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There are 4 modules in this course
Gain a foundational understanding of search engine algorithms and how they influence organic search results and website performance. Building on this knowledge, you’ll explore the key components of a successful SEO strategy—including keyword selection and research, consumer psychology, and search behavior. The course also covers on-page SEO analysis techniques to uncover optimization opportunities.
In addition, you’ll examine how AI is reshaping SEO—from content generation to algorithm updates—and how to adapt your strategy accordingly. Learn the latest best practices for building resilient, effective SEO strategies that align with current search trends, user expectations, and ethical guidelines in an increasingly automated search landscape.
This module introduces you to the fundamentals of On-page SEO—what it is, why it matters, and how it fits into a broader SEO strategy. You’ll start by exploring the key areas of SEO and how On-page optimization complements technical and off-page efforts. Then, you’ll dive into the core elements that make a page search-friendly, including metadata, title tags, headings, URLs, and structured content. You’ll also explore how AI is changing content creation and optimization, including how to use AI tools and prompts ethically and effectively in your workflow. Finally, you’ll practice analyzing and critiquing web pages using web crawlers and On-page SEO techniques, building the foundation for content-driven search success.
What's included
12 videos4 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
12 videos•Total 57 minutes
Course Introduction•2 minutes
Module 1 Introduction•1 minute
Key Areas of SEO•2 minutes
Metadata and Meta Tags•4 minutes
Title Tags 101, Part 1•5 minutes
Title Tags 101, Part 2•8 minutes
Meta Descriptions Help Too!•6 minutes
How to Use Heading Tags•6 minutes
Creating and Optimizing Unique Content•8 minutes
User Generated Content •6 minutes
A Note About AI Content, Part 1•4 minutes
A Note About AI Content, Part 2•5 minutes
4 readings•Total 37 minutes
Link Selections•1 minute
Course Navigation and Safety Statement•1 minute
On-Page SEO: The Definitive Guide•30 minutes
Blame the Meta Keywords Tag•5 minutes
3 assignments•Total 70 minutes
Practice: Rewrite a Title Tag, Meta Description, and Heading Structure•20 minutes
Module 1 Knowledge Check•20 minutes
Analyze Key On-Page SEO Elements for a Webpage•30 minutes
Introduction to Off-Page SEO
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to Week 2. This module introduces you to the world of Off-page SEO—the factors that influence your site’s authority, trust, and visibility beyond your own domain. While Off-page tactics can feel less direct than On-page SEO, they play a crucial role in building credibility with both users and search engines. You’ll explore key Off-site elements like backlinks, brand mentions, and trust signals, along with the evolving role of social media. We'll also take a close look at link-building strategies and recent insights from sources like the Google API leak, helping you separate outdated myths from current best practices. By the end of this module, you'll know how to assess the quality of backlinks, evaluate referring domains, and understand how Off-page signals affect your search rankings.
What's included
6 videos2 readings2 assignments
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 32 minutes
Module 2 Introduction•1 minute
Introduction to Off-Page SEO•1 minute
Off-site SEO Elements, Part 1•3 minutes
Off-site SEO Elements, Part 2•10 minutes
Off-site SEO Elements, Google API Leak•10 minutes
Off-site SEO Elements, Part 3•6 minutes
2 readings•Total 30 minutes
Growing Popularity & Links•20 minutes
How Social Media Helps SEO•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 75 minutes
Module 2 Knowledge Check + Reflection•45 minutes
Analyze Key Off-Page Signals for a Website•30 minutes
Introduction to Technical SEO
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to Week 3! This module dives into the backbone of every effective SEO strategy: Technical SEO. You'll explore how site structure, crawlability, and indexing impact visibility in search engines—and how even strong content can be buried without the right technical foundation. We'll cover essentials like sitemaps, robots.txt files, redirects, error handling, and URL structure, along with updated best practices and tools you can use to audit and monitor your site's health. You’ll also explore how recent shifts in how search engines process data are influencing the technical expectations for modern websites. By the end of this module, you’ll have the skills to troubleshoot common technical issues, optimize your site’s architecture, and ensure your content can actually be discovered and ranked.
