SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can be a tricky subject to learn.
When you’re just starting out it may feel like you need to buy a course to get started learning SEO, but let me tell you that there’s plenty of sites and YouTube Channels to learn SEO for free.
I personally didn’t take any courses on SEO but instead learned everything for free and am going to share some of my favorite resources so you can do the same! 🙂
Now, are you ready to rank #1 in Google? Cool. Let’s dive in!
What Is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is the process of creating content that is relevant to specific keywords and search queries. In turn, the content is then well optimized to rank higher in Google or other search engines.
Why SEO Is Important For Your Online Business
It’s important to point out why your business needs SEO and how SEO helps your business in the long-run.
With this in mind, let’s run through some of the benefits of SEO.
Here’s a few of the key benefits of SEO:
- Highly targeted traffic to offers
- Free, organic traffic
- Builds trust and brand credibility when shown in search results
- Target customers at any point in the buying cycle
Now that you’ve got a clear picture on why seo is important for building a business, it’s time to take a look at the best sites and YouTube channels to learn seo.
Do you want a PDF of this post?
You can get a free download of the PDF here…
Hopefully, you can reference it for later as you learn SEO and build your own blog or Youtube channel.
Now, let’s continue on and find out what the best sites and Youtube channels are to learn SEO for free. 😃👍
10 Best Sites To Learn SEO For Free
Here’s what I found to be the best sites to learn SEO for free so that you can start generating free organic traffic to your content and offers.
Site #1: NeilPatel.com
The first site that stands out for learning SEO is Neil Patel’s blog.
I have used Neil’s blog to learn both the basics and the fine details of SEO. I forget where I read/heard it, but I believe there’s over 2,000 posts to choose from on his blog.
And he gets upwards of 3,000,000 visitors per month to his blog which is recognized as one of the top in the SEO industry by Ahrefs, Moz, Forbes, and so many more.
So, you can be sure that you’ll be able to find tons of different articles on whatever topic that may come to mind.
Site #2: Backlinko.com
Backlinko is a site that was built by Brian Dean.
Brian started his blog around the 2014 timeframe and has written all of his blog posts.
What’s interesting about Backlinko is that there’s only a hundred or so articles in total. This is because Brian Dean focuses on building long-form content (a.k.a. pillar posts) for every single one of his posts.
The majority of his posts are well over 3,000 words and some upwards of 10,000 words.
If you’re looking to model Backlinko to get ideas for your own site, then a great post to get started reading is the Sky Technique. It’s all about creating high quality content that’s better than your competitor’s.
Also, I might be crazy for saying this but go sign up for his newsletter. This will ensure you get the latest posts when he publishes them on his blog and can stay up-to-date with the SEO industry and tactics.
Site #3: AuthorityHacker.com
Authority Hacker is another SEO blog by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, which I actually heard about since someone recommended their course on SEO to me.
However, you’re not here to learn about paid courses and neither did I want to invest in a course if I didn’t need to when I heard about Authority Hacker.
So, the main reason I wanted to include them on this list was that I found their blog to be top notch after browsing through the posts.
At the very least, I highly recommend taking a look at their site and seeing if you want to pull ideas from it for your own blog. It’s always good to try out and test new things on the basis of what’s already working. 🙂
Site #4: Ahrefs.com
Ahrefs is most known for their incredible SEO software that’s used by thousands of other like-minded entrepreneurs and online business owners.
I will say though that their SEO software is honestly a bit pricey in my opinion which is why I recommend staying away from paying for it monthly until you’re already making enough profit.
Instead, I’d recommend getting it for only one month at a time and have a gameplan for getting your keyword research and link building done all in one go.
Now, back to the Ahrefs blog…
I found the content on their blog to be unique and definitely insightful to read. They have a publishing team that puts out content regularly and is a great place to stay up-to-date.
Site #5: RobbieRichards.com
Robbie Richards is another great blog that has a similar style to Brian Dean’s blog Backlinko.
Robbie focuses on creating super in-depth long form articles that are made to attract backlinks.
Certainly, backlinks are one of the big ranking factors for your site in Google right alongside the relevandy of your content to the search intent. That’s why attracting backlinks is so important.
I’d recommended reading through a few of his blog posts and start to get a better feel for how you might want to strategize creating your own posts.
Site #6: MatthewWoodward.co.uk
Matthew Woodward has his own blog that is well-known when it comes to search engine optimization strategies and tips.
Matthew shares a ton of “how to” posts and tutorials with his audience.
He’s been in the SEO space for over a decade and has tons of experience to share from.
If you’re looking to primarily create tutorials for your own blog, then it might be a good idea to head over to Matthew Woodward’s blog and have a look around.
He focuses on SEO, blogging, and working online as his three main topics. So, definitely check it out if you’re interested in those.
Site #7: Semrush.com
Semrush is widely known for their SEO software. You can actually sign up for a free account for their software which I use from time to time to get the latest stats on my own blog.
However, they’ve also got a well respected blog and all things SEO.
In particular, Semrush focuses on using SEO and content marketing for your online business or local business. I highly recommend seeing if there’s in tips you can find to help you with your own content marketing.
Site #8: Moz.com
Moz is similar to Semrush and Ahrefs, where their main goal is to get their readers and the SEO traffic they get from search engines to buy their software.
Their SEO software is used by big names, such as Alaska Airlines and and Trivago.
Moz has an entire content publishing team and consequently have thousands of posts on their site.
Site #9: SearchEngineLand.com
Search Engine Land is an online plublisher with a large content writing team.
If you’re looking for the “current events” of the SEO world, then it’s probably one of the best websites to go back to.
They always have great info on Google algorithm updates and tons more.
