Are you interested in learning SEO but don't know where to start? We are going to get straight to the point through a small guide so that you see with some perspective the steps to learn about this exciting discipline. Mainly we will focus on Google for being the most used search engine. Of course, like all good learning, it will be necessary to dedicate time.
First steps to learn SEO from scratch
Official documentation from Google
Have a website or make it
Learn the elements and technologies of a website
Other resources and sources to learn free SEO
Videos
Blogs
Podcast
Twitter and LinkedIn / Slide Share
Congresses and meetups
Webinars
First steps to learn SEO from scratch
I take as a base that you have a voracious interest in becoming a good SEO, that you like the web world, digital marketing, and, in short, playing around to get to appear in the first positions. If so, the adventure begins!
Yes, it is not necessary to pay anything to know the good practices that Google recommends and understand how the search engine works.
First of all, I recommend you access and download this mythical guide (which almost all of us have gone through) to begin to better understand the recommendations that Google proposes within a web page. In his day, he had even printed it for me to underline and make notes. Very useful for the first contact.
You can also access the online version from the Search Console help center, which also describes the best practices to perform for the different aspects of website SEO.
Many of the mistakes that are made at first can be avoided by reading the basic guides provided by Google.
How Google search works
The previous document is already a few years old, so I advise reading updated information on how Google works. I would also recommend looking for concepts on keyword crawling and indexing or analysis. This page is perfect for learning free SEO, getting to know Googlebot, and the above concepts.
This is the guide that Google gives to the evaluators (that is, real people) to “score” the search results when there is an update to the algorithm. It is important to be aware of this information because if your content is about the health niche, for example, and Google begins to be more restrictive with the theme to prevent fraud, surely you will have to adapt to its rules to avoid falling into the SERP.
Nowadays, thanks to CMS or content managers, it is not difficult at all to make a website for yourself. The best known and recommended, especially for its versatility when practicing SEO techniques, is WordPress.
And why are you going to get into making a website now? Well basically to put into practice what you are reading in the guides. Practicing is how you gain experience and lose the fear of doing certain things, such as modifying meta titles, meta descriptions, registering your domain in a Google property ... And, of course, learning SEO step by step based on errors. Because yes, we all commit them and it is where you learn the most, so it is better to commit them with the web in production.
Doing SEO is not theorizing, it is experimenting. Hence the importance of practicing what you are learning and, above all, of creating a working methodology.
At this point, I recommend what I did in its day: create a local website to "play" everything you want without messing up. You can use Flywheel, a simple program to carry out the web installations you need on your computer in a very simple way.
You don't have to be a programmer to study SEO, but you do need to know the elements that make up a web page (headers, metadata, text, images, domain name, frames, ...), as well as the different technologies with which they can be made (HTML, CSS, java script, progressive web app, https….).
Here are some interesting links for this purpose:
Starting with HTML + CSS
Tutorials with visual examples and codes to practice
You may be wondering why you need to know code if, in total, with WordPress and plugins you already have it. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that that is not the philosophy.
As a good future SEO, you must know how a website has been created and thus try to discover problems in the code and propose solutions. You can even scan websites to get useful information if you know what a div, a class, a selector, JS Path, or XPath is, among other concepts.
As you begin to discover the first concepts when considering SEO on a web page, you can look at other sources of information that will make you understand how to apply them in a more practical and enjoyable way.
Without a doubt, the fastest and most direct source to learn SEO from scratch and for free are YouTube channels. Here are some:
One of the leading SEOs in the sector, whose value contribution consists of explaining practical work methodologies, conducting experiments with the aim of verifying the truth behind the theories, and conducting interviews with professionals in the sector.
Concepts, methodologies, and SEO interviews of the Webpositer channel.
It is another of the channels through which I have learned different concepts and practices. Concepts are explained clearly and very didactically.
I recommend that you try to replicate the tricks or methodologies of the videos to become fluent and apply them to your project. Perhaps he is the most charismatic communicator in the SEO world for his way of explaining concepts and strategies that he himself puts into practice.
It is more focused on niches, but of course, you can get many good ideas from your channel.
Here there are a lot of options, but we leave you some of the most common in the sector so you can be updated:
For a few years now, the power of podcasts has been expanding to all areas of the marketing sector. And to learn web positioning it was not going to be less. Here are some for you to listen to on a daily basis:
A great podcast full of interviews with professionals in the sector on how they work in their day today. Emilio also reflects on different topics, news, and SEO experiments.
Andrés Kloster's SEO machine
These are entirely interviews with SEO professionals from both Spain and Latin America.
Paradise Marketing Paradises (that is, we… hehe)
Where all the members of the team explain doubts about the specialty of each one, always in a pleasant and close way.
Planeta M, a weekly digital marketing gathering
With professionals from the sector chatting about concepts and experiences of their day today.
