Help with SEO Training

[Interiorsdan]

Hi Guys,

I'm just wondering about getting some official SEO training. I currently pay someone to 'do our SEO' and I don't feel that it is much in my control and think it might be a good idea to get some training and do it myself so that much more time is spent on our online marketing, without it costing bags of money.

I have a good understanding of SEO and on-site optimization etc. But I am a bit weak on gaining back-links and other off-site techniques. I don't need to be taught the basics as I feel that I am past the beginner stages, so would be looking for a intermediate to advanced taring course. I am also looking or a course in PPC as well.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[BTON Agency]

Hi Interiorsdan,

I think there is a market out there for this but seems a bit of a dark art that people are wary of sharing (probably because it will do them out of a job, cant blame them).

Over the Christmas period i through myself into it and our ranking has improved but that may have been down to site maturity.

Youtube is a great teacher on the subject and a lot of posters have been helpful to me on here. The backlinks seem a bit of a waste of time from what i can gather unless you get a high quality one from something like a .gov site.

Apparantley its all about content and showing you are an expert in your field - Guessing that means review sites and posting blogs linked to your site.

Good luck with it all and if you find anything really good please share!

 

[stevebrownlie]

What does your business do? If it's a local business I'm running a free webinar at the moment that caters to that market (see sig).

Being able to promote your site and get backlinks is one of the 'beginner' steps, though, so when looking I'd not rule out fairly beginner courses in that area. Avoid anything that talks about 'submissions' and 'article directories' though as there's some really terrible advice out there for free on blogs etc.

Backlinko is probably the best online blog to follow if you want to learn how to get links in some cool ways.

 

[StevePoster]

I'm just wondering about getting some official SEO training. I currently pay someone to 'do our SEO' and I don't feel that it is much in my control and think it might be a good idea to get some training and do it myself so that much more time is spent on our online marketing, without it costing bags of money.

Official SEO training is a good start but I would suggest to take all the opportunities that are available in the web like joining in online communities such as forums (conversations, sharing, learning) and blogging (building relationship with the related sites)

I have a good understanding of SEO and on-site optimization etc. But I am a bit weak on gaining back-links and other off-site techniques.

SEO is always a changing world and for you to have good understanding in this field you must adapt in different platforms in order to be creative as well as strategic in your skills.

 

[Mystro]

The training is only as good as the people selling it, if its a great salesman then your in trouble, the web is full of contradictory information, but there is some good advice above, join forums and participate you will soon get to know who knows their stuff and those just guessing in the wind.

Backlinko is great as mentioned very out the box methods, but content also if publised right will do just that too

If your after a course, a very reputable member on here has a course, which currently has 100% feedback, has pretty much everything you need and is worth a look http://www.freshbananas.co.uk/

 

[DexSmart]

Gaining backlinks requires time. Reading will help you out to understand and find the right path.

 

[Louis Porter]

I think it's a great idea. We encourage our clients to get involved and are in constant contact with them, especially when running a specific targeted campaign.

A number of the guys in our agency went on a training course at JellyFish when they first got into SEO. Good luck.

 

[neils3]

Backlinks from top authority websites which are relevant to your industry are hard to get, require effort but are well worth it. This is important to note, as so many services will offer you links but if they are low quality then they are unlikely to give you any benefit and if you do then will be short term.

A solid method is to create content that is worth linking to.

 

[Matt Thorpe]

If you want to ranking highly then you need to have a well-optimised website and popularity. Popularity will only come from having great content (as Neil above states).

If you want to build links to your site then you need to get under the skin of your customers and understand what they want to see from you. Think about what can add real value to them as a visitor our customer. Don't try to sell to people directly. Turn your site into a value resource where people can come, learn and gain benefits from your type of service. If you do this, they will return.

For example, if you sell fabrics you should be inspiring people with ideas to use those fabrics with cushions, curtain, chair coverings, blinds, pet mats, etc. This is why retailers like 'Not On The High Street' so well. They inspire!

 

[Michael Nguyen]

Training is a good option but you need to find someone who has a good lineage and view what they've have done and achieved. A mentor really helps to guide your ideas.

 

[jmwang]

I think you can look the seothatworks by backlinko,the training is good!

 

[webgeek]

There's a lot of sites controlling a lot of top 10 ranking real estate without having done any link building to speak of.

90 days + a ton of content publishing on the domain + social mentions, and a comparison site went from launch having a few brand terms ranking well to having more than SerpFox Corporate Plan could track (top 20 rankings), all without link building, and with content that was not phenomenal, but was solid, well written, vendor/mfg profiles and editorial pieces on how to get the most out of the items being compared.

If you invest the time and money into taking your on-domain content from good to outfrigginstanding, targeting prospects needs/wants/hopes/fears and mention it via social channels upon publishing, you will earn natural links, rather than buying links that try to look natural.

Don't bother with the Top 5 Blah Blah Blah, or Top 10 Reasons to Yackety Yack.

Instead, put together the 10 Second Test to Find the Perfect Office Chair or the 100 Signs Your Bum Needs A Different Chair (humour is okay sometimes), or the 101 Ways To Get Your Next Living Room Set Cheaper Than Ikea. I personally enjoy the Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Blah But Were Afraid To Ask.

That said, I do believe there is value in quality publishing off-domain, but only in moderation. Think of it as a prospecting tool, not an organic ranking signal, and you'll come away much better in the long term.