Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies for driving sustainable organic traffic, increasing search visibility, and supporting long-term business growth. In this comprehensive SEO course, you'll learn what is search engine optimization, how does search engine optimization work, and how to do SEO by building and executing a complete SEO strategy, from keyword research and content optimization to technical SEO, link building, analytics, and AI-powered workflows.
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level
Recommended experience
1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Intermediate level
Recommended experience
1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Explain the foundations of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and prepare a website to improve search visibility.
Identify high-value SEO keywords and competitive opportunities through structured keyword research using free and paid SEO tools.
Apply the SEMrush toolkit to conduct SEO audits, research keywords, and track search rankings.
Develop SEO-friendly content and optimize on-page elements to rank for target keywords.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Recently updated!
July 2026
Assessments
8 assignments
Taught in English
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There are 8 modules in this course
This module establishes what SEO is, how search engines decide what to rank, and how on-page and off-page work together. Learners then prepare a basic website for search by understanding technical terminology, page requirements, and the essential pages every site needs.
What's included
7 videos2 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
7 videos•Total 21 minutes
- What is SEO and Why It Is Important •3 minutes
- Debunking SEO Myths •4 minutes
- On-Page and Off-Page: The Two Elements of an SEO Campaign •2 minutes
- Why You Need a Website •4 minutes
- Technical Terms Every SEO Should Know •3 minutes
- Basic Website Requirements for SEO•2 minutes
- Essential Pages Every Website Needs •3 minutes
2 readings•Total 10 minutes
- Welcome to the Course: Course Overview•5 minutes
- Google Search Essentials: Formerly Webmaster Guidelines •5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- SEO Foundations and Website Setup•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Audit a Website Against an SEO-Readiness Checklist•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Why Isn't My Website Showing Up on Google?•10 minutes
This module teaches learners how to identify keywords with real search demand and commercial intent. They will use Google Keyword Planner, Keyword Surfer, MozBar, Google Trends, SEMRush, and competitor analysis to build a clean, prioritized keyword list.
What's included
9 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
9 videos•Total 29 minutes
- What Is a Keyword and the Intent Behind It •2 minutes
- Short Tail vs Long Tail Keywords •2 minutes
- Accessing Google Keyword Planner •5 minutes
- Find Keywords Your Website Already Ranks For •3 minutes
- Determining Keyword Difficulty with MozBar •4 minutes
- Google Auto Suggest and Keywordtool.io for Ideas •4 minutes
- Find Competitor Keywords with SEMRush •4 minutes
- Validating Keywords with Google Trends •3 minutes
- Organizing Keywords and Removing the Irrelevant Ones •3 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Beginner's Guide to Keyword Research (Moz)•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Keyword Research and Competitor Analysis•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Build a Prioritized Keyword Map for a Target Domain•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Choosing the Right Competitor for Keyword Research•10 minutes
This module teaches learners how to use SEMRush as a complete SEO research and audit platform. They will set up an account, navigate dashboards, run keyword and content research, and execute backlink and on-page audits.
What's included
14 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
14 videos•Total 59 minutes
- How to Sign Up for SEMRush •1 minute
- SEMRush Introduction •5 minutes
- SEO Toolkit Overview •7 minutes
- SEO Dashboard Overview •4 minutes
- Domain Overview •9 minutes
- Organic Research •5 minutes
- Keyword Overview •5 minutes
- Keyword Magic Tool •4 minutes
- Topic Research •2 minutes
- SEO Writing Assistant •3 minutes
- Backlink Analytics •5 minutes
- Backlink Audit •2 minutes
- Site Audit •3 minutes
- On-Page SEO Checker •3 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- SEMRush Site Audit Documentation•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- SEMRush SEO Toolkit Mastery•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Run a Full SEMRush Audit on a Chosen Domain•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Prioritizing SEO Work for a New Client•10 minutes
This module covers content as the engine of SEO and on-page elements as the levers that turn relevance into rankings. Learners study content strategy, writing for quality, the three on-page priorities, internal linking, and URL structure.
What's included
16 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
16 videos•Total 41 minutes
- Importance of Content in SEO •1 minute
- Content Ideas from Reviewing Competitors •2 minutes
- Content Ideas with SEMRush •2 minutes
- Content Ideas from Industry-Related Blogs •2 minutes
- What to Avoid When Creating Content •2 minutes
- Importance of Fresh Content •2 minutes
- How Long Should Your Content Be •4 minutes
- What Is On-Page SEO •2 minutes
- The 3 Kings Every Website Has •1 minute
- Optimizing for the First King •3 minutes
- Optimizing for the Second King •3 minutes
- Optimizing for the Third King •4 minutes
- Image ALT Tags for SEO •2 minutes
- Internal Linking and How to Add It •3 minutes
- Do Keywords in Domains Matter •4 minutes
- URL, Folder, and Page Name Structures for SEO •3 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Content Strategy and On-Page SEO•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Optimize a Single Page End to End•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Choosing the Right Domain for a New Website•10 minutes
This module shifts from on-page work to off-page authority. Learners study how backlinks, anchor text, and link diversity influence rankings, then practice nine concrete link-building strategies.
