Search engine optimization (SEO) is a powerful digital marketing strategy that drives business growth and success. When it’s done right, your brand becomes highly visible online and puts you right in your audience’s path during their digital journey.

Considering that 93% (nine out of 10) of all shopping journeys start on the web, few things are more vital.

That’s precisely why search engine proficiency is so essential for online success. SEO training lends you the know-how and skills to thrive in the dynamic search optimization landscape — regardless of what you’re faced with.

Continue on to learn seven ways SEO training can help you win in search:

1. Gives You Foundational SEO Knowledge
2. Gets Your Whole Team on the Same Page
3. Keeps You Updated on Changes
4. Helps You Create Comprehensive SEO Strategies
5. Facilitates Meaningful SEO Conversations
6. Uplevels Your Skills When You Need It
7. Builds Confidence in Advanced SEO Techniques

• Final Thoughts
• FAQ: How can SEO training help me improve my website’s visibility and ranking on search engines?

1. Gives You Foundational SEO Knowledge

The right SEO training provides a foundational (and correct) understanding of how SEO works.

It can cover everything from content and keywords to on-page optimization and link building to off-page SEO, user experience factors and even technical SEO.

For example, in my online SEO training course, we cover topics such as:

• The importance of SEO
• Basic SEO concepts
• Understanding the major search engines
• The anatomy of a website
• Content for SEO
• Mobile SEO
• Local search
• Linking strategies
• Siloing concepts
• Technical SEO
• SEO best practices
• Search now and in the future

But why take SEO training when you can read articles, join webinars and buy SEO books?

The answer is that the best SEO training course organizes the chaos, filters out incorrect information and educates you in record time.

SEO training should gradually present concepts in an organized way, giving you a solid foundation before jumping into advanced concepts. When you finish your SEO training, you should feel confident applying what you’ve learned.

2. Gets Your Whole Team on the Same Page

SEO should have a seat at the table in any strategic business meeting, let alone in a marketing department.

Because different teams within a company have a stake in a single website — each with competing initiatives — SEO training helps provide a baseline understanding of SEO so that strategic decisions can be made together.

For instance, when we sign a new client, I encourage all team members — even those in less obvious roles — to attend my SEO training. And they do, with great results.

Here’s an example of who should take SEO training and why:

• Business owners/c-suite executives: SEO training empowers business leaders to make informed strategic decisions about a site and understand the value of SEO for business growth. Training also helps them better allocate resources and set realistic expectations.
• Marketing managers: Marketing managers benefit from understanding SEO, as it enables them to align search optimization with their overall marketing strategies. It also helps them optimize campaigns and effectively manage SEO teams or external agencies.
• Content strategists and creators: These professionals learn to create SEO-friendly content, integrate keywords naturally and understand how content impacts search engine rankings.
• IT professionals: IT staff gain insights into technical SEO, which aids in improving site structure, load speeds and implementing best practices for website performance.
• Graphic designers and web developers: People who build or alter websites greatly benefit from understanding how their work impacts a site’s success in search results and user experience through the lens of SEO.

When team members across departments have the same baseline SEO education, the chances of being more successful with your SEO program increase.

3. Keeps You Updated on Changes

Due to ever-changing algorithms, SEO is a moving target.

Take Google’s core updates, for example – they occur many times annually. These dynamic changes can greatly affect search rankings, specifically when it comes to content relevance and quality.

Then there are tech innovations that totally alter how we think about and do our work (AI, I’m looking at you).

SEO training ensures you stay updated with algorithm changes and industry trends. This is vital for adapting your strategies promptly and effectively.

SEO training courses can provide insight into the following:

• Algorithm updates: Understanding the latest changes in search algorithms and how they impact SEO practices.
• Best practices: Learning updated best practices for SEO and refining your techniques to align with current standards.
• New technologies: Embracing new technologies like AI in SEO and understanding how they impact search.
• Case studies and examples: Reviewing real-world examples and case studies of how recent updates have impacted other websites.
• Community: Engaging with professionals who are learning SEO with you so you can share information about your experiences and learn from one another.

Staying informed through continuous learning and training allows you to proactively adjust your SEO strategies, future-proof your SEO program and ensure long-term success in the search results.

And by the way — I am once again hosting the In-Person SEO Training class January 28–30, 2025. Attendees walk away with the latest SEO best practices to set up their website and business for long-term growth.

I’ll be sharing my expert insights that drive organic traffic, online visibility, higher search ranking and more revenue. Seats are filling up, so get yours soon.

4. Helps You Create Comprehensive SEO Strategies

SEO checklists are great, but they should serve as companions to your SEO strategy, not as standalone strategies.

Understanding the rationale behind SEO tactics is critical. SEO training can help with critical thinking, enabling you to grasp why certain practices work and how they contribute to overall goals.

Having a well-rounded SEO strategy means seeing the big picture and how all aspects of a site and SEO—technical, on-page and off-page factors—are interconnected.

SEO training can help you get a comprehensive view of SEO to create a cohesive strategy while you explore strategic initiatives such as:

• How search works
• Keyword research
• Content strategy
• Competitor analysis
• User experience
• Performance monitoring

This deeper understanding allows you to make informed decisions about your SEO program and cultivates your problem-solving abilities.

5. Facilitates Meaningful SEO Conversations

Having a firm grasp on the current state of SEO empowers you to have worthwhile exchanges with your team, clients and stakeholders.

SEO training provides a conceptual understanding, which is necessary to discuss SEO topics plainly and with conviction. It also helps you better understand any recommendations that are being presented to you.

A better understanding of SEO also enables you to advocate for its importance within your organization or to clients.

