If you’ve been in the game for some time, you know that the wrong SEO courses can derail your progress. If you’re new to SEO, we’ll… It’s been a journey. Voice search got bigger, flat content got more penalised, you need to think about AI Overviews, and before we scare you out of your SEO journey, we’ll only say, the list goes on.
Since things shift quickly in the industry, even seasoned SEO professionals have to stay on top of search trends, learn about Google’s newest algorithm updates, and learn about the best strategies for their clients. Our team put together this list of courses we found to be worthwhile (meaning, they avoid unnecessary jargon and discuss strategies that convert clicks into (high-quality) leads.
1. Ahrefs SEO for Beginners (YouTube)
Ahrefs SEO Course Overview
Finding an SEO course that’s worth your time feels like striking gold in the digital world. Ahrefs, a leading SEO software company, gives away this treasure through their YouTube-based training program.
The Ahrefs SEO for Beginners course teaches you search engine optimisation fundamentals in a systematic way. You’ll get training through well-laid-out lessons across detailed modules. The curriculum includes:
What The Course Includes:
- Simple SEO concepts and why they matter
- Keyword research (including intent analysis and difficulty assessment)
- On-page optimisation techniques
- Link building strategies and backlink quality evaluation
- Technical SEO best practices
The course shines because it focuses on practical application instead of pure theory. Each lesson shows you practical techniques to improve your website’s visibility and Google rankings. The course emphasises processes you can repeat to get consistent results, which makes it perfect if you want to start using SEO strategies right away.
Ahrefs SEO Instructor Background
Sam Oh, the main instructor and Vice President of Marketing at Ahrefs, brings real expertise to this training program. He takes complex SEO concepts and breaks them down into bite-sized, practical information. Greg, another SEO expert from the Ahrefs team, adds his knowledge in specific parts of the course.
Certification and Pace
You can learn at your own pace without pressure. You’ll earn a certificate when you complete the course with an Ahrefs Webmaster Tools account. This credential proves your SEO knowledge and looks great on LinkedIn or other professional profiles, helping you impress potential employers or clients.
Who Should Take This Course
- Complete SEO beginners who want to build knowledge from scratch
- Small business owners who want practical techniques to improve rankings
- Marketing professionals who manage SEO in-house
2. Content-Led SEO by Brian Dean
Semrush Course Overview
Brian Dean’s specialised course on Semrush Academy shows professionals how to excel in content-driven SEO. This course gives you a clear path to rank in Google’s top positions.
The curriculum features:
- Detailed video tutorials that cover key content SEO principles
- Practical worksheets that help you apply concepts
- Practical worksheets that help you apply concepts
Several critical areas make up the course structure:
- Keyword research with user intent analysis
- Content optimisation techniques for higher rankings
- Strategic backlink acquisition through targeted outreach
- Ways to scale up your content-led SEO system
You don’t need a Semrush subscription to learn from the course’s detailed insights. The material balances theory and practice well. Complex concepts become accessible without losing their depth.
Instructor Background
Brian Dean brings real expertise as the course instructor. He founded Backlinko and built it into one of the most influential digital marketing resources. People trust him because he can break down complex SEO concepts into clear, workable strategies. He also co-founded the SaaS tool Exploding Topics, which shows his innovation in the industry.
Certification and Pace
You can learn at your own pace and get strong value from the training. You’ll get an official Semrush Academy certificate when you finish. This credential proves your specialised content SEO skills and can build trust with potential employers or clients.
Who Should Take This Course
This course works best for:
- Content creators who want their work to rank better
- Marketers who need a more effective content strategy
- SEO practitioners looking to specialise in content techniques
- Website owners who want more qualified traffic through content
Motivated beginners with some marketing background can follow along. Professionals who want to go beyond simple tactics will benefit most.
3. Technical SEO Course by Bastian Grimm
Course Overview
Technical skills are the foundation of successful SEO strategies. Bastian Grimm’s Technical SEO Course stands out as a complete option to build these vital skills.