Every little bit more you learn helps you to stay ahead of the curve and your own competition in the SERPs.
Site #10: SearchEngineJournal.com
Search Engine Journal is another online publisher like Search Engine Land.
It’s my go-to site for learning all the latest on SEO.
Not only does it have the latest news, but it also is an SEO site that has some great SEO tips to take with you and implement on your own site.
10 Best YouTube Channels To Learn SEO For Free
Sometimes you want a change of pace in your learning style.
So, I decided to include what I believe to be the best Youtube channels to learn SEO for free listed below.
YouTube Channel #1: Income School
Income School by far my favorite YouTube channel for learning SEO out of the bunch.
It’s a channel created by Jim Harmer and Ricky Kesler. There presentation style has a relaxed feel that feels like you’re having a conversation.
I always like to compare it to Neil Patel’s channel by saying that Income Schools is the exact opposite. 😂
Anyways, I’ve watched nearly every single one of their videos that they’ve put out and have learned a ton to be able to implement directly back into building my own blog.
If you’re interested, they’ve got a stellar course called Project 24. It walks you through step-by-step in a total of 60 steps towards creating a full-time income from your blog using SEO in 24 months.
YouTube Channel #2: Neil Patel
Not only does Neil Patel have his own blog, but he’s also got his own YouTube channel.
And the last time I checked he had well over 500 videos on his channel.
He creates tons of content and primarily it’s step-by-step content, since that’s what he’s found to work well for him.
YouTube Channel #3: Brian Dean
Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, has his own YouTube channel as well.
He doesn’t publish videos that often. Only about once a month and on occasion will post more frequently.
However, you can always expect super high quality videos that are well-edited.
He focuses solely on SEO for blogging and YouTube.
YouTube Channel #4: Google Webmasters
It’s always good to go to the source of information and Google Webmasters is a YouTube channel that provides actionable and current advice for its viewers.
They have a set schedule and upload multiple times a week.
The content is centered around SEO and the do’s and dont’s of ranking your site in Google’s search engine.
They also have “office hours” which is something you may want to explore more and look into.
YouTube Channel #5: Ahrefs
Ahrefs has a YouTube Channnel that SEO for your blog, YouTube channel, and content marketing.
They publish videos consistently on a weekly basis.
I\’ve found the videos to be super helpful in implementing new SEO strategies that are relevant for building backlinks and ranking #1 on Google.
YouTube Channel #6: Miles Beckler
Miles Beckler is a content creation machine.
He’s outpaced and has created more videos than Neil Patel.
Miles’ presentation and delivery for the videos he makes is very conversational.
He gets in front of the camera and provides actionable advice on SEO, content marketing, paid advertising, and building an online business in general.
He publishes 3 videos every week, and I highly recommend you follow him for actionable advice for building your own online business.
YouTube Channel #7: Doug Cunnington
Doug Cunnington is someone I found not too long ago.
He creates niche websites for a living that ultimately sell for upwards of six figures.
In particular, he teaches how to create amazon affiliate sites and using a 50% link building with 50% content creation approach.
YouTube Channel #8: Chase Reiner SEO
Chase Reiner focuses on creating videos for using for your own business and also running an SEO agency.
His videos typically have very few graphics if any but are straightforward actionable tutorials that help you to rank higher in Google.
YouTube Channel #9: Nathan Gotch
Nathan Gotch is more of an up and coming Youtuber with a focus on digital marketing and SEO.
He shares tools on specifically how to use certain SEO tools and also get more organic search traffic.
YouTube Channel #10: Moz
Moz is the final YouTube channel on this list and is a large channel with several different creators.
They mainly focus on promoting their own SEO tool when explaining certain topics which may be a drawback for some if they don’t like Moz’s software.
However, the SEO tips offered make it one of the best YouTube Channel’s for learning SEO.
Frequently Asked Questions About Learning SEO Online For Free
Can I learn SEO on my own?
You definitely can learn SEO on your own. The best way to do it is by either watching a YouTube video or reading a blog post and immediately implement what you just learned. If you wait too long to actually start taking action, then you’ll find yourself in a cycle of consuming more than you’re producing content. One of the most difficult habits to break is consuming content online more than producing. As an online content creator, you should focus and develop self-discipline so that you’re building at least one aspect of your business each day and improving your SEO skills.
How can I learn SEO for free?
You can learn SEO for free simply by picking one of the YouTube channels of blogs that I mentioned and diving deep into learning from the content out there. The next step then is to simply implement what you’ve learned for your own online SEO business.
Can I learn SEO online?
You definitely can learn SEO online. It’s what I personally did and recommend.
Is SEO easy to learn?
SEO is easy to learn believe it or not but very difficult to master. The goal isn’t to try and figure out all the minutiae of the ranking factors but instead focus on providing high quality content that captures the visitor’s search intent.
Is SEO free?
SEO is free to do and drive traffic to your blog or YouTube channel. However, you can also pay someone to do the SEO work for you.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of content out there on SEO to choose from and it can certainly seem daunting at first, but hopefully you have clarity now on what some of the best sites and best YouTube channels are to begin learning SEO.
Remember, the most important thing to do is to implement and take action immediately after consuming content.
The goal is to ultimately be publishing more content online than you’re consuming.
Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment below with the site or YouTube Channel you’re going to learn SEO from first. 😀👍
Affiliate Disclaimer
I hope you enjoyed this post. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my links at no additional cost to you.
David Sandy
Tools I Use: Elementor Pro, Thrive Comments, & Thrive Leads for blog design, ActiveCampaign for email marketing, DropFunnels for sales funnels, & ClickMagick for link tracking.
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"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10