Here’s why this is crucial:

• To make a strong case for investment. Present compelling arguments for why SEO is essential for business success. Demonstrate the potential ROI, outline the benefits of improved search visibility and show how SEO can drive organic traffic and conversions.
• To make evidence-based justifications. Training helps you use data and case studies to support your claims, making it easier to justify SEO investments. This might include showing how SEO improvements have led to increased traffic and revenue for other companies.
• To develop trust and credibility. Stakeholders better support SEO initiatives when you appear well-informed and passionate about their advantages.

In a nutshell: SEO training brings you up to speed on the inner workings of SEO and can assist you in making confident decisions about it.

6. Uplevels Your Skills When You Need It

Are you considering making a career change, pursuing a promotion or going out on your own? Educating yourself through SEO training gives you the push you need to bite the bullet and do it.

Search engine optimization training can boost your skills at numerous career stages:

• Beginners: SEO training provides foundational knowledge, covering essential SEO concepts. It helps new entrants understand the basics to start their SEO journey.
• Intermediate professionals: For those who’ve already got some experience under their belts, training introduces more nuanced techniques to clarify and expand existing knowledge and tackle more complicated SEO challenges.
• Advanced practitioners: Seasoned SEOs can gain valuable benefits from advanced training that covers innovative tactics to help them stay one step ahead of the competition. In fact, many professionals attend my SEO training annually as part of their continuing education.

Upleveling SEO skills opens up more opportunities. According to SEOjobs.com, senior-level SEO talent is in demand:

“…mid-level SEO roles are being impacted the most year over year. Q1 of 2024 vs. Q1 of 2023 shows an emphasis on hiring senior-level talent (+3%) and intern/entry-level talent (+1%), while mid-level is down (-6%).”

Here’s how SEO training can help:

• Skill diversification: Because SEO is multi-faceted, SEO training covers a broad range of topics, including technical SEO, content strategy, user experience and more. Continuous education enables you to broaden your skill set, increasing your value as a professional asset.
• Problem-solving: Through SEO training, you’ll receive guidance on the most current tools and techniques. You can utilize such advice to solve difficult SEO problems more efficiently.
• Professional growth: Engaging in regular educational development opens up your career possibilities and can lead to higher paying job opportunities.

Consistently upleveling your SEO skills ensures you remain knowledgeable, adaptable and effective in your SEO efforts.

7. Builds Confidence in Advanced SEO Techniques

SEO training gives students confidence in the area of advanced SEO techniques, including things like:

• Page experience factors: Understanding how a website contributes to user experience, the factors in Google’s algorithm that target user experience and the technical work behind them.
• Schema markup: Understanding and applying schema markup will increase search engines’ comprehension of your content, potentially leading to rich snippets in SERPs and improved visibility for SERPs.
• Voice Search Optimization: Optimizing content and SEO strategies to address voice searches that have become more prevalent with digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri.
• Technical SEO: Mastery of robots.txt functionality, crawl budget allocation, advanced search operator use for SEO purposes and other best practices often overlooked are essential skillsets of Technical SEO.
• Website architecture: Understanding how the site’s content is organized, along with the intricacies of file names and internal linking, affect site relevance and rankability.
• Advanced link building: Employing advanced link-building strategies designed to acquire high-authority backlinks using tactics such as broken link building, skyscraper content creation and digital PR.

The right SEO training gives you the skills to integrate advanced techniques into your SEO strategy. It gives you wisdom to troubleshoot and resolve complex SEO issues faster.

Final Thoughts

Investing in SEO training is a strategic move that offers long-term benefits. From foundational knowledge to advanced techniques, SEO training empowers you to make informed decisions, create comprehensive strategies and effectively communicate your SEO vision.

Staying updated on trends and continuously improving your SEO skills means you can help any business achieve sustained success in the search results.

Registration is open for my next in-person training. Learn how to master SEO, rank better now and grow your business.

Get Your Seat Now

FAQ: How can SEO training help me improve my website’s visibility and ranking on search engines?

Gaining an in-depth understanding of search engine optimization is paramount for those who want to increase their website’s exposure on search platforms. With an SEO training course, you’ll build substantial knowledge on SEO and the way it works systematically to increase your site’s search rankings.

Through the mastery of keyword research, on-page optimization and strategic linking, this educational resource provides the tools you need for organic search success. Google and other search engines rank organized, authoritative websites higher than others; SEO training instructs you on how to satisfy these criteria.

A fundamental concept you’ll become competent in is keyword optimization. Keywords are search terms and phrases people enter to locate products and services like yours online.

With proper SEO training, you’ll discover how to pinpoint the right target keywords for SEO purposes. You’ll also know where these keywords should be used on your website and how to determine their efficacy. Solid knowledge in this area enables you to align your content with what your audience is actively looking for, increasing the chance of your business coming up in the search results.

SEO training will also cover content creation, an undeniably critical area. Creating top notch, relevant content plays a significant role in piquing your visitors’ interest and keeping them engaged.

SEO training provides helpful guidance on how to craft content that’s both applicable to your target market and organized in a way that’s easily indexable by search engines. This encompasses understanding the significance of headers, meta tags and multimedia.

Technical SEO is another area of importance for search engine rankings and overall site performance. Through your SEO training, you’ll hone in on topics like mobile optimization, site speed and the importance of a secure connection.

All of these technical aspects affect how search platforms crawl and ultimately rank your website. Comprehensive SEO training gives you practical experience in making technical improvements on your site.

Yet another core strategy you’ll master in SEO training is backlink building. Gathering backlinks from authoritative sources in your industry hints to search engines that your site is a trustworthy information source. SEO training lays out tactics for getting high quality backlinks and ways to prevent penalties stemming from lower quality backlinks. This helps to raise your site’s ranking potential and industry authority.