It is important to keep up to date with SEO news, more than anything because Google updates its algorithm every two by three, and in some way, it may be affecting the rankings of the websites. For this, what better social network than Twitter thanks to the speed of the transmission of information to be aware of everything. In addition, so you can stay up to date with new tools, tricks, or tips.
National SEO Twitter accounts:
Iñaki Huerta
Fernando Macia
Juan Gonzalez
Álvaro Peña
Lakil Essay
MJ Cachón
Nazir Torrado
Sergio Simarro
Index
First steps to learn SEO from scratch
Official documentation from Google
Have a website or make it
Learn the elements and technologies of a website
Other resources and sources to learn free SEO
Videos
Blogs
Podcast
Twitter and LinkedIn / Slide Share
Congresses and meetups
Webinars
First steps to learn SEO from scratch
I take as a base that you have a voracious interest in becoming a good SEO, that you like the web world, digital marketing, and, in short, playing around to get to appear in the first positions. If so, the adventure begins!
Official documentation from Google
Yes, it is not necessary to pay anything to know the good practices that Google recommends and understand how the search engine works.
Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization
First of all, I recommend you access and download this mythical guide (which almost all of us have gone through) to begin to better understand the recommendations that Google proposes within a web page. In his day, he had even printed it for me to underline and make notes. Very useful for the first contact.
The online version of the guide
You can also access the online version from the Search Console help center, which also describes the best practices to perform for the different aspects of website SEO.
Many of the mistakes that are made at first can be avoided by reading the basic guides provided by Google.
How Google search works
The previous document is already a few years old, so I advise reading updated information on how Google works. I would also recommend looking for concepts on keyword crawling and indexing or analysis. This page is perfect for learning free SEO, getting to know Googlebot, and the above concepts.
Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
This is the guide that Google gives to the evaluators (that is, real people) to “score” the search results when there is an update to the algorithm. It is important to be aware of this information because if your content is about the health niche, for example, and Google begins to be more restrictive with the theme to prevent fraud, surely you will have to adapt to its rules to avoid falling into the SERP.
Have a website or make it
Nowadays, thanks to CMS or content managers, it is not difficult at all to make a website for yourself. The best known and recommended, especially for its versatility when practicing SEO techniques, is WordPress.
And why are you going to get into making a website now? Well basically to put into practice what you are reading in the guides. Practicing is how you gain experience and lose the fear of doing certain things, such as modifying meta titles, meta descriptions, registering your domain in a Google property ... And, of course, learning SEO step by step based on errors. Because yes, we all commit them and it is where you learn the most, so it is better to commit them with the web in production.
Doing SEO is not theorizing, it is experimenting. Hence the importance of practicing what you are learning and, above all, of creating a working methodology.
At this point, I recommend what I did in its day: create a local website to "play" everything you want without messing up. You can use Flywheel, a simple program to carry out the web installations you need on your computer in a very simple way.
Learn the elements and technologies of a website
You don't have to be a programmer to study SEO, but you do need to know the elements that make up a web page (headers, metadata, text, images, domain name, frames, ...), as well as the different technologies with which they can be made (HTML, CSS, java script, progressive web app, https….).
Here are some interesting links for this purpose:
Starting with HTML + CSS
Tutorials with visual examples and codes to practice
You may be wondering why you need to know code if, in total, with WordPress and plugins you already have it. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that that is not the philosophy.
As a good future SEO, you must know how a website has been created and thus try to discover problems in the code and propose solutions. You can even scan websites to get useful information if you know what a div, a class, a selector, JS Path, or XPath is, among other concepts.
Other resources and sources to learn free SEO content writing services
As you begin to discover the first concepts when considering SEO on a web page, you can look at other sources of information that will make you understand how to apply them in a more practical and enjoyable way.
Videos
Without a doubt, the fastest and most direct source to learn SEO from scratch and for free are YouTube channels. Here are some:
SEO web positioning of the Luís M Villanueva channel.
One of the leading SEOs in the sector, whose value contribution consists of explaining practical work methodologies, conducting experiments with the aim of verifying the truth behind the theories, and conducting interviews with professionals in the sector.
Concepts, methodologies, and SEO interviews of the Webpositer channel.
It is another of the channels through which I have learned different concepts and practices. Concepts are explained clearly and very didactically.
SEO for beginners of the Romuald Fons channel.
I recommend that you try to replicate the tricks or methodologies of the videos to become fluent and apply them to your project. Perhaps he is the most charismatic communicator in the SEO world for his way of explaining concepts and strategies that he himself puts into practice.
It is more focused on niches, but of course, you can get many good ideas from your channel.
Blogs
Here there are a lot of options, but we leave you some of the most common in the sector so you can be updated:
- Webmaster Central Blog
- Search Engine Land
- Search Engine Roundtable
- Search Engine Watch
- Moz - Blog
- Deep crawl - Blog
Podcast
For a few years now, the power of podcasts has been expanding to all areas of the marketing sector. And to learn web positioning it was not going to be less. Here are some for you to listen to on a daily basis:
Emilio García Web Camp
A great podcast full of interviews with professionals in the sector on how they work in their day today. Emilio also reflects on different topics, news, and SEO experiments.
