The Top 10 SEO
Certificate Programs of 2021
Would you like to learn how search engine optimization (SEO) can improve your website traffic? We have compiled a list of the best SEO certificate programs to help you learn the fundamentals, tools, and strategies. These programs help students who want to become SEO specialists or analysts launch a successful career.
Why You Should Learn SEO
If you would like a deeper insight into why your website visibility affects your sales, you should learn SEO. Learning SEO will give you a better chance at improving your online presence and attracting potential clients.
Learning SEO will also greatly improve your career prospects. There is currently a high demand for professionals with a deeper understanding of website ranking. As an employee skilled in SEO, you can determine how well a business will perform across different online platforms.
Top 10 Online SEO Certificate Programs
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Would you like to help your clients improve the general ranking of their websites on Google? Businesses are looking for professionals with a specific set of skills to increase the visibility of their websites. Attending one of the best SEO certificate programs will teach you the necessary digital skills.
If you want to learn about keyword research, content marketing, link building, and webpage optimization, take a look at the top SEO certificate programs in 2021.
The BluePrint Training
Cost: $2,999
Duration: Two hours
The Blueprint Training is a marketing consultancy agency whose aim is to help professionals improve their skills in SEO. The platform offers training in keyword research, on-page SEO, target pages, competitive analysis, project management, and content auditing.
Whether you are looking to improve your skills or earn better pay, this training will be effective. You will improve your ability to offer SEO services, automation, and knowledge. By the end of the course, you will have the expertise needed to navigate the industry.
Bruce Clay
Cost: $2,750
Duration: 15 hours
Bruce Clay is considered the father of SEO, and his program is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn how to drive traffic to their website. This program is kept up to date and allows you to benefit from the knowledge of an SEO expert.
The 15-hour course will cover all the technical background of SEO. You will also learn different marketing strategies and how digital marketing is intertwined with SEO. You can easily access the training in person or online, depending on your learning preference.
Coursera
Cost: Free
Duration: Five months
Coursera offers students a chance to specialize in SEO through its credible online platform. The school will help you master SEO tools and strategies that will point your career in the right direction. The course content is free, but if you want a certificate at the end, you will have to pay a fee.
The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialization program teaches you how to complete a comprehensive analysis to offer the best SEO solutions. You will develop an effective approach to analyzing data and writing reports on your findings. You will learn about the theory and algorithms behind Google and other search engines.
Distilled U
Cost: $40 for monthly subscription, $33 for annual subscription
Duration: 133 hours
Distilled U offers career-oriented lectures, courses led by expert SEO instructors, and beginner-friendly programs. Distilled U offers students the perfect learning environment to develop the skills and knowledge base to become leading professionals in the industry.
The SEO program will cover search engine fundamentals, on-page optimization, search operator basics, information architecture, computer research, and link analysis. This will give you the solid foundation you need to take your website to the next level. There are plenty of advanced SEO topics covered in this program as well.
This might be the best program if you want to launch a career related to SEO. You will develop the proper foundation to provide exclusive and effective SEO services. The certificate at the end of the program will help showcase your experience.
HubSpot Academy
Cost: Free
Duration: Two-and-a-half hours
HubSpot Academy offers students SEO training to help them kick start their careers in tech. If you want to learn how to build search authority, you should consider signing up for this course. The expert instructors are keen on ensuring each student obtains industry-standard lifetime skills before the end of the course.
The course also teaches you how to build backlinks on a website to increase traffic. You will also learn how to rely on insights to help you write reports and improve your ranking.
Gotch Academy
Cost: $3,564
Duration: Self-Paced
The Gotch Academy Elite SEO training course is designed to assist students in developing industry-led skills for rapid success in any company. This program will show you how to optimize your UX/UI and web design to attract more organic search traffic.
You will also learn how to create SEO content. Your instructor will take you through content development strategies for different websites. They will teach you effective keyword research. This will give you the blueprint for outsourcing your content creation.
The school designed the program so that you will also have access to SEO coaching sessions in addition to a lifetime’s access to the course. You should also take advantage of the large community of marketing experts, business professionals, and SEO champions from around the world.
Moz
Cost: $595
Duration: Six hours
Moz prides itself on helping students grasp the fundamentals and advanced skills of SEO. Through the platform, students get a badge and certificate to validate their skills.
To properly equip its students, the school curated different SEO programs to address different learning needs. You can choose the SEO Essentials Certification, Local SEO Fundamentals, or Technical SEO Certification.
If you are a beginner, you should take on the SEO Essentials Certification Course. This course will comprehensively cover the fundamentals of SEO. The course is exceptional at helping students learn page optimization, link building, keyword research, and SEO fundamentals.
SEMrush Academy
Cost: Free
Duration: 3 hours
You might have heard of the SEMrush software that assists in editing web content. SEMrsuh Academy offers multiple courses for students to learn SEO, content marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), and competitive research for free.
The school designed the digital marketing curriculum to cover everything from the basics to advanced SEO knowledge. You will have a variety of programs to choose from depending on your level of knowledge. The free online courses cover SEO fundamentals, content, competitive analysis, keyword research, link building, and rank tracking.
In under three hours, the SEMrush overview marketing course will take you through the basics of the software. The curriculum will help you learn how to use SEMrush tools and reports.
Simplilearn
Cost: $299
Duration: Self-paced
This advanced class in SEO will help you learn how to take your career to the next level. The course will sharpen your skills in link building, analytics, keyword research, and technical SEO.
As part of the curriculum, you will learn HTML, content marketing, and technical site optimization. This course helps you develop muscle memory through 25 hands-on projects.
For only $299, you can start your career as an SEO specialist, strategist, or analyst in any company of choice. Lifetime access to the reading material will help you remember best practices in the field whenever you need referencing.