What's included
12 videos1 reading2 assignments
Show info about module content
12 videos•Total 73 minutes
Module 3 Introduction•1 minute
Technical SEO Best Practices and Trends•9 minutes
Crawlability and Indexation, Part 1•6 minutes
Crawlability and Indexation, Part 2•5 minutes
HTML Sitemap vs. XML Sitemap•8 minutes
URL Structure for Success, Part 1•10 minutes
URL Structure for Success, Part 2•5 minutes
The robots.txt File Protocol•6 minutes
Website Structure Best Practices•4 minutes
Overcoming Pesky Error Codes•6 minutes
Redirects 101•8 minutes
404 Pages Best Practices•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 15 minutes
8 Technical SEO Tools You Should Be Using Today•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 75 minutes
Module 3 Knowledge Check + Reflection•45 minutes
Analyze a Technical SEO Scenario and Recommend a Solution•30 minutes
Keyword Theory & Research
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to Module 4! In this module, you’ll explore how to research, refine, and strengthen your keyword strategy—the cornerstone of aligning your content with real search behavior. You’ll dive into keyword theory, intent mapping, and the stages of search to better understand how users discover content and how to guide them to yours. We’ll explore the evolution of keyword research in response to semantic search and AI-driven algorithms, and how that impacts everything from phrase selection to topic targeting. You’ll also learn how to use keyword research tools for audience analysis, build user intent profiles, and develop a keyword strategy that moves beyond volume to focus on relevance and opportunity. By the end of this module, you’ll have the skills to craft a data-informed, audience-aligned keyword strategy that supports long-term visibility and rankings.
What's included
8 videos2 assignments
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 44 minutes
Module 4 Introduction•1 minute
Choosing the Right Keywords•4 minutes
Stages of Search•7 minutes
Heads, Tails, and Long Tail Keywords•5 minutes
The Science of How Users Conduct Searches•4 minutes
The Shift in Keyword Research•8 minutes
Strengthening Your Keyword Strategy•11 minutes
Course Summary•3 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Module 4 Knowledge Check + Reflection•30 minutes
Analyze a Keyword Opportunity and Recommend a Strategy•30 minutes
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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.
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Showing 3 of 3710
M
MA
5·
Reviewed on Jun 16, 2023
course provided me fundamental knowledge of SEO. I can use it on websites and I have started using it on my social platforms such as youtube channel, facebook page and insta.
R
RN
5·
Reviewed on May 29, 2020
this is the best SEO course available on the web. very detailed & thorough. specific instructions. i will recommend it to everyone who is seeking a career in the SEO field
M
MA
5·
Reviewed on Dec 6, 2021
Super easy to follow! I recommend actually doing the practices, helps a lot. I had done research before this course and this helped me refine the details I needed to know for each part of SEO.
You'll learn how search engines interpret websites and how to improve organic visibility through stronger content, better site structure, and smarter keyword choices. It starts with page-level SEO like metadata and headings, then moves into off-page signals, technical issues such as crawlability and redirects, and the role AI now plays in SEO work. You'll apply that by auditing a website and practicing tasks like rewriting page elements or spotting technical problems.
Do I need SEO experience before taking this course?
Some familiarity with websites, content, or digital marketing will help, because this is an intermediate course. It moves fairly quickly into metadata, backlinks, crawlability, and keyword strategy instead of spending much time on basic web concepts. You don't need programming, but it helps if terms like pages, URLs, and search results already feel familiar.
Is this course beginner-friendly for SEO?
It's beginner-friendly only if you already have some comfort with basic website or marketing concepts. The teaching is clear, but the course expects you to start analyzing pages, backlinks, crawl issues, and search intent fairly early. If you're completely new to SEO, a more introductory course may feel easier to start with.
How long does it take to complete this course?
Expect about 11 hours of work in total, or roughly 1 to 2 weeks if you study around 10 hours a week. The pace is manageable, but you'll be doing more than watching lessons because the course also includes readings, guided exercises, and graded practice. The workload is spread across lessons, website audit activities, and assignments where you analyze and improve SEO elements.
Are there hands-on exercises or projects in this course?
Yes, there is hands-on work, but it's guided rather than open-ended. You'll choose a website to audit and use it in exercises and graded assignments, such as rewriting a title tag and meta description, analyzing off-page signals, or recommending a fix for a technical SEO issue. That gives you a chance to apply each lesson to real webpages as you move through the course.
What skills and topics are covered in this course?
You'll cover the main parts of a complete SEO strategy: on-page work, off-page authority, technical SEO, and keyword research. Along the way, you'll learn to improve metadata and headings, assess backlinks and brand signals, fix crawlability issues, and think through how AI affects content and search behavior. Together, those topics help you connect content, site health, and user intent into one SEO approach.
What can I actually do after finishing this course?
After finishing, you should be able to audit a webpage or site and identify practical SEO improvements. For example, you can rewrite title tags and meta descriptions, evaluate backlink quality, and recommend fixes for crawl, redirect, or error-page issues. You should also be able to build a keyword plan tied to search intent and compare a page against competitors more thoughtfully.
Is this course more theory or hands-on?
It's more concept-first, with guided practice built in. You'll spend most of your time learning how SEO works across content, links, and site structure, then reinforcing that through website audits and short graded analyses.
Why would I choose this course over other SEO courses?
This course is a strong choice if you want one SEO course that connects content, authority, technical health, and keyword strategy instead of treating them as separate topics. It also feels current, because it addresses AI's impact on SEO and reinforces the material through guided website audits and analysis assignments. If you want a broad, applied view of SEO rather than a narrow course on just one area, this course will likely suit you well.