Analytics and reporting are two additional aspects of SEO training. Through your education, your instructor will school you on site performance metrics that enable you to make data-driven decisions.

Specialists in the SEO field use tools and resources like Google Analytics to keep track of site traffic patterns, visitor behavior and conversion rates. Analyzing these metrics over time is crucial for meaningful strategy adaptation and refinement.

Since SEO is always evolving, algorithms and industry best practices are always in flux. To stay competitive in this dynamic landscape, you need to stay on top of all things SEO, and SEO training helps with that. The best training sessions go over the most current trends, new resources and algorithmic updates. This information can be used to bolster your website’s rankability and relevancy.

Way too many website owners wrestle with issues like low search rankings and visibility. You don’t have to be one of them. Taking an extensive SEO training course equips web owners with the information and expertise they need to properly revamp their sites.

Putting trusted SEO strategies to work grants you some amazing benefits like increased rankings and visibility and more search traffic.

Step-by-Step Procedure

1. Find a highly regarded SEO training course or program that covers both fundamental and advanced SEO concepts.
2. Sign up for your chosen training class and set a personal commitment to complete it.
3. Start off with training on keyword research, making it a point to become comfortable with keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush.
4. Pinpoint high-volume, low-competition keywords that are applicable to your niche and audience.
5. Get into on-page optimization. The key here should be to understand best practices for keyword usage in meta descriptions, headers and title tags.
6. Learn all about how to create top quality content that is optimized for SEO and of substantial value to your target audience.
7. Dive into the importance and proper use of internal linking to boost your site’s structure and ease of navigation.
8. Explore technical SEO with a focus on boosting website speed with resources like Google PageSpeed Insights.
9. Learn which steps to take to enhance your site’s mobile friendliness. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test will likely be referenced.
10. Take in information about website security and the many benefits of HTTPS. Also, if your site doesn’t currently have one, implement an SSL certificate.
11. Immerse yourself in the concept of schema markup, which can assist search engines as they try to understand your content.
12. Get up to speed on link-building methods, which typically involve reaching out to reputable sites for backlinks.
13. Stay far away from black hat SEO schemes, which often result in search engine penalties.
14. Configure and reference your Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor your SEO progress on a regular basis. User behavior, conversion rates and site performance metrics are all of importance.
15. Always remain up-to-date with emerging SEO trends and changes to search engine algorithms. You can do so by following and reading up on Moz and the Search Engine Journal.
16. Take your images to the next level by leveraging alt tags and very descriptive file names to encourage easier indexing.
17. Put out long form content that’s logically structured and user friendly. Ensure that it utilizes proper headings and subheadings.
18. Use media like videos and infographics to further boost user engagement and keep the bounce rate to a minimum.
19. Evaluate your site’s user friendliness. It should provide a smooth and easy visitor experience.
20. Audit your site now and again to diagnose and rectify SEO problems that could affect your site’s ranking potential.
21. Check out SEO-focused forums and communities to swap knowledge and advice and remain in-tune with changes in the industry.
22. Continually review analytical data and industry developments and revise your SEO strategies accordingly.

By employing these innovative strategies, you open yourself up to benefits such as enhanced website visibility and higher search engine rankings.

Comprehensive SEO training isn’t simply an investment in skills; it is also a long-term commitment that keeps your website healthy and competitive.

Few tools are as valuable as SEO training. It provides website owners everything they need to transform their website for the better, specifically in the areas of online exposure and ranking potential.

If you focus on areas like content quality, keyword research, technical SEO and more, you’ll find that you’re well-equipped to remain competitive in the SERPs. The step-by-step instructions outlined above help to facilitate a strategic SEO approach, solidifying your spot as an authority in the digital space.

The post 7 Ways SEO Training Helps You Succeed in SEO appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

As I sit down to write this, all my engagements for the next two months have been canceled or “postponed.” India trip canceled. Industry conferences canceled. Our in-person SEO training course was canceled.

Those that host events are doing what it takes to not contribute to the spread of the novel coronavirus. And it’s impacting the businesses that depend on these gatherings.

But opportunities are emerging from this. And even though we may get to a place soon where we can convene again in person, we’re likely facing a new normal in educational SEO gatherings.

That’s because many are discovering the benefits of e-learning and virtual events instead.

• A growing trend just got more relevant
• Effect on search marketing events
• We must adapt, gather, and learn
• A new normal
• FAQ: What challenges do businesses face in adapting to virtual learning trends?

A Growing Trend Just Got More Relevant

Virtual learning was already a growing industry, valued at $190 billion in 2018.

But the pandemic has thrown e-learning into the spotlight. The original forecast that valued it at $300 billion by 2025 is likely now underestimated.

China’s e-learning leaders have already added $32 billion as a result of the pandemic. Others have risen to the occasion to host a virtual event using VR technology.

Remote conferencing service Zoom has seen its stock spike during the pandemic. Its CEO predicted the pandemic will lead to a permanent shift in how people work and communicate. (I’ll touch more on this in an upcoming post on work-from-home SEO teams.)

Is now the time for businesses to explore virtual learning as part of their core offerings from here on out? Yes.

It’s unclear whether things will go back to the way they were. Those multi-day SEO events with their packed rooms, networking dinners, and after-hours events are a distant reality now.

As the CEO of a global events company told the “Washington Business Journal,” the pandemic could have lasting impacts:

“People will always need to commune, but it’s going to take a long while to get back to where we were,” Linder said. “What’s unclear is if there will be any lasting impacts on the way people congregate. On the positive side, the business is full of creative minds and we are quick to pivot to other lines of business, like content creation or virtual fundraisers. We’re all working on developing better models of those as we speak.”

Effect on Search Marketing Events

In our industry, smaller conferences may be facing a more uncertain future. Bigger conferences like SMX will likely go on in a similar way if the quarantine lifts soon.