What's included
16 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
16 videos•Total 53 minutes
- What Is a Backlink and Why It Matters •3 minutes
- What Is Anchor Text and Why It Matters •3 minutes
- Anchor Text Types Your Site Needs •1 minute
- What Pages Should You Build Backlinks To •2 minutes
- Dofollow vs Nofollow Links Walkthrough •3 minutes
- Find the Backlinks Your Website Already Has •3 minutes
- How to Determine What Makes a Good Backlink •5 minutes
- A Theoretical Framework on Backlinks •2 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 2: Steal Competitor Backlinks •3 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 3: Forums •3 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 4: Resource Pages •3 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 5: Broken Links •5 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 6: Skyscraper Technique •8 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 7: Reverse Image Search •2 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 8: Relevant Blog Commenting •4 minutes
- Link Building Strategy 9: Social Profiles •2 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Backlinko: Link Building for SEO•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Off-Page SEO and Link Building•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Build a 30-Day Link-Building Plan Using Five Tactics•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Building Your First Backlinks•10 minutes
This module extends link building with higher-leverage tactics: edu links from universities, linkable assets and outreach scripts, PR-driven and event-driven links, and viral content including memes and GIFs.
What's included
17 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
17 videos•Total 42 minutes
- How To Get Edu Links With Internships•2 minutes
- How To Get Edu Links With Scholarship•3 minutes
- Edu Link Exercise•1 minute
- Edu Link Exercise - Answer•3 minutes
- Understanding .EDU Backlinks for SEO•3 minutes
- Linkable Assets That Make Link Building Easier •5 minutes
- Link-Begging Script Example for Outreach •3 minutes
- How to Get Backlinks From Events •2 minutes
- Using Events to Build Links •3 minutes
- RadioGuestList for Link Building •3 minutes
- HARO for Link Building and Publicity •2 minutes
- Link Building Exercise •1 minute
- Link Building Exercise: Answer •3 minutes
- Introduction to Link Building With Memes •2 minutes
- Finding Viral Memes for Social Posting •3 minutes
- Creating Image Memes for Free in Minutes •2 minutes
- Creating Your Own GIFs to Go Viral •3 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Ahrefs Guide to Linkable Assets•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Advanced Link Building Tactics•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Create a Linkable Asset and Plan Outreach to Ten Targets•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Scaling Personalized PR Outreach•10 minutes
This module covers the technical foundations: HTTPS, search console and analytics setup, duplicate and 404 errors, site speed, WordPress-specific optimization, hosting, user experience metrics, and how to run a complete manual SEO audit.
What's included
19 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
19 videos•Total 68 minutes
- HTTP vs HTTPS •3 minutes
- How to Set Up Google Search Console •3 minutes
- Set Up a Google Analytics Account and Install the Code •5 minutes
- What Is Duplicate Content and How to Check For It •3 minutes
- What Is a 404 Page and How to Find Them •2 minutes
- The Correlation Between Site Speed And Rankings•2 minutes
- How To Test Your Websites Page Speed•3 minutes
- Web Hosting And Servers•2 minutes
- User Experience and How to Improve It •4 minutes
- User Metrics: Organic CTR (Part 1) •3 minutes
- User Metrics: Dwell Time (Part 2) •3 minutes
- User Metrics: Bounce Rate (Part 3) •3 minutes
- What Is Negative SEO And How To Identify It•2 minutes
- What Is an SEO Audit and How Google Works •2 minutes
- Tools You Can Use for an SEO Audit •2 minutes
- Crawling Your Website: An Overview •4 minutes
- URLs, 404 Pages, and Optimized URLs •6 minutes
- Meta Descriptions •7 minutes
- Heading Tags (H1 and H2) •8 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Google Search Central: Crawling and Indexing•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Technical SEO, Audits, and Site Performance•20 minutes
1 peer review•Total 10 minutes
- Hands-On-Learning: Run a Manual SEO Audit and Produce a Prioritized Fix List•10 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Improving Rankings Through User Experience•10 minutes
This module closes the course by combining measurement and growth. Learners study Google algorithm updates, set up GA4 and Search Console reporting, manage duplicate and thin content, run local SEO, and use ChatGPT to accelerate the entire SEO workflow.