Andrés Kloster's SEO machine
These are entirely interviews with SEO professionals from both Spain and Latin America.
Paradise Marketing Paradises (that is, we… hehe)
Where all the members of the team explain doubts about the specialty of each one, always in a pleasant and close way.
Planeta M, a weekly digital marketing gathering
With professionals from the sector chatting about concepts and experiences of their day today.
Twitter and LinkedIn / Slide Share
It is important to keep up to date with SEO news, more than anything because Google updates its algorithm every two by three, and in some way, it may be affecting the rankings of the websites. For this, what better social network than Twitter thanks to the speed of the transmission of information to be aware of everything. In addition, so you can stay up to date with new tools, tricks, or tips.
National SEO Twitter accounts:
Iñaki Huerta
Fernando Macia
Juan Gonzalez
Álvaro Peña
Lakil Essay
MJ Cachón
Nazir Torrado
Sergio Simarro
Linen Uruñuela
LM Villanueva
John Mu
Google Webmasters
Matt Cutts
Barry Schwartz
Rand Fishkin
Aleyda Solis
Gary Illyes
When it comes to LinkedIn when learning SEO positioning, it is very useful not only because it is a social network to establish contacts at a professional level, but because it integrates Slide Share. On this platform, many professionals upload and share their presentations to be able to access them for free. We leave you some very interesting examples, although with somewhat more advanced topics:
A 4-piece puzzle called SEO
Pages, the black hole of indexing - Clinic Seo
Keep indexing # seoplus19
Data Studio to the Rescue - SEonthebeach 2019
Take advantage of the presentations that the speakers upload to their Slide Share. Please note that they are sharing high-quality information ... for free!
Without a doubt, the best way to network and meet the professionals you follow in person.
Some of the most relevant national conferences are Professional SEO Congress, SEOnthebeach, Salad SEO, SEO Clinic, Eshow, or Pro Marketing Day.
On the other hand, there are meetups, which are either training or leisure meetings. You can enter the web or download its application to join different groups because among them there are many SEOs. Every month there are interesting talks that you can sign up for, and many of them are totally free.
It is another resource where you can learn a lot, from interviews to practical exhibitions. The vast majority are made through YouTube or Hangout, so they are almost always recorded for the community. Below we leave you the most relevant, among which the Webmaster tools channel where @JohnMu and collaborators speak:
Official SEMrush channel in Spanish
Official channel of Google Webmasters
SEO Ministry official channel
I hope that all these tips on how to learn SEO online help you. Above all, because they have brought back many memories of how I started. And, if it helps you in any way in your beginnings, I will be even happier. And you, where do you study SEO? Do you have any source that is your particular Bible? We want to meet her!
LM Villanueva
International SEO Twitter accounts:
John Mu
Google Webmasters
Matt Cutts
Barry Schwartz
Rand Fishkin
Aleyda Solis
Gary Illyes
When it comes to LinkedIn when learning SEO positioning, it is very useful not only because it is a social network to establish contacts at a professional level, but because it integrates Slide Share. On this platform, many professionals upload and share their presentations to be able to access them for free. We leave you some very interesting examples, although with somewhat more advanced topics:
A 4-piece puzzle called SEO
Pages, the black hole of indexing - Clinic Seo
Keep indexing # seoplus19
Data Studio to the Rescue - SEonthebeach 2019
Take advantage of the presentations that the speakers upload to their Slide Share. Please note that they are sharing high-quality information ... for free!
Congresses and meetups
Without a doubt, the best way to network and meet the professionals you follow in person.
Some of the most relevant national conferences are Professional SEO Congress, SEOnthebeach, Salad SEO, SEO Clinic, Eshow, or Pro Marketing Day.
On the other hand, there are meetups, which are either training or leisure meetings. You can enter the web or download its application to join different groups because among them there are many SEOs. Every month there are interesting talks that you can sign up for, and many of them are totally free.
Webinars
It is another resource where you can learn a lot, from interviews to practical exhibitions. The vast majority are made through YouTube or Hangout, so they are almost always recorded for the community. Below we leave you the most relevant, among which the Webmaster tools channel where @JohnMu and collaborators speak:
Official SEMrush channel in Spanish
Official channel of Google Webmasters
SEO Ministry official channel
I hope that all these tips on how to learn SEO online help you. Above all, because they have brought back many memories of how I started. And, if it helps you in any way in your beginnings, I will be even happier. And you, where do you study SEO? Do you have any source that is your particular Bible? We want to meet her!
you may read also youtube video marketing services
Thank you for the insightful article! Your step-by-step approach to learning SEO is both practical and motivating. I appreciate the emphasis on hands-on experience and the curated list of resources provided. Your guidance will surely help beginners navigate the complexities of SEO and content marketing more confidently. Looking forward to applying these tips on my own journey!
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