About this course: SEO is a dynamic and growing career field that demands knowledge and skills in a variety of website optimization strategies and tactics in order to be successful. This course is designed to provide you with a solid foundation in SEO including the different elements comprising a website optimization client report, and arm you with skills you need to develop a tactical approach to SEO. Whether you have successfully completed the other courses in the Search Engine Optimization specialization or are taking just this course, this project is your chance to apply the knowledge you’ve acquired to practice important SEO tactics and optimize a site of your choice from the ground-up. You will identify optimization opportunities on a site and discover valuable tips for pitching your plan and managing your relationship with your client, you will then develop a customized SEO solution for the website you chose, and go through each of the major steps needed to execute your strategy including keyword research, competitive analysis, improving the site’s meta-data and on-page elements. Along the way, you will receive feedback through the peer review process. This community of fellow learners will provide additional input to help you refine your approach to SEO and present your findings to clients and management.

Created by: University of California, Davis

Taught by: Rebekah May, SEO Manager & Lead SEO Instructor, Lead Qual
UC Davis Division of Continuing and Professional Education

Basic Info	Course 6 of 6 in the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialization
Level	Intermediate
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.9 stars Average User Rating 4.9See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Getting Started and Milestone 1: Gauging a Site's Opportunity for Improvement

In this first milestone, you will identify a potential client’s website by using your skills to gauge a website’s opportunity for improvement and higher ranking. Once you have selected a website, you will create an SEO pitch to inform and persuade a potential client to adopt a new SEO strategy. Finally, you will develop a set of kick-off questions that will help gather the information you need to begin to develop your SEO strategy.

2 videos, 4 readings

Discussion Prompt: Your Learning Goals
Video: Milestone 1 Assignment Overview
Discussion Prompt: Questions For Your Peers
Reading: Identifying a Potential Client - Resources (Part 1)
Reading: Create an SEO Pitch - Resources (Part 2)
Reading: Develop Kickoff Questions - Resources (Part 3)
Reading: Kick-Off Questions Template

Graded: Gauging a Site's Opportunity for Improvement

WEEK 2

Milestone 2: Initial Research Phase

In this milestone, you will focus on the initial research required to begin optimizing a website. This milestone has three main activities including developing a buyer persona, conducting keyword research, and performing competitive research. These activities will help you identify your target audience, frame your keyword research, and gain insight into your competition. The information you gather from this research process will help you develop a successful strategy for the website.

1 video, 6 readings

Discussion Prompt: Questions For Your Peers
Reading: Developing a Persona - Resources (Part 1)
Reading: User/Buyer Persona Template
Reading: Performing Keyword Research - Resources (Part 2)
Reading: Keyword Research Example & Template
Reading: Conducting a Competitive Analysis - Resources (Part 3)
Reading: Keyword Competitive Analysis Template

Graded: Initial Research Phase

WEEK 3

Milestone 3: Conducting a Content Audit and Technical Review

In this third milestone, you’ll examine the content of your competitors’ sites through a content audit to better position your own SEO campaign. You’ll also conduct an internal content audit to compare your site to those of your competitors and identify areas for improvement. Also in this milestone, you will develop a keyword matrix to help you determine which keywords should be assigned to specific pages on your site. In the final part of the milestone, you’ll perform a technical review of the site to identify any technical factors that may impact the ranking of the website. Each of these activities is critical to On-Page SEO.

1 video, 9 readings

Discussion Prompt: Questions For Your Peers
Reading: Competitive Content Analysis (Part 1)
Reading: Competitive Analysis Template
Reading: Internal Content Audit - Resources (Part 2)
Reading: Internal Content Audit Template
Reading: Keyword Mapping - Resources (Part 3)
Reading: Keyword Mapping Template
Reading: Technical SEO - Resources (Part 4)
Reading: Error Tracking Template
Reading: Technical Audit Template

Graded: Conducting a Content Audit and Technical Review

WEEK 4

Milestone 4: Presenting Your Findings

In this final milestone, you will develop a comprehensive presentation representing all the work you have done throughout the course. Using a standard outline, you’ll create one cohesive Word document and present your findings, analysis, and recommendations to your peers. The final presentation will also include a video in which you present your case to a potential client or employer outlining how your SEO strategy will improve ranking and business.

2 videos, 2 readings

Discussion Prompt: Questions For Your Peers
Reading: Presenting Your Findings - Resources
Reading: SEO Audit Template
Video: Project Summary
Discussion Prompt: Reflections

Graded: Presenting Your Findings

FAQs

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How It Works

Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from Your Peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

Creators

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.

Pricing

	Purchase Course
Access to course materials	Available
Access to graded materials	Available
Receive a final grade	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 of 52 ratings

An excellent specialization

The course content itself was exceptional and I learned a lot about SEO. I would strongly suggest that Coursera change its system of peer reviewing submitted assignments, because it leaves a lot of opportunities for negligence. I had two assignments where two of my three peers passed my submissions while a third individual would fail my work citing that I was missing components of the assignments that were actually present. This caused a lot of unnecessary stress due to concerns of whether or not there would be individuals still present, and willing, left in the course session to grade the assignment. I am aware that this is no fault of the instructor, but rather the platform the course is presented on, but this should not be the case. Assignments should only be graded by qualified instructors who are experts in the subject matter, not random individuals who have no prior training or experience.

Excellent specialization course in which you can practice what you learnt previously.

excellent specialization. enjoyed and learnt a lot. thank you coursera and instructors.

Website Optimization Client Report Project

Website Optimization Client Report Project