{"id":5718,"date":"2022-08-25T12:55:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T12:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/"},"modified":"2022-08-25T12:55:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T12:55:13","slug":"5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/","title":{"rendered":"5 questions to evaluate any SEO training course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Investments in e-learning in 2022 are up, and there\u2019s no sign of slowing. The global e-learning market will surpass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/501104\/worldwide-elearning-market-size\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$243 billion in 2022<\/a>, Statista estimates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>E-learning was already a growing segment when the pandemic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/03\/26\/online-learning-boomed-during-the-pandemic-but-soon-students-return-to-school.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fueled record numbers<\/a> in online learning for corporations, people and students. In fact, Coursera reported that registrants to their courses <a href=\"https:\/\/about.coursera.org\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/2021-Coursera-Impact-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly doubled<\/a> from 2019 to 2020 and has only accelerated from there.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"524\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/elearning-enrollments-coursera.png\" alt=\"2021 Impact Reporting findings from Coursera.\" class=\"wp-image-387475\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><figcaption>2021 Impact Report, Coursera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Online SEO training is a great way for companies to train teams on SEO. KPMG <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.kpmg\/content\/dam\/kpmg\/pdf\/2015\/09\/corporate-digital-learning-2015-KPMG.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> employees prefer online training because they don\u2019t have to travel and they can learn at their own pace.<\/p>\n<p>It also works for people needing to upskill or reskill as they change careers or look for a new job \u2013 \u201cdigital marketer\u201d is still among the top 10 most in-demand jobs, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/opportunity.linkedin.com\/skills-for-in-demand-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for SEO training, there is no shortage of courses out there. But what is a good SEO training course, and how do you evaluate it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are five things to look for in SEO training.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#1_Who_created_the_SEO_training\" >1. Who created the SEO training?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#2_What_material_does_the_SEO_training_cover\" >2. What material does the SEO training cover?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#3_How_is_the_information_presented\" >3. How is the information presented?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#4_How_fresh_is_the_information_in_SEO_training\" >4. How fresh is the information in SEO training?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#5_What_kind_of_reviews_does_the_SEO_training_get\" >5. What kind of reviews does the SEO training get?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/25\/5-questions-to-evaluate-any-seo-training-course\/#SEO_training_has_many_benefits\" >SEO training has many benefits<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Who_created_the_SEO_training\"><\/span>1. Who created the SEO training?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the most important things when evaluating SEO training is to understand who is the person or people behind the training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There is no \u201cone way\u201d to do SEO, so you also won\u2019t find strict standards on how SEO should be taught. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to get to the bottom of who is behind the information. Do they have the experience and knowledge to provide reliable guidance?<\/p>\n<p>Remember, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/worst-seo-advice-i-heard-this-year-and-what-you-should-do-instead-387204\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bad SEO advice<\/a> can kill websites, their rankings and even entire businesses. So get to know the qualifications of the teachers you are going to learn from.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong>When evaluating the creators of the course, do some digging into their years of experience \u2013 are they authorities in their space? Can you trust their information? Reviews can help here, too. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_What_material_does_the_SEO_training_cover\"><\/span>2. What material does the SEO training cover?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SEO curriculum can go over everything from broad lessons on SEO concepts to niche topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, some SEO courses give a general overview of SEO, while others may take a deep dive into just one area, like technical SEO or SEO copywriting.<\/p>\n<p>Using my company\u2019s online SEO training as an example, here is a sample SEO curriculum:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The Importance of SEO\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>SEO Concepts\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Meet the Search Engines<\/li>\n<li>Website Anatomy\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Search Now and in the Future\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Content for SEO\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Mobile SEO\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Local Search\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Linking Strategies\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Siloing Concepts\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Technical SEO\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Best Practices\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>There are many SEO training courses to choose from, and you can check out a list of independently reviewed SEO courses for 2022 to find out what they are teaching and how they compare.