In fact, at the time of writing, a few conferences are still slated to continue in the near future. They have adjusted things, though.

We see that Marketing Land has instituted “a strict no handshake policy” and a ban on attendees from certain countries at SMX Advanced in June. The SEJ Summit, on the other hand, is already planned to be a virtual, all-day event.

Here at Bruce Clay Inc., our in-person SEO training is on hold. We’ll continue to host our classroom SEO training when the time is right. But we’re exploring virtual alternatives in the meantime that will become a core part of our offerings later.

Question for readers: What do you think of adapting our full-day conference SEO workshop into an online format? Or what about putting our intensive 4.5-day SEO training class online? Please email me directly (bruce (at) bruceclay.com) or comment below.

We Must Adapt, Gather, Teach, Learn

Businesses can’t afford to put capability building on hold. Whether the effort is reskilling at the business-unit level or a company-wide aspirational transformation, companies can’t simply push the pause button on critical workplace learning, even as they move rapidly to put employee safety first.

–McKinsey & Company, March 2020

Responding nimbly to a situation such as COVID-19 is just one reason to explore virtual learning. The other reason? Statistics have shown e-learning to be beneficial in many areas:

• E-learning takes up to 60 percent less employee time versus traditional classroom training, according to a study by Brandon Hall Group, as cited in the book International Conference on Management of Globalised Business Emerging Perspectives.
• IBM saved approximately $200 million after switching to e-learning.
• E-learning consumes 90 percent less energy (as in electrical energy, etc.) versus in-person training.

Benefits of Virtual Events

Some of the advantages of switching to an e-learning format include:

• Less cost to both the event hosts and the attendees.
• Sessions are available to more attendees and a broader range of presenters.
• Content you can use in different ways within your marketing and organization.
• New and different data to track the performance of the event.

Challenges of Virtual Events

All benefits aside, there will be challenges to adopting virtual events. Challenges can include:

• Lack of in-person interaction and the connections that happen as a result.
• A learning format that’s not for everyone (some people prefer in-person interaction).
• A different way to capture and nurture leads versus the traditional event.

If you’re thinking about virtual SEO learning, here are some articles to consider:

• How to launch a virtual conference – HubSpot
• How to run a successful virtual conference – HubSpot
• How to shift from physical to virtual events and maximize event outcomes – Social Media Today
• How to set up a virtual conference – on Medium
• Virtual events: The ultimate guide – Cvent

A New Normal

Understand that there is more than one scenario that could play out following this pandemic, and it’s important to be prepared for each.

As McKinsey points out in its article on adapting workplace learning right now, we may be facing a new normal. But that’s not a bad thing:

As organizations increasingly promote their existing portfolios of digital-learning options, a handful indicate that they are also considering migrating some existing in-person training programs to an all-digital format. Such efforts go beyond merely applying existing technology solutions to offer virtual classrooms. Rather, they represent a more fundamental rethinking of the learning experience to enable collaborative, interactive social-learning experiences for groups of learners. Digital-learning providers recognize that COVID-19 is a catalyst for this transition and are looking to help their corporate customers accelerate their transformation. Some are even offering reduced or complimentary services to help encourage new customers to accelerate such a transition.

The SEO industry is nothing if not creative and adaptive. Those that adapt now will remain relevant and survive.

If you found this post helpful, please share it and subscribe to our blog.

FAQ: What challenges do businesses face in adapting to virtual learning trends?

As the digital age advances, businesses increasingly use virtual learning to train their workforce and enhance skills development. COVID-19 has significantly accelerated this shift towards virtual learning, forcing many organizations to reevaluate their training and development strategy. While transition may present its own set of unique challenges, virtual learning offers numerous benefits. Let’s look at some of the primary obstacles businesses face when adapting to virtual learning trends and provide valuable insights to overcome them.

1. Technological Infrastructure:

One of the foremost challenges is establishing a robust technological infrastructure capable of supporting virtual learning platforms. This includes ensuring high-speed internet access, secure servers, and the availability of suitable devices for employees. Businesses should invest in technology upgrades and provide training to employees to ensure a seamless transition.

2. Engagement and Participation:

Virtual learning often struggles with issues related to engagement and participation. Unlike traditional classroom settings, virtual environments can lead to distractions and reduced interaction. To overcome this, businesses should design interactive courses, encourage collaboration, and use gamification techniques to keep learners engaged.

3. Technical Support and Troubleshooting:

Technical issues are bound to arise during virtual learning sessions. Businesses must provide adequate technical support to assist learners in case of problems. This includes having a helpdesk, troubleshooting guides, and a dedicated IT team ready to address issues promptly.

4. Content Adaptation:

Converting traditional training materials into virtual formats can be challenging. Content must be adapted to suit the online environment. This involves condensing information, creating multimedia resources, and ensuring content is accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities.

5. Data Security and Privacy:

With the transition to virtual learning, businesses must be vigilant about data security and privacy concerns. Implementing strict data protection measures and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations like GDPR and HIPAA is essential.

