Want to larn much astir SEO? There’s a bully accidental you’ve seen dozens of SEO certification courses, ranging from offerings from apical SEO platforms similar Semrush to “experts” you’ve ne'er heard of.

If you’re unsure if an SEO certification is close for you—or are struggling to fig retired which people is the close fit—you’re successful the close place. With much than 2 decades of hunt selling acquisition nether my belt, I’ve seen dozens of SEO certification courses travel and go.

I’ve besides spent clip researching the apical courses to marque the determination process easier for you.

Before we dive into whether oregon not you should (or shouldn’t) get an SEO certification, let’s speech astir what they are.

What Is An SEO Certification?

An SEO certification is simply a verification provided by a institution verifying that you’ve completed their SEO course. Unlike a assemblage grade oregon certificate programme done a university, SEO certifications are not regulated.

However, they tin assistance you larn the fundamentals of SEO and amusement employers oregon clients that you instrumentality your acquisition seriously.

What Are Some of The Best SEO Certifications?

The champion SEO certifications travel from well-established, trusted brands successful the selling industry. That’s because, arsenic I mentioned above, determination is nary regularisation connected SEO certifications. However, being certified by a trusted marque shows employers and clients that you’ve enactment successful the effort—and they are much apt to spot that you cognize what you’re doing.

To assistance you decide, I’ve analyzed the apical SEO certifications from trusted brands, including the contented they cover, cost, and pros and cons.

The world is there’s nary 1 close SEO certification. Someone wondering “What is SEO?” whitethorn take a people aimed astatine beginners, portion idiosyncratic wanting to up their method SEO expertise mightiness take another.

The close SEO certification is the 1 that works for your cognition level, budget, and goals.

Yoast All-Around SEO Training

Cost: $99 per twelvemonth (includes entree to Yoast SEO premium plugin)

Best for: Students who privation to larn a small much than the basics of SEO.

Yoast is 1 of the apical WordPress plugins for on-page SEO, truthful it’s nary astonishment they connection an SEO certification, and their certification is simply a top-notch choice.

You’ll larn however to execute keyword research, SEO copywriting, however to amended tract structure, and method SEO strategies similar improving tract velocity and security. The people besides covers off-page SEO tactics similar nexus building, UX, email marketing, and societal media.

The people includes:

• Three hours of instructional videos.
• Quizzes
• Downloadable checklists
• Certificate
• Badge
• Access to the people and Yoast SEO plugin for 1 year

Pros:

• Affordable ($99 for a twelvemonth of access.)
• Covers each the main topics of SEO

Cons:

• Only 3 hours of videos
• Likely excessively basal for those with mid-level SEO skills

Clickminded SEO Specialist Qualification

Cost: $997 for beingness entree to 1 course.

Best for: Students consenting to put clip and wealth for a heavy knowing of SEO.

Clickminded offers a fast, in-depth SEO certification designed to get you up to velocity arsenic accelerated arsenic possible. That makes it perfect for students who are consenting to put the clip required to larn a caller skill.

This people covers a scope of SEO strategies, including the basics of integrated search, the champion SEO tools to use, however to make an SEO strategy, on-page SEO, nexus building, and method SEO. The people besides offers beingness entree to respective mini-courses astir SEO for section businesses, Shopify sites, Pinterest, YouTube, and Amazon.

This is simply a full-featured Google SEO certification course, though it’s decidedly a spot pricey. It’s perfect for agencies that tin marque the astir of their squad pricing.

Pros:

• They connection squad pricing ($4997 for 10 reusable institution licenses that fto you entree galore courses.
• Can commencement for escaped to spot if you similar it.

Cons:

• A spot pricey for beginners
• Less marque designation than different courses (Semrush, Moz, etc.)

Moz’s SEO Fundamentals

Cost: $595

Best for: Beginners oregon those with constricted SEO acquisition

Moz’s SEO Essentials certification is an on-demand, six-part people that introduces cardinal SEO concepts and helps you recognize however to instrumentality those caller skills utilizing Moz’s paid SEO tool, Moz Pro. The people takes astir six hours to ticker and includes a skills trial astatine the extremity to verify your newfound SEO skills.

The people covers a wide scope of SEO topics, including cardinal SEO concepts, however to perform keyword research, on-page optimization, nexus building, and however to way and study SEO metrics. Each conception requires you to implicit tasks, which provides a spot of hands-on experience.

Pros:

• Includes hands-on signifier to solidify skills.
• Additional courses to excavation deeper into the strategies that substance for your business.

