Chances are, no matter what your market is, there’s someone out there that’s vacuuming up all the keywords in an attempt to rank for as many as possible (this is particularly true in the sex toy and mattress industries, which are some of the most competitive we’ve seen).
The harsh truth is this: if you’re just starting on SEO now, you’re behind.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t outrank your competition, but it does mean that the bar is set higher than it used to be. This means you really need to know your stuff if you want to get in on the action.
But maybe you do know a little about SEO — and maybe you aren’t seeing results.
Here are six signs that you might need some extra SEO training:
- You’re writing content, but your traffic isn’t increasing.
You might be pumping out content on a weekly basis — but it’s just not doing anything to generate organic traffic. Maybe you’ve been at it for the past year, or maybe you just started a few months ago, but either way, your content is stagnant. You can practically hear the crickets. You aren’t ranking for anything, your traffic isn’t going up, and you certainly aren’t converting organic traffic into sales.
If this sounds like you, then we have good news: you probably have the drive to make your content work, you’re just lacking the knowledge. With a bit of SEO training, that’s something that’s easy to fix.
- You’re getting traffic, but you aren’t converting business.
If your Google Analytics page is all green arrows but you’re still not making sales, then it’s likely that you aren’t targeting the right keywords — and you’re probably lacking a strategy. Likewise, you’re probably also ranking for incidental keywords that aren’t helping you — and actually could potentially be hurting you, depending on what it is you’re trying to sell.
Don’t even know which keywords you rank for?
Then it’s definitely worth investing in SEO training because monitoring your keyword rankings on a regular basis is a critical part of an effective SEO strategy. If you can’t wait and want to know what keywords you rank for right now, check out SEMrush Pro – it’ll tell you everything you need to know about which keywords you and (your competitors) rank for.
- You used to generate a lot of traffic — but it’s all disappeared.
At one time you might’ve been thrilled with the business you generated from your website, but lately, things have dried up. This is a common problem — both for our clients and our SEO students.
SEO isn’t static. It’s a fast-moving target, and Google’s algorithms change on a monthly basis. If your knowledge isn’t up-to-date, there’s a chance that you’re spinning your wheels (and that with a few tweaks, you could start generating traffic again).
If you’re looking at an online SEO training course, make sure it’s been recently updated and the information isn’t outdated.
If the course has been produced a few years ago and hasn’t been updated since, find a different option (as an aside, we regularly add to and update our SEO training course, which trainees get lifetime access to).
- You aren’t sure what content you should be writing next month — or next week.
A lot of our clients think they know SEO — and maybe they understand it from a technical perspective — but they can’t find the time to put it into action. If you’re serious about SEO, and you know what you’re doing, then you should have your content planned out months in advance. If you don’t, then that’s a sign that you need to go back to the drawing board.
And if you’re not regularly creating long-form content targeting specific keywords, you’re not going to be able to rank.
- You feel like your industry is an exception, and that SEO is impossible in your space.
We’ve helped businesses rank in highly competitive spaces, including ones that we were told were “impossible” to get movement in, and just about every industry is still wide open from an SEO perspective.
There are a couple of notable exceptions, like the sex toy and mattress space, but even those aren’t impossible to get traction on (you just have to go longer-tail with the keywords).
- You aren’t sure how to find keywords that you can actually rank for.
Maybe you know how to find keywords — maybe you can even write compelling content. But for whatever reason, you just don’t know what you should be writing about, or what keywords you should be targeting.
You don’t know what variables to look at. Does CPC matter? What volume should you look for? Is SEMrush’s competitive ranking different from Moz? From Ahrefs? From Google’s Keyword Planner?
Finding the right keywords is an art and a science. A good SEO training program makes you an expert at both.
- You have no idea how to generate backlinks for your content.
You know how to find the right keywords, and you can write top-notch content. You’re an expert. But you’re still going nowhere. You know that backlinks are a way to get your content to rank faster, but you don’t know how to get quality backlinks.
SEO training isn’t just about teaching you to write content or find keywords — it’s also about showing you how to use the best content marketing techniques to make your content move and do work for you.
A good SEO training course will not just teach you how to write content and optimize your website for speed, performance, and indexability, but it will also teach you how to effectively market that content. Without content marketing, you won’t be able to send the signals to search crawlers that are required if you want to rank well.
What Should I Look for in SEO Training?
There are hundreds of websites out there shilling SEO training. So what differentiates the best online SEO training class from the worst one? How can you be sure you’re getting your money’s worth?
Here are four things to know before you spend your cash on a digital SEO training course that gets you nowhere and teaches you nothing:
- SEO certification is usually a scam.
A lot of SEO training classes claim to offer some sort of certificate. This is provided, they say, to give you leverage — either at your current company, your future job search, or any potential clients that may come to you.
Let’s be blunt: unless your certification is from Google, it doesn’t matter. (And even Google’s certifications are so bare-bones that they aren’t make-or-break in the digital marketing world.)
Most people shilling certificates are using them as leverage, as a sort of bait to trick students into thinking that they’re getting something approaching the validity offered by a degree.
The reality is, though, that there isn’t an “SEO certificate” that has any weight in this industry.
- Look for a proven track record of SEO results.