Businesses can adapt more easily by proactively addressing the challenges associated with virtual learning trends. Businesses can easily make this transition by investing in technology, encouraging engagement, providing technical support services, tailoring content to users’ needs, and prioritizing security measures for each instance of virtual learning courses offered.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Assess your current technological infrastructure and identify areas that need improvement.
2. Invest in high-speed internet access, secure servers, and suitable devices for virtual learning.
3. Provide training to employees on using virtual learning platforms effectively.
4. Design interactive courses that encourage engagement and participation.
5. Implement gamification techniques to make virtual learning more engaging.
6. Establish a helpdesk and provide troubleshooting guides for technical support.
7. Have a dedicated IT team ready to address technical issues promptly.
8. Adapt traditional training materials to suit the online environment.
9. Condense information and create multimedia resources for virtual learning.
10. Ensure content is accessible to all, including those with disabilities.
11. Implement strict data protection measures to safeguard sensitive information.
12. Familiarize yourself with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
13. Train your staff on data security and privacy best practices.
14. Regularly update and maintain your virtual learning platform to ensure security.
15. Monitor learner engagement and participation and make adjustments as needed.
16. Gather feedback from employees to improve the virtual learning experience continually.
17. Stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in virtual learning.
18. Consider partnerships with virtual learning experts to enhance your offerings.
19. Measure the ROI of your virtual learning initiatives to ensure they align with your business goals.
20. Continually adapt and refine your virtual learning strategies to meet evolving business needs and trends.

The post Is Virtual SEO Learning the Future? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

SEO Checklist: 5 Factors You Can Expect to Change

With Google’s search algorithms changing on a daily basis, content strategist Kristi Kellogg advises Internet marketers to adopt a proactive rather than reactive approach to SEO by anticipating changes and being prepared for any potential threats to your website optimization. Kellogg addresses five fast-moving battlefronts that are worth reviewing on a quarterly basis:

• Local optimization: Local results are a hotbed of activity, especially with search shifting from desktop to mobile. As an example, Kellogg discusses the recent change in the way reviews appear in search results.
• Search platforms: As new devices become available, count on search patterns to evolve as people explore new ways of embracing mobile technology.
• Keyword targets: As search patterns evolve, so too will the words people use to find your website.
• Schema markup: Confirmed as a ranking factor by at least one major search engine, schema is an area of fast development that offers websites a chance to stand out in the search results pages.
• Link building: Backlinks may not be as important to ranking as they once were, and the question of building links needs to continue.

Survival SEO: How to Do the Search Marketing of Tomorrow, Today

To prepare your website for Google’s next big algorithmic change, Bruce Clay, Inc.’s SEO Manager Mindy Weinstein shares three key search marketing survival tips. Those tips include:

• Understanding how user intent affects the SERP
• Recognizing the impact of social signals on ranking
• Creating content that truly speaks to your audience’s needs and desires

SEO News and Upcoming Training Events

The Hot Topic this month covers highlights from Facebook’s first f8 developer conference in three years, including anonymous logins, extended ad networks beyond Facebook, and more. In Education Matters, learn how to create an SEO culture throughout your organization. Whether you prefer on-site or off-site training for your organization, Bruce Clay, Inc. offers SEO training in the U.S. and even Europe. Coming up: European marketers can join Bruce Clay on July 2–3 for the next SEO Training event happening in Milan, Italy!

With a commitment to excellence, Bruce Clay, Inc. aims to serve its readers with meaningful, educational and informative content that propels businesses forward in a digital age. For monthly Internet marketing news and upcoming SEO training information that will put you ahead of the competition, sign up for the SEO Newsletter here.

The post SEO Newsletter: The Survival Guide to SEO Edition appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

That’s where the “Free Executives Guide to SEO in 111 Minutes” comes in. Brought to you by Bruce Clay, Inc. (a leading SEO firm est. in 1996 with offices on five continents), this course teaches executives the brass tacks of SEO. The dividends for your 111-minute investment? A firm understanding of:

• Why SEO is crucial to a company’s overall marketing
• How an optimized site boosts Internet traffic (and therefore revenue)
• What factors cause a site to rank within organic search results
• What constitutes spam tactics and why they must be avoided

“CMOs and other top executives need to be SEO advocates within their organizations,” said Clay, who was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Vision, Execution and Market Influence in the Practice of Search Marketing. “Executives need to know what’s the best practice methodology for SEO so they can recognize a song and dance when they hear one. Unfortunately, there are many people calling themselves ‘SEOs’ who practice unethical or outdated tactics. With a basic understanding of correct, white hat SEO methodology, an executive can keep the online marketing ship on course.”

The “Free Executives Guide to SEO in 111 Minutes” is available on demand.  Unlike other SEO courses, the Free Executives Guide to SEO is less about programming technicalities and more about concepts and overarching strategy, designed with CMOs in mind.

“The course fills a need,” Clay said. “Looking at what’s available online today, we realized there’s not a good SEO training course geared for executives who don’t have time or desire to learn the programming side of it.”

If you are interested in the “programming side” of SEO, Bruce Clay, Inc. offers SEOToolSet Training, held in the Los Angeles area seven times a year. The next SEOToolSet Training is Dec. 8-12. At the SEOToolSet Training, attendees dive into:

• Best practices for leveraging targeted keywords for higher conversion rates
• Content strategy that appeals to people and search engines
• How to analyze your own site and your competitors’
• What search engines view as spam and the consequent penalties associated with it
• And so much more!

Use this discount code: NEWS13 to receive $450 off December’s advanced SEOToolSet Training.

The post The Executives Guide to SEO — The Free 111-Minute Course appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Just be sure not to miss the SEO Workshop Bruce  presents at SMX West to take full advantage of this opportunity to learn from search and social thought leaders.

Pass Options (See what you get)	Early Bird Now – Feb 1	Conference Rate Feb 2 – Mar 10	On Site
All Access Pass	$1,495	$1,595	$1,695
All Access Pass + Workshop	$2,395	$2,595	$2,795
All Access Pass – One Day	$795	$895	$995
Workshop Only* (Workshop Descriptions)	$995	$1,095	$1,195
SMX Boot Camp (Learn More)	$399	$449	$499
Pass (Learn More)	Free	Free	$50

If you’re planning to go to SMX West, jump on it. If you’re not sure SMX West is for you, consider this…

The BIG SMX West Preview: Why You Should Attend

• Keynotes from Facebook and Google promise revealing insights about the company’s missions and the future of marketing on these powerful platforms.
• There are sessions devoted to SEO, paid search, social media, microformats and semantic search, in-house marketing, content, mobile search and a brand new track called SMX Summit — proclaimed “no-holds-barred Q&A.”
• On Thursday, Bruce presents the rave-reviewed SEO workshop in conjunction with SMX. Think of this as a sanity booster and concept solidifier after the 3-day marathon of the SMX conference. In this workshop, Bruce places everything you learned over the week in a framework that fits all the Internet marketing pieces back together after the conference sessions broke them down into laser focus. Bruce gives you the knowledge and tools to use your website as the anchor of your online presence, around which you can develop a robust Internet presence for your business.

Who Should Come to the SEO Workshop at SMX West

Attendees of the SMX conference SEO workshop come in with all roles and marketing experience levels. In one survey last year, attendees reported job titles including:

• marketing coordinator
• social marketing manager
• manager of an online business
• company owner
• ecommerce product manager
• SEO specialist

Basically, if you care about your business’s visibility online, you’ll benefit from the workshop.

What Past Attendees Say

To totally toot our own horn, this workshop is highly praised by past attendees.

One said: “I found the one-day training from Bruce Clay to be extremely eye-opening and helpful. The course takes a holistic look at SEO and how to make website better for both the search engines and the users. Bruce is very knowledgeable on the subject matter and conveys it well.”

Another said: “I came into this course knowing very little about SEO and when it was done it created a whole new perspective for me and my company on what needs to be done to get in the top 3 organic SEO positions on the search engines.”

And one more for good measure: “If you are interested in learning SEO, Bruce Clay is the one to learn from. He is an excellent teacher, with years of experience and he can get you going in the right direction.”

What You Get in the SEO Workshop at SMX West

One last thing you’d probably like to know is what to expect from the SEO workshop:

• Course materials, of course, but in a form that you can continually reference in your day-to-day work. Along with Bruce’s slide presentation, you also get the For Dummies All-In-One SEO Desk Reference, a modular handbook for all things SEO. Just search the index and dive-in to the stand-alone topic that you need right now.
• Future savings on a week of SEO training education with Bruce. If you’re an SEO workshop attendee and it looks like the one day isn’t enough, we’ll deduct the cost of the workshop from the price of our 5-day SEO training course in Simi Valley.
• A relationship with Bruce Clay, who I’ll honestly say is one of the most generous educators in SEO. Bruce doesn’t really end his workshop at the end of the day. Business consultant Steven Hume attended the SEO workshop with Bruce at SMX Advanced last year, and says, “The staff and even Bruce himself has taken time out of his schedule to speak with me on very simple questions that I really didn’t understand. I appreciate that greatly!” When you come to our SEO training or an SEO workshop, you’ve just opened a door to a great resource in Bruce and our organization that we hope will serve you for a long time.

Register for SMX West by Friday to save with the early bird rate. Use the code SMXW13bruceclay for an additional 10% discount. And we’ll see you in San Jose soon!

The post SMX West + SEO Workshop with Bruce Clay – Rates Go Up Friday! appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Bruce Clay’s SEO Action Items for Google’s Assault on Aggressive SEO

Bruce Clay weighs in on the over-optimization issue with analysis of how Google’s latest efforts to stamp out spam may shape SEO strategies. Included in Bruce’s analysis:

• What to watch out for when evaluating the long-term security of your SEO strategy.
• Possible technologies Google is using to detect over-optimization, such as the utilization of the Chrome browser.
• Motivations for Google’s reinvigorated offensive, including the possible future face of search results.

Google Cracks Down on Over-Optimisation and Unnatural Linking

A just-the-facts oriented update of Google’s recent crusade against unnatural, manipulative links. This article compiles resources on:

• When and how the over-optimization actions were announced by Google and company representatives.
• What some webmasters have seen in terms of Google Webmaster Tools notifications regarding punishment for unnatural links.
• The fallout for one blog network involved in link value manipulation.

Getting to Know Google’s Social Analytics

New social reporting in Google Analytics is dissected for an introduction on how to use the new reports to effectively track social media efforts. Learn how to:

• Tie monetary value to conversions coming from social media activities.
• Identify what social networks are the most valuable to your goals.
• Use social reporting to better measure social media ROI.

Take SEO Training on Your Holiday in Milan

European readers, does this sound interesting to you: one summer trip offering the best of worlds both business and pleasure? An interview with Bruce Clay Europe, managing director Ale Agostini reveals:

• How attending an intensive two-day SEO workshop offers an enticing option for your summer holiday: Internet marketing business strategy plus Fashion Week in Milan.
• Why businesses focused solely on paid search can take SEO training to learn tactics and strategies to boost traffic and marketing performance.
• Why the highly-praised 2-day SEO training course meets the growing demand for Internet marketing education in Europe.

What are you waiting for? Get reading!

The post Understanding Over-Optimization and Google Social Analytics: April SEO Newsletter appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Back in January of this year, I wrote a post on 3 ways to boost in-house Internet marketing in 2011. Since then, many of us have poured blood, sweat and tears into our Web marketing, and have a lot to show for it. Still, ensuring in-house Web marketing keeps its momentum is no easy task. Since we’re rounding the end of the year, I thought we’d revisit that two-part post I wrote in January 2011, recap some of the information we offered (you can do a little mental checklist of what you’ve done so far this year), and add some additional resources to reference from our blog posts over the year, in case you still need some fresh ideas.

In the first of the two-part post, I outlined these numbered items as things that can help boost in-house Internet marketing in 2011:

1. Actually focus on Internet marketing. At the beginning of the year, I said there were still many companies that had not yet made Web marketing a priority. Nearly a year later, reports show some businesses were planning to make strides in that area, but there’s still much work to do – for both in-housers and agencies. In this post, I’ll share some newer data about what planned spend and resources on Web marketing looked like for 2011 since my post was published.
2. Get Buy-In. Nothing kills budget and resources for Web marketing faster than decision makers who don’t understand the value of it. This ongoing process has many in-housers pulling out hair in an effort to keep colleagues and executives educated on the importance. In the January post, I shared some initial ideas on how to tackle this. In this post, we offer more tips that just might help your in-house Web marketing strategy.
3. Start training. Training staff in Web marketing, committing to continuing education and partnering with expert consultants are just some of the ways you can make the in-house Web marketing plan solid and fresh. Training keeps you up-to-date on evolving search engine strategies. In the January post, I shared training courses, blogs, websites and events that can help you and your staff do just that. In this post, we’ll recap tactics and insight that emerged from 2011 conferences.

Actually Focus on Internet Marketing

The first tip of the January 2011 post was to well, actually get focused on Internet marketing as part of the mar-comm plan. In the post, I pointed out that many small businesses (and big businesses alike) still had not dedicated resources to this, and it still rings true today – almost one year later.

The truth is, there’s still much work to do in Web marketing across the board, which means plenty of work for in-house online marketers as well as online marketing agencies and consultants.

A SEMPO report released in April 2011 reinforced that notion with its “state of search marketing” data, showing the search engine marketing sector was a growing one, despite other industries that experienced a downturn in the slowed economy. As for the 2011 forecast, the report estimated growth at 16 percent in 2011. We’ll await next year’s report to see how that prediction fared.

And along with the growing sector was a growing interest in businesses to invest in Web marketing this year. The SEMPO report revealed more than half of the companies surveyed planned to increase spend on SEO in 2011. However, it showed that approximately half also reported they spend 10 percent or less of their SEO budget with service providers.

So, if you’re an in-houser with similar stats, the next question is, how do you best utilize that budget and also fill in the gaps? This brings me to the second tip I gave for boosting Web marketing in 2011: receiving buy-in.

Get Buy-In

Making in-house Web marketing successful is an age-old question that seems to never have a definitive answer, but there are certainly many strategies. If you’re still struggling with buy-in and implementation, we offered several blog posts on the topic of in-house tactics here over the past year; check ‘em out:

• (February 2011) Implementing In-House SEO: What You Need to Succeed
• (March 2011) How SEO Agencies Boost ROI for in-House Marketers 
• (March 2011) 6 Important Considerations When Switching SEO Agencies 
• (April 2011) You’re Not The Boss of Me: Why SEO Confuses and Threatens Some Execs
• (May 16) Large-Scale E-Commerce SEO: An Interview with REI 

Start Training

Last but certainly not least is training and education. This can be the single-most important component of a successful Web marketing plan. With the search engines changing rapidly year over year (we saw dramatic changes in 2011 in so many areas of online marketing), keeping up with trends and tactics is a must for any in-house marketer.

In the January post, I gave several training courses, websites and blogs that were great resources for staying up-to-date on all-things Web marketing (including our very own SEO training classroom). And while the tried and true value of that original list still holds true, we did see a lot of new ideas emerge from the 2011 conferences I mentioned in the January post.

We had a packed year of search marketing events and luckily, Bruce Clay, Inc. was there to cover the sessions you may have missed. Here’s a recap of our 2011 conference liveblog coverage, so you can get a sense of the hot topics and trends of the year, and gain insight on how you can continue to tackle them in-house:

• PubCon coverage (November 2011)
• Wappow! Search and Social coverage (September 2011)
• SMX East coverage (September 2011)
• SES San Francisco coverage (August 2011)
• SMX Advanced coverage (June 2011)
• SES New York coverage (March 2011)
• SMX West coverage (March 2011)
• DOMAINfest coverage (February 2011)

What were your big wins in-house this year, and did any of the tips in this post play a part in that? Please weigh in with a comment below, and stay tuned for Part 2 of this post next week!

The post How Did You Boost In-House Marketing This Year? A 2011 Recap on Tactics appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Published last month and available on Amazon or HOEPLI.it, the book is nearly 200 pages of fresh, tactical search marketing methodologies, trends and tips. I caught up with Ale over the weekend to get the deets on the book, what people will learn and why it’s the perfect time for the European business community to embrace self-education in Web marketing.

Jessica: Tell me about the book, what’s behind it and who should read it?

Ale: Most traditional or conventional marketers do not fully understand how to do SEO and PPC because of thetechnicality that is needed to perform these activities. That’s why we wrote this practical search marketing book for business people that explains Web marketing strategy in a straightforward manner. Anybody who is currently running a business, in charge of marketing or sales should read this book. The book is also a great tool for SEO analysts and SEM practitioners.

What kinds of things can readers expect to learn?

Even the toughest concepts of SEO are explained in an easy way. Some of topics covered include:

• How to increase visibility in search engine results.
• How to generate qualified traffic to your site.
• How to make Web marketing a powerful advertising sales and public relations tool for your business.
• How to integrate SEO into press releases, online video and social media.

The philosophy behind the book is explained in a short video on, “Trovare clienti con Google” (video in Italian).

Why was the time right for an Internet marketing book like this in Italy?

In Italy, as well as the rest of Europe, a large proportion of companies continue to increase their investment in both paid search, SEO and social media. But most of these firms (probably 99 percent) are outsourcing search and social media without having enough knowledge or experience on how to assess the quality of these services. That’s why I believe the time is right for a book like this; it’s an easy read and gives a good understanding of sound search marketing practices, which can be immediately applied to the reader’s business.

Will the book be published in any other languages?