Yoast SEO Academy
Cost: Free
Duration: 16 hours
If you are looking for an online SEO training course, you should consider Yoast SEO Academy. The school provides free and premium services to students who wish to upskill in SEO. The academy prides itself on offering extensive training that helps students navigate search engines with ease.
World-class SEO experts developed the program to help students learn the best practices for SEO. The program will also equip you with industry-standard technical skills to succeed in any SEO-related position.
Once you sign up for the SEO training, you will have access to all the learning materials. You can automatically access new course materials, webinars, and SEO conferences. Once you complete the program, you will receive a badge and certificate to validate your skills.
Choosing the Right SEO Certificate Program
It can be difficult to sift through SEO online courses and certificate programs. There are many options available, so you may want to consider the following factors before selecting your program.
Flexibility
Online programs offer the most flexibility. You’ll be able to complete them from anywhere in the world at the time that is most convenient for you. Although many people benefit from the motivation of in-person courses, online certificate programs are much more flexible.
Certificate
Always go for a program that provides a certificate upon completion. This will be a good measure of expertise when you are applying for SEO-related jobs. Programs that provide certificates make it easy for hiring companies to identify professionals with specific skill sets.
Cost
Sign up for an online certificate program that is relatively affordable with an effective curriculum. There is no need to build student debt to improve your skills, and plenty of the courses listed above are offered for free or at a low cost.
Duration
The amount of time you spend acquiring a skill depends on your learning style. You can easily attain world-class SEO skills in a few days or hours. The amount of time you want to commit to learning can play a key role in establishing the best study platform for you.
How Long Does It Take to Complete a Certificate Program in SEO?
Depending on the certificate program you select, you can complete it in three hours to six months. This amount of time varies, so you should choose a program that best suits your level of commitment. The short programs are exceptional at accommodating different schedules.
Certificate Program in SEO Curriculum
To be an SEO expert, you need to learn the fundamentals and advanced levels of SEO. Continue reading to discover the current SEO curriculum offered by many programs.
Keyword Research
To bring traffic to your site, you need to understand your audience and use available data to develop phrases that may be used in search engines. An exceptional certificate program will teach you the best practices for keyword research. You will learn the best keyword research tools and strategies to achieve higher website rankings.
Link Building
Certificate programs will help you understand what role link building plays in driving organic traffic to a website. In addition to exceptional SEO articles, you will also need to properly link your work to ensure a higher ranking. This will add to the website’s relevance, authenticity, and overall quality.
On-Page Optimization
The programs will help you learn how to improve the position of your web pages in different rankings. You will learn how to optimize a website by improving the meta description, title, and content. You will learn all the basics of optimization by attending any of the certificate programs listed above.
SEO Certifications
To display your training and skills in a professional setup, you may need an SEO certification. This certification can show employers that you’ve committed time and effort to learning skills in SEO. Certifications are offered by popular associations and platforms for SEO and marketing.
This is not the same as a certificate. SEO certificates are issued by schools or academies, and they do not standardize the practice. Keep reading to find out more about SEO certifications.
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Google Digital Garage provides this certification course to professionals who would like to evaluate their marketing skills. The certification is not directly applicable to SEO professionals, but it can be quite effective in the job hunt. The certification will validate your skills in display advertising, marketing strategies, data insights, and content marketing.
Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals
This Google SEO certification course will prove your skills in search engine algorithms. The certification will indicate to employers that you’re skilled at creating effective SEO strategies and keyword research. If you want to get the best SEO certification, this one is a good choice.
SEO Salary Prospects
Now that you have a good idea of the best SEO certificate courses and certifications, let’s see how far they can get you in the industry. These are the major career prospects you can strive for after getting a certificate in SEO.
Marketing Analyst
As a marketing analyst, you will spend a lot of time trying to find new marketing opportunities for the company. Your main responsibility will be to give the best plausible direction that will bring maximum profit. Your day-to-day duties will be heavily reliant on your SEO skills and research ability.
Digital Marketing Manager
Digital marketers are responsible for PPC, search engine marketing (SEM), SEO, and social media marketing. As a digital marketing manager, you will be responsible for content creation, planning, SEO, and social media marketing for the company. This is a good choice if you enjoy leadership positions.
Entry-Level Salary: $47,608
Mid-Career Salary: $71,808
SEO Manager
An SEO manager is responsible for overseeing all SEO activities. This position requires you to have extensive knowledge in keyword research, link building, and page optimization. You must also have strong leadership skills because you’ll be leading a team of other SEO professionals.
Social Media Specialist
Social media specialists are responsible for drawing insights from the social media accounts run by the company. This information helps companies create better content to engage their clients and drive sales. Once you master SEO, it will be easy for you to find a position as a social media specialist.
SEO Professional Associations
Joining an SEO Professional association is a fantastic idea if you want to climb the corporate ladder. These professional associations will provide you with an opportunity to network and develop professionally in the long run.
Search Engine Optimisation Professionals Services Association
This association champions the best practices and adherence to the code of ethics for professionals in the field. It ensures that there is ample development of SEO by providing certifications, conferences, training, and seminars.
Digital Analytics Association
Most SEO professionals are members of the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, which is now part of the Digital Analytics Association (DAA). The DAA is exceptional at ensuring professionals in the industry have access to world-class opportunities.
Should I Pursue an SEO Certificate Program Online?
Yes, you should pursue an SEO certificate program online. Plenty of schools today are providing their lessons online, which allows for convenience and flexibility when attending the course.
Online programs tend to be relatively shorter than in-person programs provided by colleges and universities. The schools that provide certificates are investing in providing the best curriculum possible in a short period of time. Take advantage of the career-oriented learning opportunities presented by top schools specializing in SEO.
