Why should you follow an SEO course if you can get all the knowledge from SEO blogs and from books?
In this article we dive into the world of SEO training and we give away our smartest SEO strategies so you do not need SEO training.
Why an SEO training?
Someone who has the wish to follow an SEO course will have a reason for this. These can be:
We will explain this below.
Gain SEO knowledge to be able to manage SEO specialists
If you are an entrepreneur or are responsible for online marketing within a company, it is useful to have basic knowledge in the field of SEO.
SEO specialists will have to be hired or hired to improve the ranking of the website.
Due to the lack of certification everyone can call themselves SEO specialists.
And unfortunately in the SEO world there are still a few figures around who can sell themselves well but have eaten little cheese from SEO.
With a certain basic knowledge of SEO you can check and manage the activities of the SEO specialist (s).
The SEO basic knowledge you need for managing SEO specialists can also be gained by reading SEO blogs and reading books.
What you want to prevent as an entrepreneur or other person responsible for online marketing is that a self-appointed SEO specialist performs actions that are in conflict with these Google guidelines for webmasters.
This can result in a Google penalty that could cause the website to lose its ranking or even be removed from the Google index entirely.
It will not be the first time a company goes bankrupt because it loses its Google ranking as a result of a penalty.
Gain SEO knowledge to be able to apply it in practice
If you own a website or webshop then you obviously want it to be found as well as possible in Google. You can hire the expertise for this, but it is of course much cheaper (and more fun!) If you can do this yourself.
However, there is no official Google SEO certificate that you can get so you can be sure that you have gained all the necessary knowledge.
There are few agencies that give a real SEO training. Most courses that you can follow are SEO courses or training courses. The majority of these courses focus on the basic knowledge you need for SEO.
There are also training courses that you can follow online. My opinion is that you have few such training. After the training you have insight into the factors that influence the ranking of a website but really hands-on with practical tips will not be.
Another disadvantage of a course is that the SEO course will be treated as widely as possible. While you better be able to do the specialist knowledge that you need in your situation. Moreover, this knowledge is available free of charge.
Do you have a webshop, for example? Then read our blog SEO for webshops and you can get started. So we have many more knowledge blogs focused on different situations:
My point is: SEO is such a broad field, why not specialize in the knowledge needed for your specific situation? This instead of an SEO training in which you have to learn more than you need and for which you also have to pay.
Being able to demonstrate a certain knowledge level
If you want to work as a freelance SEO specialist or if you want to work as an SEO specialist somewhere, the company you are working for will want to know what your knowledge level is.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO), however, is a profession that one learns or can learn through self-education. By reading SEO blogs and books, conducting discussions on SEO forums and by trying things on the sites that are managed.
SEO is also a young industry which is always in full swing. This is because Google is constantly making changes to its algorithm which determines the ranking of websites.
As a result, acquired knowledge can be 'suddenly' outdated and worthless and it may be necessary for new knowledge to be applied quickly.
Taking this into account, it is not surprising that there are no real SEO courses (yet). The offer mainly consists of short courses and training courses. There is also a lack of officially recognized certificates and diplomas.
As previously mentioned, Google does not issue SEO certificates so that you can demonstrate your knowledge (Google does this for example for its advertising program AdWords).
You can do an SEO course with one of the many providers, so you can submit a certificate or diploma. This is worth as much as the authority issuing this certificate and it often concerns certificates of participation. Because of which they are actually still worth nothing.
So yes, that is quite a problem if you want to work as an SEO specialist.
You can therefore also look at other ways to demonstrate your knowledge level.
You could, for example, add customer cases to your CV that show you which sites you have helped in a top position in Google and how you did it. A customer case can also be your own site.
Then do not follow any SEO training at all?
Do not get me wrong. I do not try to advise you to follow an SEO course or course.
If you want the information you need on a silver platter, you can definitely consider an SEO course. The advantage is that you will receive the information according to a certain structure.
Only be aware that all information you will receive on an SEO course (or course or training) is information you can get by reading SEO blogs or SEO books.