We are currently thinking about localizing and publishing the book in some European languages like German, French, Spanish, Polish and Dutch. If anybody is interested in seeing the book in their native language, please let us know.

What other educational things will Bruce Clay Europe be involved in for 2012?

Bruce Clay himself will come to Italy to join Bruce Clay Europe in June 2012 to teach the annual SEO training course. Last year was the first of it’s kind and was wildly popular amongst the European business community. Besides that, I will probably speak at SMX West in San Jose in February, and again at SMX Munich in March.

If you have questions about the book “Trovare clienti con Google” or anything else related to Web marketing or Bruce Clay Europe, you can reach Ale on Twitter or his profile on Google+.

The post Bruce Clay Europe Publishes Search Marketing Book appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Now I’m not saying the latest in a slew of social media conferences is looking to exploit the increasing interest in social media marketing, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a concern. So when I got to the office I searched for a few key terms used in the radio commercial that I thought would bring up the conference website, in the end selecting the Google suggested phrase [cbs social media conference].

Here were my results:

While the first result looks topically relevant, it’s dated last February. This same conference must have also taken place earlier this year, soI clicked through to the site hoping to be redirected or to find content has been updated or something pointing me in the right direction. No luck there. All that’s explained is the event is scheduled for eight months ago and is sold out.

Alright, they must have created a whole new site this time around. Dumb, but I still wanted to find it. I clicked the Twitter button from there to see if I could find a website on the event’s Twitter profile and, what do you know, the Twitter user doesn’t exist. They deleted the Twitter account? Back to the SERP I went.

At result six I found a press release about this month’s event. From there I found a new Web address and Twitter name. But at this point it would have almost taken a miracle to convince me the conference offers anything worth hearing about social media best practices…

Trusted Educational Resources and Learning from Success Stories

Coincidentally, I’m attending Facebook’s Marketing Bootcamp, which kicked off this week. The six-part webinar series produced by Facebook has a mission similar to the questionable conference, but there’s no comparison when it comes to credibility.

In the second part of the series, we learned Facebook’s five suggestions for a good brand page, best practices for posts, and tips for growing your fan base. Facebook’s own teach the webinar, answer questions live, and follow up with an email containing a checklist that will help you efficiently accomplish the recommendations made during that week’s webinar. The team also points the audience to further resources on successful Facebook marketing, like the case studies found at facebook.com/marketing.

One very enlightening Facebook marketing case study you won’t find there is the story of Doug and the Ford Focus.

While you may not be keen on comparing your social media marketing efforts to those fueled by the deep pockets of Ford, there are some interesting lessons found in Wall Street Journal’s coverage:

• Small advertisers including local businesses and small-scale websites make up the majority of ad spend on Facebook.
• Facebook pages themselves are free. However, let’s not forget the time and production costs that went into Doug the sockpuppet’s campaign.
• A Facebook page is just one-piece of a healthy media campaign. It requires support from multiple channels to truly leverage its potential.

Ford eschewed Facebook’s paid advertising options, trusting the word-of-mouth approach instead. I figure they’re onto something regarding the mental state of an average Facebook user, an induvidual who’s highly likely to become a fan of a brand on Facebook to indicate their support to others.

This post comes full circle when we understand that with social media, as with life, we have to be careful who we listen to. Be sure you can trust who you’re taking professional advice from, and always look to the experts. And know that when your audience is looking for info or recommendations, they’re quite likely looking to their own friends. Be in the right place on both sides of the influence game. Learn from the best and be the business your customers want to brag about.

The post Social Media Megaphone: Who’s Listening to Whom? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

If you missed it this time around, don’t despair; we’ve got a lineup of SEO one-dayers coming up that’ll perfect your ol’ one-two punch (and some special discounts, too!).

SES Chicago kicks off October 18 with Bruce’s one-day SEO course from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm. Then on November 2, ad:tech New York begins with a special pre-conference training day, where Bruce holds his SEO class from 9:30 a.m. o 5:00 p.m. For ad:tech, we have a special 20 percent discount on the one-day training for attendees when they call 415.537.8537 with code “Bruce Clay.”

Why One-Day Training?

There’s been a lot of developments in the search industry lately and it’s time to brush up on the latest tricks of the trade; what better way to do that than a SEO boot camp of sorts? You’ll learn not only tried and true methods but info that can help you adjust your strategy to the changing search engines.

The man himself, Bruce Clay teaches the one-day SEO classes, so you’ll have an opportunity to soak up his wisdom and pick the brain of one of the founding father’s of SEO, and ask the questions you’ve been dying to know the answers to.

Our one-day training is packed full of tidbits good for beginners and those who need a refresher:

• Importance of SEO. Find out how SEO relates to visibility, awareness, qualified traffic and conversions. Learn about ranking in relation to click-throughs, the major items impacting your rankings, structuring your site so it’s SEO friendly, the future of search and more. New information touches on behavior and intent-based results, localized results and more.
• Understanding the various search engines. Learn about how how the search engines work in relation to SEO, the Google algorithm, PageRank and how to prep your site to be spidered by the bots.
• Universal Search. Understand how Google’s Universal Search impacts rankings and how your content can be a part of it.
• SEO methodologies. Learn best practices for Meta data, on-page optimization and linking.
• Social media and analytics. Find out why these are tools you can’t afford to ignore.
• Peek into your SEOToolSet®. Learn about the powerful new SEO tools we offer, which you’ll receive a subscription to when you attend.

More Savings!

Anyone who attends the one-day SEO conference training from Bruce Clay, Inc. can participate in our Student Loyalty program, where returning students and their friends get great discounts:

• Returning students: 25 percent off registration for regular and advanced SEOToolSet Training
• Friends/colleagues of returning students: $300 off registration when signing up with a returning student

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