easy
solution. It’s the type of book to own in your SEO library, especially
if you’re the type of learner who needs courses in paperback versions.
But if you’re just looking for information to be at your disposal in
various circumstances, you can buy the Kindle version. P.S.: I’ve linked
to Amazon here, but you may be able to find a better deal on the book
on other resources – I just wanted to show you which is the book, along
with some poignant reviews on its contents.
160. The Truth about SEO
– This is another excellent book on SEO for beginners. It introduces
you to the topic, and goes in-depth on what every aspect of SEO is and
how you apply it to get your site found in search, outrank your
competitors, drive traffic and more. It may not be action-packed with
step-by-step techniques, but if you’re a novice, this might be just what
you need.
eBooks for FREE
161. BIGcommerce SEO Bible
– Written by the Spring Merchant team, this bible was published in
2012; it focuses on paid search SEO and how to run a good campaign ad
that attracts conversions and increases sales. Thus, if you’re
interested in optimizing an online store, or online marketing strategies
that get people to buy products or services online, this is a great
resource introducing you to the fundamentals of such practices.
162. The Advanced Guide to Content Marketing
– By now, you will have probably gathered that the basis of any
successful SEO campaign is very good, informative content. Even an
ad-based campaign is founded on excellent ad copy and precise keyword
selection. In this advanced guide by Neil Patel and Kathryn Aragon, you
will learn the step-by-step process of creating a content marketing
campaign, starting with creating target personas, goals, branding,
keyword research, setting up a schedule for writing and publishing
content, promoting that content, measuring your results, and even tips
on never running out of ideas.
163. Search Engine Optimisation
– This eBook by Jacqui Carrell is ideal for SEO debutantes; it features
a thorough introduction to SEO ropes, and touches on the essential
points of keyword research (for organic and paid search), on-page and
off-page optimization, link building, SEO for mobile, or how to track
and measure the success of your endeavors. You can also find more
related eBooks on Bookboon SEO, which is a very good ongoing resource.
164. SEO – From Beginner to Boffin
– Brian Bentley has a very direct, pragmatic and technical approach to
SEO, perhaps thanks to his scientific education background. His eBook
approaches SEO as a science, looks down on Google, and practically
convinces you that you can be successful. It provides you with theory
and pragmatic approaches, gives you cues on technical aspects of SEO,
and even gets into detail about the more popular social media platforms.
165. SEO Training eBook
– Another search engine optimization book for beginners, written by
Shaun Anderson, for which you will need to subscribe to get access. The
Hobo Guide to SEO for Beginners is exactly what most of you need to get
started in this field, providing you with theory, tips and tactics on
how to practice and master search engine optimization.
166. The Basics of Search Engine Optimization
– This book by David Burdon is a free PDF you get instant access to.
Although published in 2005, it covers just the basics, so there’s little
worrying about relevancy. The booklet is to the point, and includes a
short glossary at the end.
167. Investing in SEO
– Although this article is not related to taking your first steps in
search engine optimization, I wanted to introduce it anyway because it
throws light on the practical aspects of working in, and with SEO. In
it, Jeff Sauer discusses how PPC is commonly favored in detriment to SEO
simply because it delivers immediate results, and success (or lack
thereof) can be easily measured. As a future optimizer, you may have to
deal with customers and educate them on how your work brings
improvements. Sauer’s article on Proving SEO Value is somewhat related, and worth a read.
168. 50 Shades of Digital Marketing
– Although this might only interest some of you – and later on in your
education -, it’s nice to know the resource is there. Francesca James
and Hannah Durham tackle the topic in depth, and provide readers with
theory and actionable steps that would assist any digital marketer.
169. Conversation Marketing eBook
– When you start feeling like optimization, keyword research and link
building just aren’t doing enough for you anymore, you might like to
delve into this free eBook and learn more about how to get the most out
of Analytics, social media, and internet marketing in general. Here is
another Fat Free Guide to Google Analytics,
written by Ian Lurie, which adds to the conversation, so to speak. It
is a useful guide for beginners and advanced SEOs alike, since it takes
you from setting up Analytics, to tracking your goals and working for
actual results.
170. Beginner’s Guide to Inbound Marketing
– Inbound marketing is the new way to do it. If you want the right kind
of attention for your blog, website, product, service or what-have-you,
then you need to attract them with the right kind of offer. You need to
add value to their online experience, and this book tells you how to do
it. SEO is a fragment of inbound marketing, so make sure you understand
the whole picture of what you’re dealing with.
171. Marketing Guides
– When you’re ready to learn more about marketing, check out these
three guides written by Jayson DeMers: The Definitive Guide to Marketing
Your Business Online, The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing,
and The Definitive Guide to Google’s Hummingbird Algorithm. Lower on the
page, you fill find more chapters on a variety of marketing-related
topics, which you can download individually as per your particular
interest or need.
172. How to Convince Your Boss to do SEO
– One of the more practical aspects of doing SEO implies convincing
bosses or clients that they need SEO. That’s not saying you need to
become a salesperson, but that you have to know how to educate others on
the importance of online marketing and all that it entails. This guide
by Nicole Kohler explains how.
173. The Link Building Book
– Paddy Moogan wrote one of the best guides to link building, but in
this new book, he takes it to a whole new level. When you’re done
reading hundreds of articles with short lists of link building
techniques, you’ll probably want to turn to something more serious, and
this book is it. You get all the resources you need in one place, and
learn tactics that are proven and most likely successful for anyone who
tries them.
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