What's included
37 videos1 reading1 assignment2 peer reviews1 discussion prompt
37 videos•Total 123 minutes
- Google Panda Update •4 minutes
- Google Penguin Update •4 minutes
- Google Hummingbird Update •4 minutes
- Google Analytics 4 for SEO •2 minutes
- Diving Deeper into Google Analytics 4 •3 minutes
- GA4 Demo for a Sample Website and Custom Reports •7 minutes
- Using Search Console and Google Analytics Together •4 minutes
- Disclaimer: If You Don't Have a Website Yet •1 minute
- Setting Up Google Search Console for SEO •3 minutes
- Google Crawler, Indexing, and Sitemap.xml •4 minutes
- Submitting URLs and Checking Page Status •3 minutes
- What If Your Page Doesn't Get Indexed •4 minutes
- Where Pages Rank: Page and Query Performance •3 minutes
- User Experience Section of Search Console •2 minutes
- Google Core Web Vitals for SEO •4 minutes
- Google Search Console Exercise •1 minute
- Search Console Exercise: Answer •3 minutes
- Dealing With Thin or Bad Content and What's Really Duplicate •6 minutes
- Finding Pages to Improve or Delete Using Search Console •2 minutes
- Identifying and Removing Bad Pages •2 minutes
- Ways to Find Duplicate Content •2 minutes
- Finding Duplicate Content Within Your Pages with Siteliner •3 minutes
- Introduction to Local SEO for Inbound Marketing •2 minutes
- Anatomy of a Local SEO Search Result •3 minutes
- Getting on the Google Map Search Results •3 minutes
- Ranking Through Local Business Listing Directories •3 minutes
- Last Words on Local SEO Anywhere in the World •2 minutes
- Introduction to ChatGPT for SEO •2 minutes
- ChatGPT for Keyword Generation and Optimization •5 minutes
- ChatGPT for High-Quality Long-Tail Keywords •4 minutes
- Generating SEO-Optimized Content Ideas with ChatGPT •5 minutes
- Writing SEO-Friendly Content Using ChatGPT •5 minutes
- Optimizing Existing Content to Rank Number One •5 minutes
- Optimizing Headlines and Subheadings With ChatGPT •4 minutes
- Enhancing Meta Tags and Meta Descriptions With ChatGPT •3 minutes
- Conducting Backlink Research With ChatGPT •4 minutes
- Analyzing Competitor Websites With ChatGPT •4 minutes
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Google Search Central: Helpful Content and Generative AI Guidance•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
- Analytics, Algorithms, Local SEO, and AI-Powered SEO•20 minutes
2 peer reviews•Total 70 minutes
- Hands-On-Lab: Run a Complete SEO Performance Sprint Using GA4, Search Console•10 minutes
- Project: Plan, Audit, and Execute a Complete SEO Program for a New Brand •60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- AI-Generated or Human-Written?•10 minutes
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Frequently asked questions
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving a website’s visibility in organic search results. It includes keyword research, content optimization, on-page and off-page SEO, technical SEO, link building, and performance analysis.
Search Engine Optimization can help improve search visibility, increase organic website traffic, and support long-term digital marketing and business goals. The course focuses on practical techniques for improving search rankings and organic traffic.
The course covers on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO, along with local SEO as part of its broader SEO curriculum. Learners apply these concepts through content optimization, link building, site audits, performance analysis, and local search activities.
Keyword research helps identify relevant search terms, search demand, commercial intent, keyword difficulty, and competitive opportunities. The course teaches learners to build and prioritize keyword lists using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, MozBar, and SEMrush.
The course provides hands-on experience with SEMrush, Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, Screaming Frog, MozBar, Google Trends, Keyword Planner, and ChatGPT for SEO research, audits, analytics, content optimization, and AI-powered workflows.
Technical SEO focuses on technical aspects of a website that affect search visibility, crawling, indexing, and performance. This course covers topics including HTTPS, Search Console, duplicate content, 404 pages, site speed, URLs, meta descriptions, heading tags, crawling, indexing, and Core Web Vitals.
Off-page SEO focuses on activities outside a website that can contribute to its authority and search visibility. The course covers backlinks, anchor text, link quality, backlink analysis, and multiple link-building strategies.
Local SEO focuses on improving visibility for searches associated with a specific geographic location. The course covers local search results, Google Maps visibility, and local business listing directories.
AI can support SEO workflows such as keyword generation, long-tail keyword research, content ideation, SEO-friendly writing, headline and meta-description optimization, backlink research, and competitor analysis. This course specifically includes ChatGPT for SEO and AI-powered SEO workflows.
Yes. The course is designed at an intermediate level, and its curriculum begins with SEO foundations before progressing through keyword research, content, link building, technical SEO, analytics, local SEO, and AI-powered SEO.
To access course materials, assignments, and earn a Certificate, you'll need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. Eligible learners may also have the option to start with a Free Trial. Some courses may also offer a Full Course, No Certificate option. This lets you access course materials, submit required assessments, and receive a final grade, but you won't be able to earn or purchase a Certificate.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
More questions
Financial aid available,