Is It Hard to Learn SEO As a Complete Beginner?

SEO is not that hard to learn, but it’s only too easy to get pulled down a rabbit hole of conflicting information and shiny objects, which can stagnate progress and do more harm than good.

In this post we’ll look at how you can learn SEO on your own, how long you can expect it to take, some common pitfalls and challenges you might encounter along the way, and finally, how to learn SEO for free or at a low cost with today’s best SEO training.

Can you learn SEO on your own?

Yes, today anyone can learn SEO, thanks to the huge selection of online SEO courses and training programs that has sprung up over the past few years. For instance, a few years ago, I ranked a brand-new local business website #1 in Google in just a few months by following an online course on Udemy. The website was dead ugly, but I didn’t care – this small success felt like a huge victory at the time. The course cost me less than $20.

Since then, I’ve continued to develop my knowledge of SEO through affiliate marketing. I believe the best way to learn SEO as a beginner is through hands-on practice, either by ranking your own local business website or starting an affiliate marketing blog.

In addition to online courses and hands-on practice, a third great way to learn search engine optimization is by joining active online communities in the SEO and web development niche. Many SEO experts in these communities are willing to lend a helping hand and give friendly advice when you get stuck. Below, I’ll cover some of the top groups you can join.

In case you’re wondering how long it takes to learn SEO, you can expect to have the basics down in a month or two, or even less, with a good course.

Why is SEO so difficult?

To many people, SEO appears inaccessibly arcane or technical. And yes, it can be technical sometimes – although thanks to platforms like WordPress, a knowledge of coding isn’t necessarily required to get results.

Part of the reputation that SEO has for being hard to learn comes from unscrupulous web agencies that purposely obscure the language around SEO, either to ensure continued demand for their services or to hide certain shady tactics from their clients.

Here are a few other reasons why learning SEO can be challenging at times:

SEO is continually evolving. Between several Google algorithm updates a year and continual developments in the latest technologies (hello, AI), SEO is a moving target.

Not only is SEO itself a moving target, but there are a lot of moving parts. Keyword research, content creation, on-page optimization, link building outreach, reputation management, technical SEO, analytics, monetization – it takes time to get all of these systems functioning smoothly as a whole, especially when best practices for each of these systems evolves over time.

There’s a lot of jargon to learn. Google sandbox? Largest Contentful what? Like many areas of digital marketing and tech, SEO suffers from a jargon problem. Make sure to keep a glossary handy.

As mentioned, SEO can require some technical skill – but not always. For those of us who are less tech savvy, me included, there’s almost always a “techless” workaround. Still, it doesn’t hurt to have some basic web development skills, especially if you plan to run a digital agency.

There are differing schools of thought within the SEO community. Is guest posting still beneficial for link building? Should you use AI copywriting tools to generate content? Should you buy and redirect expired domains? How does social media impact SEO? These are just a few of the ongoing debates you’ll find within the SEO and blogging community.

You might have to put in a lot of hard work with little initial payoff. A new website can take six months or more to start generating steady traffic. Cultivating an attitude of delayed gratification will serve you well here.

A good SEO training program can help you navigate all of these difficulties, except maybe the last one. And that’s where many bloggers give up on SEO, because they’re not seeing results as quickly as they would like. That’s where a supportive online community can make all the difference.

In the next section, we’ll look at the best online SEO courses and training programs, as well as some of the top online communities for getting help with SEO.

Where to learn SEO

Here are some of the top places around the Internet to learn search engine optimization for free or cheap:

YouTube

For many of us, YouTube is the obvious first choice when it comes to learning any new skill for free, and SEO is no exception. Here are five of the most regularly updated YouTube channels for learning beginner to advanced SEO:

Income School. If you want to start a profitable blog or YouTube channel, Income School is your guide. You’ll learn about choosing a niche, building a website, keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, traffic generation, AI writing tools, list building, monetization strategies, and more.

Matt Diggity. Matt’s YouTube channel is loaded with beginner to advanced techniques for ranking websites. You’ll learn juicy tips like how to make your AI content undetectable, avoid Google penalties, quadruple your link building from guest posts, and quickly generate $1000 per month with affiliate marketing.

Gotch SEO. Nathan Gotch shares expert strategies and tips for digital marketing agency owners. You’ll get SEO news, case studies, and interviews with top SEO experts.

Ahrefs. Makers of one of the best DIY SEO tool suites, Ahrefs teaches SEO and YouTube marketing on their channel. Their free Complete SEO Course for Beginners will get you off in the right track if you’re just starting to learn SEO.

Authority Hacker. Run by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, the Authority Hacker YouTube channel is a comprehensive resource for bloggers, affiliate marketers, and website flippers. Besides learning search engine optimization, you’ll get the goods on how to build sales funnels, flip websites for six figures, and scale your business with outsourcing.

Udemy

I’ve spent many hours learning on Udemy, and in my experience it’s even better than YouTube for learning specific SEO skills, as the content tends to be more in-depth and structured. Udemy runs regular sales, so you can often purchase courses for around $20.

At the time of this writing, there are over 10,000 courses in the marketing category and 855 (!) courses in the SEO category. But don’t let that scare you: On Udemy, courses are rated and reviewed by students, so the cream rises to the top. Here are a few great picks for learning SEO on Udemy:

  • Complete SEO Guide to Ranking Local Business Websites. This is the course I mentioned earlier that helped me rank a local business website in the #1 spot on Google in just a few months (with the help of BrightLocal’s awesome local SEO software). This course is targeted to local businesses, so if you’re trying to rank an affiliate marketing site or a nonlocal business, I recommend taking The Ultimate SEO Training instead.

LinkedIn Learning

Formerly Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning was acquired by the social media giant of the same name in 2015 for $1.5 billion. As you might expect from one of the largest professional development online training libraries in the world, LinkedIn Learning doesn’t disappoint in the area of digital marketing and SEO.

As a bonus, you can showcase your completed courses as a badge on your LinkedIn profile. Here are some of the top SEO courses on LinkedIn Learning:

SEO blogs

Though I find video courses and tutorials preferable for learning SEO due to their more visual nature, there are some blogs that are worth their weight in gold for the beginner – particularly as a bastion against some of the dumber ideas you’ll happen across in “Internet marketing” and “make money online” forums from the ’90s (Warrior Forum, I’m looking at you!).

A few of the better SEO blogs include – in alphabetical order:

  • Ahrefs
  • Backlinko
  • Google Search Central (also check the Search Liaison Twitter account for real-time news on algorithm updates)
  • Gotch SEO
  • Hobo-web
  • Matthew Woodward
  • Moz
  • Search Engine Journal
  • Search Engine Land
  • Search Engine Roundtable
  • Search Engine Watch
  • SEMRush
  • Yoast

Online SEO communities

While there are some digital marketing and SEO forums that have been active since the ’90s, most of these boards are spammy or teach dubious “IM” tactics.

Ahrefs did a poll on the best SEO Facebook groups, and 85% of votes went to the following groups:

A caveat: The above groups are a mix of white hat and grey hat communities, so you’ll find wildly differing strategies and schools of thought between certain groups.

Summing up: Is SEO hard to learn?

SEO isn’t much harder to learn than any other business or marketing skill – just be prepared to take anything you hear with a grain of salt, and brace yourself for a long, slow grind when you launch your first campaign.

I hope you find the above resources as valuable as I have as you navigate the ever-changing universe of SEO.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *