Gain an understanding of search engine algorithms and how they affect organic search results and websites. Building on this knowledge, you’ll learn the key elements for creating an effective SEO strategy, including how to select keywords and perform keyword research; consumer psychology and search behavior; and how to conduct on-page SEO analysis to identify opportunities to improve a website’s search optimization.
Offered By
University of California, Davis
About this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
75%
started a new career after completing these courses
58%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
What you will learn
Complete a competitive analysis on a webpage
Interpret brand recognition through social media
Create sitemaps and robot.txt files, plan redirects, and manage site errors
Use a variety of SEO tools to conduct an audience analysis and develop personas of your ideal buyer
Skills you will gain
Social MediaKeyword ResearchMarketingMathematical Optimization
Learner Career Outcomes
75%
started a new career after completing these courses
58%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 13 hours to complete
Suggested: 4 weeks of study, 1-3 hours/week
English
Subtitles: English, Portuguese (Brazilian), Turkish
Offered by
University of California, Davis
UC Davis, one of the nation’s top-ranked research universities, is a global leader in agriculture, veterinary medicine, sustainability, environmental and biological sciences, and technology. With four colleges and six professional schools, UC Davis and its students and alumni are known for their academic excellence, meaningful public service and profound international impact.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
7 hours to complete
Getting Started and Introduction to On-page SEO
Welcome to Week 1. This module will introduce you to On-page SEO. The lessons will start with introducing you to key areas of SEO so you’ll have a strong understanding of the differences amongst the strategies. Then we’ll dive into using On-page SEO techniques so that you’ll know how to optimize keywords in meta data as well as perform competitive analysis on a web page. By the end of this module, you’ll know how to identify meta-tags and use these to make recommendations for On-page SEO.
7 hours to complete
11 videos (Total 66 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz
11 videos
Introduction to On-page SEO48s
Key Areas of SEO2m
Meta Data and Meta Tags4m
Title Tags 10110m
Meta Descriptions Help Too!11m
A Note About Meta Keywords3m
URL Optimization6m
How to Use Heading Tags8m
Creating and Optimizing Unique Content8m
Analyzing a Website Using a Web Crawler5m
4 readings
A Note from UC Davis10m
On-Page SEO: Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimized Page15m
Blame the Meta Keywords Tag - Duane Forrester15m
The Basics of Search Engine Friendly Design & Development15m
1 practice exercise
On-page SEO Review20m
5 hours to complete
Introduction to Off-page SEO
Welcome to Week 2. This module will introduce you to Off-page SEO. While these strategies are more indirect than On-page SEO, they’re still important to maximize page authority. This module will clarify what Off-page SEO is as well as help you understand building links to your site and understanding brand recognition through social media. Once you complete this module, you’ll be able to understand link analysis as well as how social media can help improve your page authority.
5 hours to complete
4 videos (Total 19 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
4 videos
Off-site SEO Elements6m
Who is Linking to Your Content?6m
Social Media: Help or Hinder?5m
2 readings
Growing Popularity & Links15m
Suggested Reading - How Social Media Helps SEO15m
1 practice exercise
Off-site SEO Review20m
6 hours to complete
Introduction to Technical SEO
Welcome to week 3! In the lessons that follow, you will take a close look at the third leg of a solid SEO Strategy: Technical SEO. You’ll see how important structural components like sitemaps, redirects and other components lay a foundation for your content that will help your site get noticed. By the end of this module, you should be able to define Technical SEO and explain some of the basic aspects of this strategy. As you begin creating sitemaps and robot.txt files as well as planning redirects and managing site errors, you’ll learn how to employ best practices in your Technical SEO strategy.
6 hours to complete
7 videos (Total 39 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
7 videos
Laying the Structural Foundation With Technical SEO2m
HTML Sitemap vs. XML Sitemap8m
The robots.txt File Protocol6m
Overcoming Pesky Error Codes6m
Redirects 1018m
404 Pages Best Practices5m
2 readings
The Beginner's Guide to Technical SEO: 7 Resources You Should Use15m
Art of SEO30m
1 practice exercise
Technical SEO Review20m
11 hours to complete
Keyword Theory & Research
Welcome to week 4! In this module, we are going to discover a variety of strategies for developing keywords for your site. This critical step is what helps direct your ideal buyer to the content that meets his or her needs. In the lessons that follow, we’ll learn about keyword theory and how understanding the common behaviors of web searchers can help you hone your list of keywords. We’ll also see how you can use a variety of SEO tools to conduct an audience and use this data to develop personas of your ideal buyer. Once you’ve completed this module, you should be able to craft a list of optimal keywords that will help get your site recognized.
11 hours to complete
8 videos (Total 38 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
8 videos
Choosing the Right Keywords4m
Stages of Search7m
Heads, Tails, and Long Tail Keywords5m
The Science of How Users Conduct Searches5m
Getting to Know Your Audience6m
Creating Your Ideal Buyers Persona6m
Course Summary and Wrap-up1m
1 reading
The Art of SEO30m
1 practice exercise
Keyword Theory & Research Review20m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION FUNDAMENTALS
by AAJun 30, 2017
This is not a trivial subject. Nevertheless, I feel completely confident in my newfound knowledge of it. Not only that, but I am very motivated to keep going with the rest of the specialization now.
by MYJun 9, 2018
this is amazing SEO course . i am first time learning about SEO . its really informative and help me to improve my skill. i really thanks to coursera to give this opportunity to learn this course.
by EOAug 7, 2016
Very interesting course. It took me through the basics of SEO for a website. I used the concepts thought in this course in my current job and it has helped me gain credibility from my supervisor.
by GHJun 23, 2016
Sometimes it's not important to be able to DO the subject, but just understand the language to ask the right questions. This was an informative and helpful insight into optimization fundamentals.
by INJan 23, 2017
Ms May provided so much information and so many resources regarding SEO. For each aspect of SEO I definitely walk away with a lot more knowledge that I can already apply right now!
by HAMar 5, 2017
This course is really something, now i have a much clearer picture then i had before taking this course, i am feeling confident now. The way they designed the course, it is great.
by YMMay 16, 2019
Great course that gives an overall very good picture of what SEO is all about. Very clear lectures and the lecturers are spectacular! highly recommend! cant wait to learn more...
by EPSep 2, 2019
I really enjoy this course, is everything I need to know about on/off-page and technical SEO, and how to do keywords research and user personal is truly a solid rock knowledge.
by PSSep 7, 2017
Another hit. Lessons are parceled out well so that it is easy to learn but then reinforced extremely well so that the participants leave with a firm grasp on the concepts.
by MTApr 24, 2019
The Course was great, so easy to understand and straight to the point. The topics are a must for those who want to understand how Google Search Ranking works. 5 stars!
by MJDec 15, 2017
I don't appreciate the peer grading system because i submitted my assignment early on and I am still waiting for them to finish there's and grade my assignment.
by SRJun 10, 2018
This course is a great primer for getting involved with SEO. When you start practicing SEO, you will find yourself coming back to a lot these basic principles.
by JDFeb 27, 2018
The course is ok and gives more details than the introductory course. However asks us to use tools which we have to pay in order to perform the tasks properly.
by MGJul 13, 2019
One of the amazing tutor and great content for the SEO Fundamentals course. No doubt, why it was highly recommended to me by my colleagues. Great learning! :)
by KBMay 12, 2019
Great information. Thank you Coursera for making these classes accessible to people all over the world. I look forward to completing the SEO Specialization.
by EKMar 20, 2017
Really useful course! I already feel better at my job and I understand more about SEO! Looking forward for the rest of the courses for the specialization!
by ADNov 25, 2018
In general, I'm satisfied from the presented content, although I would really appreciate more concrete examples (visual) and more involvement of mentors
by AAFeb 24, 2017
Great introduction class to SEO, courses have a great structure and the instructor really makes learning SEO accessible to all. Highly recommended.
by VKMar 31, 2016
I found this very useful for the beginning with SEO. There are lots of the areas to deepen, but for general understanding it was really convenient.
by OOAug 16, 2019
I dislike the peer graded assignments. This paradigm destroys the whole "learn at your own pace" advantage that was the reason for using coursera.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
