Any website that wants to garner long-term success will need to be optimized for search engines. Search engine optimization is a process that involves many different techniques, all of which are designed to help a website increase traffic by ranking higher in search engine results. Search engines like Google and Bing send out bots that crawl through a website to determine how optimized the site is.

If your website has been optimized with relevant keywords in mind, it should appear towards the top of search results, which will likely improve visibility and bring in more traffic to your website. Keep in mind that less than 1% of users will click on websites that are listed on the second page of results. In fact, the majority of users only select websites from the first three results that are listed.

Search engine optimization can involve everything from improving the performance of your website to adding the right keywords to the written content on your blog. Because of how important SEO has become to the long-term success of any website, you might want to consider becoming SEO-certified. You can obtain this type of certification by taking an online course and completing an examination at the end of the course.

While there is no official Google SEO certification, there are many different courses that will help you learn all there is to know about search engine optimization. With this knowledge, you should have the tools you need to properly implement SEO into your website. You could also add this certification to your resume in the future. If you’re a marketing professional or website designer, you could benefit from seeking an SEO certification. This article goes into more detail about SEO certifications and if they are worth the money.

What is Included in an SEO Certification?

If you decide to seek an SEO certification, you will first need to take a course that should teach you everything you need to know about search engine optimization. However, different courses cover difficult subjects. It’s possible to take courses and obtain certifications in inbound marketing, beginner’s SEO, advanced SEO, competitive analysis, link building, and keyword research. The course you take can be free or can cost thousands of dollars.

The costlier courses will cover more subjects and typically take longer to complete. While some of these programs can be completed in 3-6 hours, others can take up to 60 hours if you finish all of the coursework. Regardless of the SEO certification, you seek, you will invariably take an exam at the end of the course that will determine if you can obtain an SEO certification.

7 Best SEO Courses

The following represent seven of the top SEO courses that you can enter. These courses vary considerably in subject matter and price, which means that you should be able to find a course that fits your situation and budget.

1. SEMrush Academy

SEMrush Academy offers numerous exams and online courses that are focused on search engine optimization, the primary of which is the Content Marketing and SEO Fundamentals exam. You can also use this exam as a base for additional courses in the SEMrush Academy that will further your marketing knowledge. In the SEO fundamentals exam, you will be tested on content marketing, guest posts, collaborating, content syndication, and types of content.

Since this exam is meant to test your knowledge, you won’t go through any coursework. The exam itself takes around 30 minutes to complete and is free of charge. Once you have passed the exam, consider moving on to the SEO toolkit program, which offers several video lessons on search engine optimization. You can complete the toolkit program in around three hours.

2. HubSpot Marketing Course

The HubSpot Marketing Course is part of the HubSpot Academy, which offers courses on all forms of marketing. HubSpot itself is a popular platform that offers marketing software to businesses of all sizes.

The inbound marketing course available at HubSpot is designed to help companies bring in bring in new visitors and convert leads. This course includes seven lessons, eight quizzes, and nearly three dozen videos on subjects that extend to everything from nurturing leads to content creation. The program is free and takes around 4.5 hours to finish.

3. ClickMinded SEO Training

ClickMinded SEO Training is a digital marketing course that has already been taken by nearly 9,000 students, agencies, startups, and entrepreneurs. The course ends with an exam and is centered around the fundamentals of SEO, optimization tools, keyword research, and the Google Search Console. You can also seek training in email marketing, paid advertising, and content marketing with ClickMinded. If you purchase this course on its own, the cost is $997. However, you can buy all seven digital marketing courses in a bundle for just $1,997.

4. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is an online course that’s available from Google Digital Garage, which is a segment of Google that aims to provide digital marketing training. The course is separated into 26 distinct modules, which will take around 40 hours to finish. Once you have completed the necessary coursework, you will receive an exam that tests you on what you’ve learned.

This exam includes 40 questions. If you pass the exam, you will earn an SEO certificate. A notable aspect of this course is that it has been accredited. All of the 26 modules provide a video tutorial as well as a short quiz that tests you on the subject matter that was covered in the video. The skills you will learn during this digital marketing course include SEM, SEO, email marketing, social media marketing, eCommerce, and content marketing.

5. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a course that’s designed specifically to help you learn how to use the Google Analytics tool. Some of the subjects you will learn about include advanced analysis techniques, marketing strategies, and how to use the various Google Analytics configurations.

The program is divided into four lessons, which include data collection and processing, advanced marketing tools, advanced analysis tools, and setting up data collections. You can complete this course in around 4-6 hours. Once you have completed this program, you could also take a more thorough exam on Google Analytics, which will allow you to earn the Google Analytics IQ certification.

6. Blueprint SEO Training

Blueprint SEO Training is an SEO program that accommodates beginners and experienced professionals. They offer many different marketing and SEO courses, which can be purchased individually or in a bundle depending on the courses you’d like to take. When you want to learn more about search engine optimization, two of the more popular SEO courses available through Blueprint include technical SEO and keyword research.

You can learn more about the subjects you’ll learn before you select a course. Each course is priced differently. While some courses are free, there are also some that cost hundreds of dollars. If you purchase the full training bundle, you can expect to pay $2,999.

7. Market Motive SEO Training

Market Motive SEO Training is an advanced SEO course that focuses on keyword research, SEO analytics, off-page optimization, and on-page optimization. You can take the course via an online boot camp with timed lessons or at your own pace. The main features of this training program include more than 30 hours of self-paced videos, over 15 hours of online classes that are led by an instructor, and more than 20 industry-based projects, the latter of which allow you to gain hands-on experience.

In order to obtain an advanced SEO certification from Market Motive, you must complete one simulation test and three projects. While there aren’t any strict requirements on who is able to complete this course, Market Motive recommends that people take the SEO foundations course beforehand. The option for self-paced learning is priced at $599. If you would like to complete the online boot camp, you will need to pay $999.

How to Know if an SEO Certification is Worth It

SEO certificates are a form of documentation that you can gain after completing SEO training courses. These certificates are proof that you’ve increased your SEO skills and knowledge. They can also be placed on a resume for future job opportunities. If you believe that having an SEO certificate is right for you, the seven courses mentioned above all have their advantages. If you want to increase your SEO skills but don’t want to spend too much money on doing so, several of the programs in this guide are completely free.

The programs that cost money are typically more extensive and should make you more knowledgeable about SEO and how it can be used to strengthen your business or website. While not everyone benefits from having this certification, it can be advantageous for marketing purposes. These programs cover every facet of search engine optimization as well as other digital marketing techniques, which should give you the tools you need to implement these techniques into your website and marketing campaigns.