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Know ahead of time the concepts you want to learn, then evaluate your options. Also, some people really want to have something to show for their SEO training, like a certificate. So if that is important to you, you can find out which SEO courses offer some type of certificate at the end of the course.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing&#8230;Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\" type=\"submit\" name=\"submit_button\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_How_is_the_information_presented\"><\/span>3. How is the information presented?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not everyone learns in the same way. Some people like in-person classes, while others prefer videos, podcasts or even reading. Keep in mind that even within the world of online training, the way courses are presented varies.<\/p>\n<p>For example, many online SEO courses have a set of static videos that you can watch at your pace, and that\u2019s it. Others might offer more resources as a complement to those videos, for instance, a hands-on project or downloadable content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When we decided to take my company\u2019s SEO training classroom online, we wanted to create an experience that was more than just passive learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We decided to create an SEO training membership site to help fill in the gap of what people were missing about in-person learning (like collaboration and Q&amp;A) and to cater to different learning styles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, our membership site gives students not only access to video lessons but also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Course slides for those who like reference materials.<\/li>\n<li>Live Q&amp;A discussions for members only so that people can bring specific SEO problems to me directly (something people liked about our in-person training).<\/li>\n<li>A student forum where people can connect with one another and discuss SEO challenges and solutions.<\/li>\n<li>E-books and guides for those who like to read and for deep dives into hot SEO topics<\/li>\n<li>SEO tools for students to use directly on their SEO projects.<\/li>\n<li>Email support for the course and tools.<\/li>\n<li>A growing library of ask-us-anything style videos that address specific questions about SEO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong>Think about how you like to learn, and then evaluate how the information is presented. For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many video lessons are in one course?\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>How long is each video lesson?<\/li>\n<li>Are there accompanying materials?<\/li>\n<li>Do you get to ask questions to live people?<\/li>\n<li>How long do you have access to the materials?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_How_fresh_is_the_information_in_SEO_training\"><\/span>4. How fresh is the information in SEO training?\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SEO is constantly changing. Yes, we have best practices, but there is always some new algorithm update, some new discovery, and some breaking SEO news. So you don\u2019t want to learn stale content.<\/p>\n<p>That is why many of the SEO courses out there can quickly get out of date. And it is not likely that most instructors are going to update their course videos with every new change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here, you want to find out how dated the SEO curriculum is and how often the material is updated. This may matter less with certain SEO topics than others, but it is still worth exploring before you sign up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong>Look for information on when the course was created and the last time it was updated. You can even ask the course creator if it\u2019s not obvious.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_What_kind_of_reviews_does_the_SEO_training_get\"><\/span>5. What kind of reviews does the SEO training get?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s often no better way to evaluate a course than to read reviews and testimonials. Of course, not everyone will get the same results after taking a course. But if enough people are raving about the SEO course, then you can bet it\u2019s probably a good one.<\/p>\n<p>Here, you want to look for visible signs of praise on the course webpage or website. How many stars is the course getting? How many people have enrolled? What are the testimonials saying?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Then, take your research to Google. Type in \u201c[course name] reviews\u201d and see what comes up on third-party websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Remember, not every student is going to like any given course. Be sure to read what people didn\u2019t like about it, but balance that with the good reviews as well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SEO_training_has_many_benefits\"><\/span>SEO training has many benefits<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Taking an online SEO training course offers a ton of benefits for people in many roles. So no matter where you\u2019re at, SEO training could help with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Getting new SEO hires up to speed.<\/li>\n<li>Helping different internal teams working on a website to get on the same page.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Enabling continuing education for experienced SEOs.<\/li>\n<li>Providing key skills for people who are looking to upskill or reskill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Knowing how to evaluate a course can help you invest wisely in the future of your career or business.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/questions-evaluate-seo-training-course-387473\" target=\"_blank\">5 questions to evaluate any SEO training course<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Investments in e-learning in 2022 are up, and there\u2019s no sign of slowing. The global e-learning market will surpass $243 billion in 2022, Statista estimates.\u00a0 E-learning was already a growing segment when the pandemic fueled record numbers in online learning for corporations, people and students. In fact, Coursera reported that registrants to their courses nearly doubled from 2019 to 2020 and has only accelerated from there.\u00a0 2021 Impact Report, Coursera Online SEO training is a great way for companies to train teams on SEO. KPMG reports [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5718\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}