Someone who is teaching a class on SEO should have a track record of actually providing tangible results to companies. Can they cite companies they’ve helped grow their traffic or increase conversions? Can they point to success stories from their own business development efforts?
You wouldn’t take a cooking class from someone that didn’t cook delicious food — why would you take an SEO class taught by someone that’s never had success with keywords?
- Make sure they’re up-to-date with SEO best practices.
A proven track record is nice — but it also has to be current. This industry is always evolving, and today’s best practices might not be relevant a few months from now. The best classes are based not on yesteryear’s techniques, but today’s. Likewise, any company teaching an SEO class should be able to show you results that are recent.
Beware of a trophy case that’s covered in dust.
- Be wary of promises or guarantees (e.g., “Rank on the first page of Google in 7 days!).
We’re always very clear about one thing: although we’re SEO experts, there’s no such thing as a guarantee in the world of search. While a steady, consistent strategy will get results over time, anyone promising you that you will absolutely rank for a specific keyword in X months is lying to you.
Likewise, beware of companies trying to sell you “one simple trick” to rank for keywords. While there are tricks you can use to rank slightly faster, the reality is that there is no one trick that will get you to rank for a specific keyword in a week (or whatever time frame they’re promising).
To ensure you’re getting your money’s worth, find a company with a proven, current track record that wants to see you succeed — but isn’t willing to promise you that they’ll sprinkle you with some magic SEO dust.
Must-Read SEO Books for Digital Marketing Professionals
Getting guidance from books is as important as seeking the guidance of a mentor. A firm foundation in any field gathered from books can do wonders and help you grow in the future. Just as reading books is the best way to master any skill, so is the case with SEO. Here are the top must-read SEO books that no digital marketing professional should miss.
- SEO Like I’m 5: The Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization
This book is perfect for people who want to get their hands on SEO straightaway. It does not focus on the theory part as much as the other books. However, it emphasizes the practical implementations of SEO and how digital marketing professionals can easily use it for their benefit.
- Link Building Mastery: How to Rank Higher, Grow Your SEO Traffic and Build Authority with Backlinks
Any SEO expert would agree that link building is one of the essential aspects of mastering SEO. This book is perfect for all digital marketing professionals looking for a quick read to help them understand how link-building works.
- SEO for Dummies, 7th Edition
As the name suggests, this book is the best SEO guide for people with no prior knowledge and covers everything from teaching how to build a website to implementing SEO on social media. Even though the book is beginner-friendly, complex topics are touched upon and explained exceptionally well.
- SEO 2021: Learn Search Engine Optimization with Smart Internet Marketing Strategies
This bestseller is particularly unique from its competitors in the market. Adam Clarke re-releases his work every year to incorporate newer ways to develop with SEO. Hence, this book is always up to date with the latest and best practices to improve every year.
- Keywords for SEO: Actionable Knowledge Bombs to Help You Rank on Google
A book with all the essential keyword research strategies and keywords for SEO is one of the best guides for this concept. Researching and using the best keywords directly affects Google Rankings, and hence apt knowledge of the same is a must-have for all digital marketing professionals.
- Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing
By providing a strong emphasis on social strategy, optimizing is a gem in the market of SEO books. This book talks about the interrelation of Google SEO and content strategy and their dependence on various social media platforms.
- SEO – The Sassy Way to Ranking #1 in Google – When You Have NO CLUE!
The contents of this book are explicitly directed toward optimizing WordPress. Hence, people looking to work better with their websites or blogs on WordPress should read this beginner-friendly SEO guide.
- Search Engine Optimization – SEO 101: Learn the Basics of Google SEO in One Day
This book is simple to read and understand, hence stealing the spot for a beginner’s favorite. It is suitable for beginners and professionals who know their way around keyword research.
- The Art of SEO: Mastering Search Engine Optimization
This thick book of approximately 900 pages doesn’t disappoint the readers. The authors have managed to explain aspects like the impact of Panda and Penguin on the SEO industry, keyword research, a guide to creating the best-optimized website, and so on.
- 3 Months to No. 1: The “No-Nonsense” SEO Playbook for Getting Your Website Found on Google
What differentiates the book 3 months to No. 1 from other SEO books in the market is its weekly blueprint provided at the end of the book. With all the key aspects explained in the majority of the text – the end contains a helpful guide to be followed to enhance SEO ranking in a short duration.
- SEO Workbook: Search Engine Optimization Success in Seven Steps
Along with the much-needed theory, SEO Workbook provides readers and potential or existing digital marketing professionals with practical implementation. The book has suggested many tools for SEO rank improvements, making the readers comfortable with the complex field.
- Ultimate Guide to Link Building: How to Build Backlinks, Authority, and Credibility for Your Website and Increase Click Traffic and Search Ranking
As mentioned earlier, link building is essential for mastering SEO. The book Ultimate Guide to Link Building doesn’t disappoint the readers in this series. By providing almost every essential aspect of link building, this book covers various topics like how to link prospecting effectively and crucial tips for email outreach.
- SEO Made Simple 2020: Insider Secrets for Driving More Traffic to Your Website
This book truly lives up to its name. In a simple guide providing readers with secrets to bring in more traffic, digital marketing professionals can look forward to learning the use of ALT tags effectively and optimizing meta tags correctly. The book also covers the best ways to outsource link building and the most effective ways to get the best backlinks.
