Where and How To Learn SEO As a Career

The world of search engine optimization has always been a fascinating industry due to the fact it’s not always learned in a typical matter. Whereas most careers come as the result of attending college or university SEO has always bee a bit of a different animal.

For those who adopted the title of “SEO expert” early on their learning methods consisting largely of trial and error or self-taught strategies. The lack of formal training could also be partially to blame for the many black hat SEO practices that were finally wiped out by Google updates such as Panda or Penguin.

Now life for SEO professionals is a little bit easier but finding the proper training can still be a difficult task for many. Luckily this article covers Where and How To Learn SEO As A Career if you feel you are a little lost on where to start…

Offer Your Services For Free To An SEO Firm: There is no substitute for direct training provided the SEO firm is experienced and reputable. Landing an actual job with an SEO firm can be hard and many companies might even have a staff of 2 o 3 employees. Since there is a lot of tedious labor involved in certain aspects of SEO there are firms that may take you on if you work for free. This may lead to pay work in the future but more importantly it will give you insight on what tricks and techniques certain companies use for success. Needless to say this in invaluable and an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.

Check Your Local Colleges and Educational Options: Although we just said SEO professionals aren’t typically trained in accredited schools that is not to say they don’t exist. Most schools at least in the last couple of years have at very least a basic training program which is probably worth checking out. It is unlikely you will learn a lot of advanced on the job training here but this is still a good place to get your feet wet. Add to that you’ll have the opportunity to network with several of your classmates that could be good resources to call on in the future.

Find Out The Best Online Courses Available: Now unfortunately the top SEO training programs could set you back a couple of thousand dollars but can be worth the investment for many. It should be gainfully noted that there are many SEO courses that lack legitimacy or are even downright scams. Do your homework on what are the top SEO training programs online and try to look for top reviews or recommendations. Taking the plunge with a course like this can feel like a risk but the payoff can certainly be there.

Be Aware Of All Your Free Options: A website like Moz has a very elaborate SEO training resource that will familiarize you with most important SEO topics every quickly. There are also several SEO forums online as well as Google+ communities where if you really want to know anything SEO related you’ll likely get a good answer. Luckily the internet is full of search engine tips that will point you the right direction in a hurry. Youtube?

Build Your Own Dummy Site: Rather than attempting SEO on a real life client or your own business build a dummy site instead. A website where you have nothing personally invested in it will let you learn by trial and error without some of the frustrations along the way. When working with a dummy site try and test everything you can just for the sake of seeing the result. Don’t worry about the first page of Google just yet try and figure out what gets you consistent results.

Be On The Lookout For Events Or Networking Opportunities: There is a better than average chance that there is an SEO meetup group or seminar in your area. Just is the case with any business it’s not just what you know but who you know. It is important to get out of you comfort zone and go out an meet people that could be a resource to you in the future. Make sure you collect/give out business cards an follow up about adding your new contacts to your social media pages.

SEO is a rewarding career that requires patience and a lot of initiative to succeed. Once you crack the inner circle you will see that SEO can be a very rewarding and profitable career.

Jeff Moyer

My Rank SEO

 

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