You will then only have to put more effort into collecting all the information. And you will have to structure the information you find yourself.
And if you have questions, you will not be able to turn to a teacher or trainer. Then you will have to seek your help on internet forums for example.
You will therefore have to decide for yourself whether you have money left for receiving structured information and the possibility to ask questions.
Good, enough about SEO training. Time for our smart SEO strategies that no SEO training can handle.
SEO strategy # 1: do a market research
Your SEO strategy is part of your marketing strategy. Do you already have a marketing strategy? What are your objectives and how can you achieve them with SEO?
Have all the answers to questions like:
The better the image your customers have, the better you can empathize with the experience world of your customer.
If you already have clients, you can consult the administration to get information above your customers above water. You could also ask a group of customers if they would like to participate in a survey.
If you do not have any customers yet (because you're only just starting), you can sketch a picture of what your ideal customer would look like.
Your SEO strategy is also part of the business strategy. For example, the policy for the coming years may be to save costs. SEO can save on costs because less money has to be spent on traffic coming from advertisements as organic search traffic replaces this.
The business strategy may also be to grow x% in turnover in the coming years. These goals can be achieved by increasing sales due to the growth in the number of visitors via organic traffic.
SEO strategy # 2: do a keywords research
I can not emphasize it often enough: your SEO strategy starts with a research keyword. Always.
Your keyword research is the basis on which you will further develop and deepen your SEO strategy.
With your keyword research you can see who your customers are. What is keeping them busy? What questions are they facing? What needs do they have? What fears do they have?
What are the keywords for your niche? In your niche, what are the keywords with great commercial value and what are the keywords on which the competition is not too high? And is there sufficient search volume on these keywords to justify an investment in content creation?
Want to know more about doing a keywords research? Then read our special 18 Tips for Goolge keywords .
SEO strategy # 3: determine the focus keywords
Creating an SEO strategy is planning. You want to use your resources as well as possible and that is why it is good to first think about the goals you want to achieve.
Which keywords will help you achieve the goals? What are the keywords that make the most money?
If you work for a company, it may well be that you do not know which products or services are making the most money. You do need insight in this so that you can determine which keywords you want to focus on.
After determining what the most important keywords are, you can create a table as an aid. In this table you put the keyword in a column, with the current ranking, the corresponding landing page, the necessary actions and the priority behind it.
In this way you have insight into where the focus should lie and how the objectives can be achieved.
SEO strategy # 4: make a schedule
The SEO goals can be broken up into separate subprojects.
For each subproject you determine an expected completion date, the people who work with it and what the expected ROI (return on investment) is.
Even if you do not know exactly, it is still useful to think about it beforehand and to make an estimate of it.
As said, strategy is a matter of planning and you want to prevent things being done at random and there is no direction in the bigger picture.
SEO strategy # 5: measuring is knowing
What is a strategy worth if you can not check whether targets are achieved?
Therefore think in advance about how you want to measure goals. You can measure the ranking for certain keywords, but you can not measure what you do with the traffic or the turnover (whether or not certain products).
Before you start your SEO efforts you can do a zero point measurement. A measurement that determines how you stand for at this moment. You can then demonstrate the progression you have made (also in the meantime).
SEO strategy # 6: content is king
Content is king; a cry that you have probably seen over when you follow the SEO blogs a bit. And that is completely justified.
Content has always been important and in 2017 is more important than ever. Because of the rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data, Google is smarter than ever. This makes Google well able to understand texts, almost as well as people can.
In this way Google understands the connection between words and sentences and can understand the context of texts.
In fact, everything Google does is aimed at providing a good user experience. Logical, because then they continue to use Google as a search engine.
To give its users a good user experience, Google tries to give the best possible answer to the search intentions of its users.
You can use this science to tailor your content strategy (as part of your SEO strategy).
On the basis of your keyword research you know what the search intentions are of your target group (your potential customers). The content you create will have to answer these search intentions of your target audience.
Do not hesitate to get other resources out of the cupboard next to the written word. For example, if you can give a good answer with a video in order to avoid the search intent of your audience, to develop video material. But also think of photo material, (technical) drawings and infographics.