Cons:

• Teaches however to usage Moz Pro and nary different tools.
• No method SEO section.

SEO Fundamentals with Greg Gifford (Via Semrush)

Cost: Free

Best for: Those who are caller to SEO oregon privation to marque definite they recognize the basics.

Semrush offers respective certification courses, but this 1 stands out. Hosted by Greg Gifford, the Vice President of Search astatine SearchLabs, SEO Fundamentals is abbreviated and escaped but inactive covers a wide scope of topics. If you’re conscionable dipping your toes into SEO oregon privation to guarantee you recognize the basics, this is an perfect course.

This four-hour people includes 31 lessons covering topics specified arsenic however hunt engines work, nexus signals, method SEO, on-page signals, planetary SEO, and section SEO. Each video besides includes a quiz to marque definite you’ve absorbed the lesson.

After completing the course, caput implicit to their certification trial page to instrumentality the trial and person your certification.

Pros:

• Totally free.
• Covers a wide scope of topics.
• Taught by an industry-recognized SEO expert.

Cons:

• Not arsenic in-depth arsenic different courses.

Google SEO Fundamentals by UCDavis (Via Coursera)

Cost: Free for the archetypal 30 days; $59 a period aft proceedings play ends.

Best for: Anyone (including agencies) who wants a heavy knowing of SEO, not conscionable the fundamentals.

Whether you recognize the basics of SEO oregon are a newbie who wants to larn the ins-and-outs of SEO, this is the people for you. The people takes 29 hours to implicit and is structured much similar a assemblage course.

You’ll summation a heavy knowing of however hunt motor algorithms work, larn however to make an SEO strategy, and larn strategies for keyword research, user psychology, and on-page SEO. The people covers SEO-related topics similar societal media, marketing, and mathematical optimization.

Pros:

• Offers much in-depth grooming than different courses.
• Charged monthly, truthful you tin cancel astatine immoderate time.
• Get entree to each of Coursera’s classes.

Cons:

• Longer than different courses (29 hours.)
• Doesn’t look to screen nexus gathering oregon method SEO.

Why SEO Certifications May Not Be Worth It

SEO certifications tin beryllium utile for radical who privation to larn astir SEO; however, they aren’t ever worthy it. In fact, astir adept SEOs you cognize astir apt don’t person a certification.

For example, I don’t person an SEO certification. Crazy, right? As I said before, SEO certifications are not regulated by immoderate 1 agency, truthful the prime varies from people to course.

Here are a fewer different reasons SEO certifications whitethorn not beryllium worthy it:

• Most employers won’t attraction if you person a certificate—they attraction if you tin present results.
• Classroom learning doesn’t ever construe to real-life challenges.
• SEO changes fast, meaning immoderate courses mightiness beryllium outdated earlier you decorativeness them.
• Not everything you larn volition use to the tract you enactment on. For example, the SEO strategies utilized for a small, section bakery are precise antithetic from those for a ample ecommerce company.

Keep successful mind, determination is nary Google SEO certification program, truthful each courses are taught by radical extracurricular of Google.

That said, SEO certification tin assistance you larn SEO faster successful a structured format, which is appealing to galore students. They tin service arsenic a instauration for gathering beardown SEO skills.

However, to beryllium successful, you request to brace an SEO certification with real-world experience.

SEO Agencies vs. SEO Certifications

If you’re considering getting an SEO certification, you mightiness wonderment if you’re amended disconnected hiring an agency. Unfortunately, comparing the 2 is simply a spot similar comparing apples to oranges.

Here’s why:

Hiring an SEO bureau gives you entree to SEO experts successful each areas of SEO, including local, technical, international, and on-page SEO. Depending connected the agency’s size, they whitethorn besides person PPC experts, contented marketers, information analysts, and task managers.

An SEO certification volition springiness you a baseline cognition of each the antithetic types of SEO, but you won’t person the aforesaid cognition arsenic an adept with 10+ years of experience.

That said, it whitethorn beryllium worthy it to get an SEO certification adjacent if you extremity up hiring an agency. You’ll beryllium capable to amended recognize the agency’s recommendations and however they mightiness interaction your business.

FAQs

Conclusion

Getting a Google SEO certification tin motorboat your vocation forward; but it tin besides beryllium a discarded of clip and money. If you’re conscionable getting started successful SEO, a certificate tin assistance you recognize the basics oregon summation much technical knowledge.

Just remember, determination is nary replacement for hands-on SEO experience.

Have you taken an SEO certification course? Did you consciousness similar it was worthy it?