Semrush Academy’s course gives you a deep look into technical SEO basics and advanced concepts through a structured curriculum.
What The Course Includes:
- Internal linking strategies and content availability
- Crawling and indexation optimisation techniques
- HTTP header fields and response codes (301 vs 302 redirects, error handling)
- Log file auditing tools and methods
- International SEO implementation (hreflang, geo-redirects)
- Web performance optimisation for both client and server-side
- Structured data implementation with schema.org markup
- JavaScript SEO basics
This training stands out because of its hands-on approach to complex concepts. The course shows how technical elements affect search visibility and website performance. You’ll also learn to optimise crawl budget through smart use of robots.txt, canonical tags, and other crawl settings.
Instructor Background
Course instructor Bastian Grimm brings solid industry credibility to the table. He’s a well-known SEO expert who has worked with many high-profile clients. His teaching style combines deep technical knowledge with practical strategies.
Certification and Pace
Self-paced learning lets you work through the material on your own schedule. After passing the final exam, you’ll get an official Semrush Academy certification. This certification proves your technical SEO skills and can improve your credibility with potential employers or clients.
Who Should Take This Course
The course works well for different skill levels and is available to:
- SEO beginners who want to learn technical basics
- Experienced marketers looking to build technical expertise
- Website developers who want better SEO implementation
- Consultants and agency professionals working with technical SEO topics
This training gives you foundational knowledge and advanced strategies to find and fix technical issues that affect rankings, visibility, and traffic.
4. Yoast SEO Academy
Yoast SEO Course Overview
Yoast SEO Academy makes SEO knowledge accessible to everyone. It stands out with its well-laid-out, complete approach to search engine optimisation learning and its “holistic SEO” philosophy that looks at all aspects of optimisation rather than isolated tactics.
What The Course Library Includes:
- All-around SEO training
- Technical SEO (crawlability and indexability, hosting and server configuration)
- Keyword research training
- SEO copywriting training
- Site structure training
- Local SEO training
- International SEO training
- AI for SEO training
- Ecommerce SEO training
- Understanding structured data training
Yoast provides several introductory courses. Each course blends different learning formats to match various learning preferences, including video presentations, text transcripts, additional reading with real-life examples, and quizzes that reinforce learning. Yoast’s courses stand apart for their practical templates and step-by-step plans that connect theory with practice.
Instructor Background
World-class SEO experts team up with university-trained teachers to develop these courses. This combination ensures both technical accuracy and teaching effectiveness. Yoast runs the most popular WordPress SEO plugin and works with major companies, bringing substantial expertise to the curriculum.
Certification and Pace
Students receive a Yoast certificate and digital badge after completing any course. You can display credentials on websites or share on professional profiles. Students move through materials at their own pace and get access to course content for ongoing reference.
Who Should Take This Course
- Blog owners, online store managers, and website administrators who want better traffic
- Developers, copywriters, and marketers looking to offer SEO services
- Professionals who want to avoid costly mistakes by doing SEO right from day one
The academy excels at teaching fundamentals and helping students apply concepts to their own scenarios.
5. The Blueprint Training by Ryan Stewart
Course Overview
The Blueprint Training stands out as a complete program that reshapes how professionals deliver search optimisation services to clients.
The program uses a systematic approach to SEO service delivery. It’s built around the “5 Pillar Growth Framework”, which tackles the main challenges SEO agencies face and shows the path to sustainable growth.
What The Course Includes:
- Extensive video training that covers keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, content audits, link building, and more
- Ready-to-use templates and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for quick implementation
- Step-by-step project management strategies with tools like ClickUp
- A private Slack community that offers ongoing support and networking
It focuses on creating systems for SEO processes rather than just tactics. The Blueprint shows you how to create repeatable, consistent workflows that give predictable results for clients. Each module follows a specific order and guides you through the entire campaign process from setup to reporting.
Ahrefs SEO Instructor Background
Ryan Stewart’s background adds substantial credibility. He founded and grew multiple SEO agencies from scratch before creating this training system and has consulted across a wide range of industries. His teaching is process-driven and practical.