Learn more about writing content? Then read our 9 simple reminders to write SEO texts as a professional .
SEO strategy # 7: take care of backlinks
Backlinks are still the most important ranking factor for Google and should therefore already be a fixed part of your SEO strategy. Backlinks are hyperlinks from other websites which refer to your website. Google is backlinks as a vote.
The more sites link to your site the more votes your site has. What is good for your ranking. The degree of importance of the site that links to you also plays a role.
Now you can sit back and wait for other sites to take a link to your website from your own initiative. The point is that you can probably wait a long time. Unless you really have something very special on your website.
Practice shows that other websites do not just link to your site, especially if you have a commercial website.
You will have to make an effort to get the attention of others. The backlinks allow you to obtain these 16 tips for obtaining backlinks .
SEO strategy # 8: create a linkbait
Another way to obtain backlinks is through a linkbait.
With a linkbait you can lean back to see the backlinks. This is only after you have made a (one-off) effort.
With a linkbait you create special content. Content that is so special that others want to include a link to it from their own initiative.
You have all kinds of linkbait. For example, you can create a controversy in which you take a stand against common ideas or you create something funny.
Do you want to get started with creating your own linkbait? Do inspiration first with our 18 Ultimate linkbait ideas .
SEO strategy # 9: focus on user experience
As previously mentioned, Google thinks it is important that its users have a good user experience.
This user experience does not stop at Google with its search engine. This user experience is also important with the website to which Google forwards its users after a search.
There are many things that affect a good user experience. For example, Google will send people who are looking for something with their mobile phone to a website that is suitable for mobile phones. It is therefore important that your website is responsive (adapts to the screen of the user).
Websites with a responsive design are therefore given an edge in Google on sites that do not have this.
Another point that falls under the user experience is that a website needs to load quickly. Especially when you are on the move (and have a less fast internet connection) this is important. Google gives sites that quickly charge a dash.
SEO strategy # 10: mobile first
When thinking up your SEO strategy you will have to start thinking first from the mobile website user. This is a big change because so far we have always thought from the desktop user.
The use of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) is growing so fast that by the end of 2016 the use of mobile devices was higher than desktops for visiting websites. And this is a trend that will continue for a while.
When creating a web design (user interface) we therefore better start thinking about what it should look like for the mobile user. After that you can see how that should look like for the desktop user.
The development of the website will also have to take place from the mobile first thought. The mobile users will see the normal website. And the desktop users a customized version of the website.
If concessions have to be made, then the interests of the mobile user must be put first.
SEO strategy # 11: use SEO software
When developing a strategy you will always have to look for ways to do things better than your competitors.
The search engine optimization course is very data driven. There are literally hundreds of SEO tools with which you can get a head start on your competitors (provided they do not use these tools of course).
There are SEO tools with which you can save time. These are not so much strategic tools but more practical tools.
You also have an offer of SEO tools that you can use for strategic purposes. These are the tools that support you in doing your keywords research and support you with content optimization.
In recent years I have already used more than 200 SEO tools. Which tools I find the best and still regular use can be found here .
SEO strategy # 12: focus on longtail keywords
A generic keyword is a keyword like "television." A long tail keyword is 'buy cheap 4k television'.
The generic keyword is searched more often. However, it is more difficult to rank on that word. Moreover, you may wonder whether the generic keyword has the same commercial intention as the long tail keyword.
Unless you already have a strong domain, it is usually not really advisable to focus on generic keywords. It is better to seek your salvation in long tail keywords. In addition, 70% of all searches are long tail keywords.
And another argument to focus on long tail keywords is the use of mobile phones and internet of things devices such as the Amazon Echo and the Google Home.
Many of the searches on mobile phones are spoken commands. Currently, more than 20% of searches are spoken (via Apple Siri, Google Now and Microsoft Cortana).
A characteristic of these spoken searches is that they are long tail search terms. If you do not have to type then why not just say exactly what you are looking for?
Another characteristic of spoken searches is that they are often questions that they ask. You can respond to this by adjusting your content strategy accordingly. Your content will then have to answer questions that you ask.
