How Long Does It Take To Learn SEO?

If the internet is a highway, then search engine optimization is your vehicle to success. Some people choose to cruise in the driver’s seat by learning SEO themselves. Others prefer the limousine approach: kicking back and leaving the repetitive tasks to a marketing agency. How long does it take to learn SEO if you decide to crawl behind the wheel?

How Long Does It Take To Learn SEO for the Average Person?

Some online courses cover the basics of SEO strategy in just a few hours. Learning how to use search optimization for your website usually takes longer, from several weeks to a few months.

If your goal is to speak fluent SEO, expect to invest at least six to 12 months. It takes around six months for SEO to start producing results, and there are some lessons you can only learn by trial and error.

Is It Hard To Learn SEO?

Learning SEO is like riding a bike — a supercharged dirt bike, that is. The basics are easy to understand, and they stick with you. If you want to pull the digital equivalent of high-flying tricks, however, you need plenty of time, effort and practice.

Good SEO habits, such as focusing on high-quality content that includes keywords naturally, are always relevant. That said, SEO pros must keep up with search engine changes for websites to keep ranking highly.

Can I Teach Myself SEO?

How you learn SEO and how long it takes depends a lot on your personality. Some people prefer a structured course that goes clearly from point A to B to C. Plus, there’s something to be said for instructor-led courses that let you ask questions and get answers right away.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who loves to play around with software, you may want to watch a few videos and just dive in. Teaching yourself SEO may take longer, but hands-on learning gives you valuable experience.

Paid Courses

Some universities offer in-depth online courses that provide SEO certification and learning credits. These include:

• University of Toronto (15 hours)
• University of Phoenix (five weeks)
• University of California at San Diego (three credit hours)

The cost of university and vocational courses varies significantly, from a few hundred dollars to $1,500 or more.

Free Online Courses

You can immerse yourself in the world of search optimization from the comfort of your desk (or couch, bed or kitchen table) with free online courses. Here are our favorite courses, plus how long it takes to learn SEO basics with each one:

• Semrush (one hour)
• Shopify (one hour)
• Ahrefs (roughly two hours)
• HubSpot (about four hours)
• University of California at Davis and Coursera (28 hours)

Free SEO courses are a smart use of time for business owners, beginner marketers and other professionals. If you’re invested in SEO for the long-term, though, it may be worth looking into a paid tool monthly subscription that offers a lot of SEO capabilities to explore like SEMrush, Ahrefs or Moz.

Expert SEO Guides, eBooks and Blogs

The internet is filled with great information about SEO (just not those YouTube videos with SEO “secrets” for $99.95). These are the droids you’re looking for:

• BKA: People love YouTube Channel because we explain SEO topics in a way that anyone can understand.  We include in-depth tutorials on key SEO practices as well as timely information on updates in the industry. We also show how the things we’ve implemented have affected real life clients. Plus, we make things fun (and toss in the occasional Zelda or Star Wars reference).
• Moz: This popular keyword research tool offers a fantastic SEO Learning Center for new and experienced users alike.
• Search Engine Journal: This website is a good independent, neutral source of SEO information.

Other excellent resources include LinkedIn and Google.

Google Analytics Academy

Google offers free courses that cover its Analytics platform. This popular website analysis tool can help with paid search campaigns and SEO alike. Courses cover beginner, intermediate and advanced areas, including keyword research, performance metrics, reporting and campaign strategies.

Is It Worth the Time It Takes To Learn SEO?

There’s no question that SEO is worth it for businesses. After all, 30% of mobile searches are from people searching locally! As an owner, the tricky part is weighing the pros and cons of doing it yourself.

Some potential benefits include:

• More control over SEO campaigns
• Lower marketing costs
• Greater insight into your customers and leads
• Faster tweaks

We say “potential” because the reality of business isn’t always what you expect. Other responsibilities can slow you down. Considering how long it takes to learn SEO techniques and implement them, you may not save as much money as you think with DIY. Plus, juggling five different hats isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

How Can We Help With Your SEO Learning Goals?

At BKA Content, we work with small business owners all the time. Some have loads of SEO experience and give us specific keywords and campaign objectives. Others prefer having our team handle everything SEO, from content planning to follow-up tasks.

Let Us Guide You

If you’re getting your “learner’s permit” with SEO, we’re happy to be your copilot. Our SEO strategists can walk you through the basics of choosing SEO goals, setting up link-building campaigns and other essentials. We teach new customers a lot!

Leave the Heavy Lifting to Us While You Learn

Are you leaning towards SEO certification via a months-long course? Your schedule is probably going to be tight for a while. Keep your SEO efforts going strong in the meantime by letting us hop into the driver’s seat. We keep the engine warm until you’re ready to take over.

Choose the Best Content for Your SEO

You may be surprised to know that many of our clients are SEO agencies and marketing professionals. They not only use us for keyword research and monthly metrics, but they also know who to call for phenomenal content. We have an amazing reputation for high-quality SEO blogs, web pages, eBooks, landing pages and other unforgettable SEO content.

Call Us in a Pinch

We’re large enough to handle all the SEO tasks you throw at us. Our teams can scale effortlessly, so we’re perfect for those SEO projects that get too unwieldy or time-consuming for your business.

How Long Does It Take To Learn SEO Like a Pro?

There’s a difference between how long it takes to learn SEO basics and how long you need to excel at it. You can “change the oil” in a week, but getting enough expertise to overhaul your website takes much longer. Whatever your approach, SEO is a smart investment.

Get even better results by using the SEO experts at BKA Content to help take your small business to the next level. Contact us to get a free site audit and a custom SEO quote on how to take advantage of your biggest SEO opportunities!