This is a curated recap of the weekly #SEOchat on Twitter, in case you missed it. There are a lot of useful insights in these tweets, but they go by so quickly that you might miss them! Here’s my best effort at bringing all those answers and questions into one place.
How Long Does It Take to Learn SEO?
A1. Not as much as I would like!! I kind of end up sneaking learning opportunities in when I’m troubleshooting through actual tasks. #SEOChat
Kim Doughty
#SEOChat A1. Not a lot. There’s a definite decline in the amount of time spent looking for and reading blogs, resources, etc. Papers, etc. are rarely produced… so you kind of have a natural fall-off rate of consumption. Instead, I use Twitter and people to surface stuff for me 😀
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
A1: I guestimate an average of 20% of each week is spent reading and learning. Consuming Deque University content as we speak! (It’s for accessibility) #SEOChat
Christina LeVasseur (Brodzky)
A1: My goal is at least 10, but honestly, pure learning – I probably get more like 15 total per month. However, I am often still just learning on the job while getting client deliverables done. And I learn so much from just staying up-to-date with @techseowomen Slack! #SEOChat
Sam Torres
A1/ I usually spend at least 4 hours a day dedicated to learning from search related patents and white papers, and also learn from sites on the web and analytics. #SEOChat
Bill Slawski
A1: I spend around 2 – 3 hours a week. Aiming for more but it is hard to find the time. #SEOChat
J Turnbull
A1: I probably spend 3-4 hours active learning each week and not just SEO and content but life in general. I love learning something new daily. #SEOChat
Melissa Popp
A1: I have a doc called “10 things I didn’t know about SEO until now.” Every week, I try to write 10 new things in there. Most of what I learned is from your boss’ TTT threads.
Justin Russell, SEO guy
A1: Over an average year I’d say 10% of your work week would be the goal, but a lot of projects lead me to exceed that goal quite often. Our team has “always learning” at the core of our culture. #seochat
Ryan Glass
A1: I’d say 5-10 hours a week. Mostly around staying up-to-date on what’s new in SEO. But I’m also taking data analytics courses at the moment, so that takes up a lot of my learning time. 🙂 #SEOChat
Cynthia
A1: 1:3 hours daily and not constantly tbh the thing is I’ve a different approach when it comes to learning something new, i try to project it into action not just pure theory, spending more time on the open sources & kaggle competitions , and some psychology.
MahmoudNessim
A1. 4-5 hours per week, sometimes a bit more. #SEOChat
Amal Ghosh
At least 1 hour a day…
Pedro Overbeck
A1: #SEOChat Not enough time
Tory Lynne Gray
What Content medium Supports Your SEo Learning Best?
If I need a better visual to absorb the content, I prefer videos and images. If it’s an easy topic and I want to skim, I prefer threads and blogs. If it’s easy to consume and requires not much thinking, I wouldn’t mind a podcast. #SEOChat
Christina LeVasseur (Brodzky)
A2) I like to read articles to learn quick concepts Or how to do things. I like books for strategic thinking. I like videos and podcasts for entertainment. And I like social media for discussions
Jonas Sickler
#SEOChat A2. Reading. It’s far faster and easier to handle interruptions etc. Plus I seem to retain the written word better than speech. I don’t mind threads (I know some people struggle with the format), but prefer well-laid-out articles on web pages. Note: I say “reading” – only because no one has actually produced a decent picture-book guide to SEO 😀 (if it came with crayons, it would be even better :D)
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
Ironically I like video in general but not for seo… #seochat
Mordy Oberstein
A2: I’m more of a reading/textual kind of learner. I struggle with videos and podcasts but I learn best when reading something and summarising it in my own notes #SEOChat
Areej
A2, #SEOChat I like… talking to people? (smart people with insights to share.) Also: doing SEO work, and watching results, and learning. Also: doing NOT SEO work, and making mental connections on how they interrelate and can be useful in different contexts.
Tory Lynne Gray
Twitter threads are a great source. SEO Websites obviously. Podcasts didn’t quite get me till now.
Thomas Endl
Reading is good for me. I can read information at my rythm, off-line if I want. I like pictures and examples. I am a visual guy who needs to see things to understand it. If there are quick things that I can take away to test on my platforms, it’s better 🙂
Romain
A2: I’m with @areej_abuali. I prefer reading over watching videos or listening to audio. I’ll often just read the transcripts instead. Plus, lots of trial and error. I use our company website as a testing ground as much as possible.
Sam Torres
A2: Yes really enjoy watching videos while doing that task so can practice the theory. Also enjoy podcasts and reading articles if laid out well. #SEOChat
J Turnbull
A2. Reading blogs, Twitter threads, watching videos, ebook & sometimes Podcasts. #SEOChat
Amal Ghosh
A2. I prefer a well-written article because that format easily can include video/images. Even better if I can actually do the thing I’m learning while I’m going through my articles. #SEOChat
Kim Doughty
A2: I ALWAYS start with audio (audible books, podcasts, and videos). I think it’s because I can usually multi-task with audio so I can learn while working. Then I go back and read anything I need clarification on. Fun fact: that’s how I learned English as a kid. #SEOChat
Cynthia
A2: I’m old school and still learn from deep reading. There are so many blogs out there doing some incredible case studies, walkthroughs, etc. I think get missed because of video and podcasts. #SEOChat
Melissa Popp
Can’t stand big article format web posts for anything. Hope this trend stops. What works for #seo doesn’t always work for #people@Google
Digital Workshop
Doesn’t matter as long as there is output, i.e. I note whatever I just learned in writing. I have OneNote and a literal SEO ntbk with sections. I add relevant info as I go along. Helps with spaced repetition as well since I go over it everytime.