SEO strategy # 13: ensure a secure website
You have the possibility to use encryption for the connection between your web server and your website visitors. You do this through an SSL certificate. The user will then see HTTPS in the browser bar and a green lock as a sign that the connection is safe.
Especially if you have a webshop, an SSL certificate is a must. Payment details (such as credit card details) can not be intercepted by third parties. This inspires confidence with your customers.
Even if you do not sell anything on your website, HTTPS is good to have. It gives you a (slightly) better ranking than your competitors who do not have this.
Since Google has plans to take HTTPS heavier into their algorithm, it is a good SEO strategy to implement this immediately.
SEO strategy # 14: keep a finger on the pulse
Standard part of a good SEO strategy is that you can sit on top of the facts and always keep a finger on the pulse.
You can use a number of tools for this.
In the first place, it is actually a must to sign up your site with Google Search Console (if you have not already done so).
Through Google Search Console you get notifications if there is something wrong with your website. For example if there is malware on your site or if pages with duplicate content have been found. You can then take immediate action so that this will not damage your ranking too much.
Also indispensable are good visitor statistics. For this you can use various statistics programs. Many sites use Google Analytics , which is free and gives you extensive statistics.
By regularly monitoring your statistics you can notice a drop in visitor numbers in time. Perhaps there is something wrong with your website that needs attention.
I also use a ranking tracker ( ahrefs.com ) for my sites . Here I follow the ranking for my most important keywords.
This is a reliable way to measure whether your SEO strategy is paying off. This is not as good as possible with a statistics program such as Analytics. This is because new keywords 'have to come from far away'.
I'll explain that: if you have a new keyword, it might be in place 60 in Google. After a week at 50, after two weeks at 40 etc.
Whether a keyword is number 60 or 40 can not be measured with Analytics, in both cases you will not receive visitors on this keyword.
By measuring that your keyword in the ranking increases you can however measure that your SEO strategy is beginning to pay off.
SEO strategy # 15: care for outgoing links
The outbound linking to other sites (with authority) is a signal for Google that your web page is a "hub" of information and actively participates in the web ecosystem.
The algorithm that examines whether your webpage is an information hub is called the Hilltop algorithm and was bought by Google from Compaq in 2003. Now, 14 years later, Google still uses this algorithm.
Your webpage will be considered a valuable information hub if you have relevant outbound links to high-quality content such as that of authorities within a field.
By linking to relevant, reliable and good sources of information you help your visitors and Google will then evaluate your webpage as a valuable information hub.
SEO strategy # 16: Give love to your moderate keywords
What you often see with websites is that they have a lot of keywords on pages 2 and 3 from Google. These pages provide just as little traffic as the keywords on page 10 or lower from Google (virtually no traffic).
Most people simply do not get beyond page 1 of Google when they're looking for something.
It is a good strategy to give the pages which moderate rankings what SEO love. These are the pages on pages 2 and 3 of Google.
It is much easier to get a web page on the 1 st page of Google if it is already on the 2 nd or 3 nd page of Google than to rank with a whole new page.
Often you can already get it done by creating some internal links to these web pages. And if necessary, further optimize the page titles and meta-description.
SEO strategy # 17: have a long-term vision
Conquering the top positions in Google is a matter of a long breath, hard work and a lot of patience. This is certainly the case in competitive markets.
Therefore, be realistic with your goals and dedicate enough time to get to the point where you want to come.
Do not be tempted to take 'a shorter route' to your goals by manipulating search engines. Shorter routes such as buying backlinks or keyword stuffing (stick to Google's guidelines for webmasters ).
Google has become very good at detecting forbidden techniques to manipulate its index.
If Google finds (or finds) that you do not comply with the guidelines, your site will receive a penalty.
In the most favorable case, only a few pages are hit by a penalty so that only these pages will lose their ranking. In the worst case, a penalty for your entire domain will be imposed. All your pages will then be removed from the Google index (blacklisted).
In short: the same goes for search engine marketing: honesty takes the longest.