Certification and Pace
Students get ongoing access to all video training materials and a full suite of templates for end-to-end management. The program complements self-paced study with regular Q&A and working sessions featuring industry veterans who share current insights about the marketing industry.
Who Should Take This Course
The training targets professionals who deliver SEO as a service:
- Agency owners who want to systemise operations
- Marketers who manage client SEO campaigns
- Consultants and freelancers who want to professionalise service delivery
- In-house teams responsible for search optimisation
It’s designed to help competent practitioners become systems-oriented professionals and increase efficiency and results.
6. SEO Specialisation by Coursera (UC Davis)
Course Overview
UC Davis’s SEO Specialisation on Coursera brings together academic rigour and hands-on SEO training. This university-backed program stands out in the digital world of marketing education.
The specialisation delivers a complete curriculum through five connected courses that build on each other:
What The Course Includes:
- Introduction to Google SEO
- Google SEO Fundamentals
- Optimising a Website for Google Search
- Advanced Content and Social Tactics to Optimise SEO
- Google SEO Capstone Project
You’ll become skilled at both theory and real-life application of search engine optimisation. The curriculum covers topics like search algorithm behaviour, keyword research strategies, on-page and off-page optimisation, website auditing methods, and aligning SEO with business goals. The capstone project lets students use everything they’ve learned to complete a thorough SEO consulting task based on real-world scenarios.
Instructor Background
Industry experts with substantial expertise lead the program. Rebekah May, Head of Organic User Acquisition at Fishbrain, is one of the main instructors. Eric Enge, author of The Art of SEO, adds his extensive knowledge to the course materials. These instructors blend academic concepts with proven strategies that work in today’s search environments.
Certification and Pace
Students receive an official certificate from the University of California, Davis through Coursera after completing all coursework. The program is self-paced, making it accessible for working professionals. Students can review concepts even after finishing the program.
Who Should Take This Course
The specialisation works best for intermediate learners with some business or marketing background. It’s ideal for:
- Digital marketing professionals who want stronger search optimisation skills
- Content developers looking to improve search visibility
- Small business owners who need more organic traffic
- Professionals moving into SEO-focused roles
Analytical thinkers will appreciate the academic approach and the focus on why certain strategies succeed.
7. The Affiliate Lab by Matt Diggity
Course Overview
The Affiliate Lab provides a detailed blueprint system that helps affiliate marketers rank, monetise, and flip high-competition affiliate websites.
Students get a comprehensive curriculum that teaches proven affiliate marketing strategies and shows them how to build profitable affiliate sites.
What The Course Includes:
- Pre-made templates and tools
- SOPs and checklists to rank on Google
- Access to a community group
Bonus content includes modules on outreach, website recovery, and topical authority. You don’t need prior knowledge of affiliate marketing. The course starts with basics and gradually moves to advanced techniques, bridging theory and practical implementation.
Instructor Background
Matt Diggity’s journey from electrical engineer to SEO expert adds credibility. He runs LeadSpring and Diggity Marketing and leads The Search Initiative. His expertise goes beyond teaching as he runs profitable affiliate websites and hosts an annual SEO conference in Chiang Mai.
Access and Pace
Students receive ongoing access to all materials without time limits, with a self-paced format that lets you learn and review content whenever needed.
Who Should Take This Course
The Affiliate Lab works well for:
- Beginners with no knowledge of affiliate marketing or SEO
- Intermediate marketers who want to improve their system
- Experienced SEOs looking to fix underperforming sites
The ideal student wants to build a profitable site and will put the teachings into practice with patience and dedication.
Keep Learning With Digital Nomads HQ
If you enjoyed this round-up, you’ll love the free resources we share at Digital Nomads HQ. Our blog is packed with practical SEO guides, while our podcast features our Managing Director and SEO Manager chatting about search trends, real-world case studies, and tips you can actually use.
And hey, if you’re not just curious about SEO but keen to work in it (or grow further in your career), we’re always on the lookout for fresh talent. Forward us an application, and we’d love to hear from you.
