Getting an SEO Education - Factors to Consider

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When you think about your educational options in SEO and SEM, there are a number of factors you should consider. First, of course, is how much you already know. If you’ve been playing around with your own web site and experimenting with a few things to see if you can get it to rank better in the SERPs, you probably know more than you think. That’s especially true if you’ve been hanging around in SEO forums for a while, reading SEO-related articles, and perhaps even picked up a book on the topic (ebook or dead tree version). A beginning course on SEO is likely to be a waste of time, effort, and money for you. A more advanced course, on the other hand, or a conference, might be just what you need.

A second factor to consider is your learning style. Do you like to learn things quietly by yourself, perhaps on a computer? Or do you do better with a one-on-one instructor? Perhaps you enjoy a small classroom, with the opportunities for interaction and everybody getting the chance to voice their ideas. Or maybe you crave excitement and would relish the opportunity to meet a large group of people, all focused on the same kinds of things, with several instructors offering different approaches based on their differing experiences. And you’d be thrilled to come back from a few days of intense learning, energized and eager to apply what you heard.

The third factor you’ll need to consider is your budget. Some ebooks available on SEO are free of charge; others cost quite a bit. Some online courses on SEO are relatively inexpensive; others run $2,000 or more. Conferences are often expensive, but sometimes you can try to arrange some kind of discount (there are some that offer “scholarship” programs). Whichever option you choose, remember that getting an education in SEO is an ongoing process; no one is going to ever be able to teach you everything, because the Internet is always changing, and the search engines are always adjusting their algorithms right along with it.

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