Mishi
A2: I definitely prefer to read, but there has been things that were just easier to understand after watching a video #seochat
Izzy Wisniewska
A2: I love learning by doing but you can’t beat keeping up to date with industry blogs, podcasts, videos etc and following leaders in the field. #SEOChat
Tina Steele
I fall to anything that interests me. I can read long blogs and watch videos too. Not habitual of podcasts yet!
Vivek Mishra
Where Do You Start With Learning SEO?
A3: I would have moved agency side sooner and joined a graduate training program #SEOChat
J Turnbull
A3: I’d try to learn more than just SEO and broader things than just Tech SEO. I’d try to learn lots of different disciplines in Digital before deciding what I wanted to become more specific in. #SEOChat
Areej
Reach out to people quicker #seochat
Mordy Oberstein
A3: But realistically, I’d focus on accessibility as the root of many tech SEO factors instead of just the SEO (cause it’s the right thing to do and I’m ashamed it took getting into my 30s to see that). I wish I had also kept better records of what I did. #SEOChat
Sam Torres
A3: I’d use more resources. I was so tuned into who the “thought leaders” were doing at the time that I neglected to look outside that box for more perspective, different ways to do things, etc. #SEOChat
Melissa Popp
I’d try to understand that SEO optimizations is good but SEO for business is better. Instead of knowing exactly how to do things, I’d would have liked to know how to communicate on things I did or want to do in order to get people behind my ambitions and actions.
Romain
A3: #SEOChat I lucked into an AMAZING boss early on, but that wasn’t *always* the case. When it wasn’t – I wasn’t growing as fast as I could have been; I wasted time being frustrated instead of learning and growing. So: get out if you need to. You deserve good management!
Tory Lynne Gray
A3: Hm, I don’t think so. I was learning SEO from brilliant people for my full-time job for a long time. Then I would find myself learning how to code and read HTML at night. #SEOChat
Christina LeVasseur
A3 – I learnt SEO from my first job, I joined as a SEO trainee. If I were to learn SEO now, I would implement whatever I learnt on my personal projects. I would make sure to network and work on my communication and public speaking skills. #SEOChat
Dipali Thakkar
A3: I would’ve gone to more conferences/had gotten more involved in SEO communities earlier on in my SEO career. #SEOChat
Cynthia
#SEOChat A3. Charge more. Network sooner. Avoid “mates rates”. Publish my tools/approaches earlier.
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
A3. I wish I got on SEO Twitter when I was still a student. That would have really propelled me during a time where I was still trying to figure out what kind of marketer I wanted to be. #SEOChat
Kim Doughty
A3: I would focus more on various aspects of SEO especially on technical from the begining. I would also use the time I had for learning more , as I had a lot of it when I first started and I dont feel I used it enough. I would also network more, go to conferences, meetups etc
Izzy Wisniewska
A3. Finding the right resource for learning is a big challenge even today. #SEOChat
Amal Ghosh
Is Ongoing Education An Important Part of an SEO Role?
A4. It’s critical for me. I like to be encouraged to take on person projects and improve processes when I find an opportunity. I also appreciate working with coworkers who regularly discuss current events in the industry and things they have learned. #SEOChat
Kim Doughty
A4) Education crucial in our industry. If a company doesn’t value it, will ultimately fail. Seminars, webinars, video courses, books, these are all great for learning. Conferences are great for networking and discussions #SEOChat
Jonas Sickler
A4: #SEOChat The most important thing in a workplace is finding one that values *me* (the employee, and human.) Empathy, and listening, are key. If they value me, and I value education, then education follows. (AKA: I wouldn’t start with education, I’d start with people.)
Tory Lynne Gray
A4: I’ve never had a job that truly valued education by letting me learn on company time the way @RicketyRoo does. Having a job that backs you learning because they know you need to and it helps the company is key to being excited about learning on the job. #SEOChat
Melissa Popp
A4: With how often, quickly and drastically our job changes, IMMENSELY important. But I think as a business owner, it’s really hard to strike that balance between being profitable (and able to pay everyone appropriately) vs providing enough time for edu. #SEOChat
Sam Torres
This is a total and absolute must – you have to be able to keep up with things #seochat
Mordy Oberstein
#SEOChat A4. I’m independent and WFH – but for me, learning (and having time to research, test, tinker and play) is important!
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
What’s the best advice for SEO Learners?
A5: I’d say never stop learning because the knowledge keeps changing. Also learn about money – it will help to give you options and flexibility. #SEOChat
Christina LeVasseur (Brodzky)
A5) Find websites and writers you trust. Read their content. Ask lots of questions on social media. Understand the WHY behind ranking factors. Lean a little about html. Dig into topics and search intent. Remember that SEO is a means to an end Have fun! #SEOchat
Jonas Sickler
A5: Never, ever lose WHY you love learning. If you lose that curiosity, you’ll never truly retain anything. If a certain type of learning method doesn’t work, try something else. Don’t burn yourself out learning either – take breaks. #SEOChat
Melissa Popp
Practice >> Theory. Get a platform where you can test, publish, optimize, code, sell, share, etc. It’s important to experience what you can’t do for your clients. Keep the mindset that “we never know if it hasn’t been tested yet”.
Romain
A5: Be curious. Ask why. Always come back to the why. Also know that it’s such a broad category, it doesn’t make sense to be an expert at all of it. So focus on the pieces you do like. #SEOChat
Sam Torres
A5. Ask questions! Learn in public! People will be there to offer their experiences and encourage you on your journey. #SEOChat
Kim Doughty
Learn More About SEO from Twitter
Every week there is a fantastic #SEOchat, last week they covered content marketing so check our recap. We also capture great threads and conversations in our #SEObits recaps, so you can keep the learning going from here!
