Twitter is constantly a “firehose of information,” with amazing “Tweet chats” and conversations. This week’s @serpstat emphasis is “Teaching SEO to Yourself.”
Q1: There are so many resources about SEO on the internet. I want to learn the fundamentals of SEO. Where do I start?
A1. Google’s official documentation is good to start with. Keep an eye on other official pages/channels like Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, etc. GSC community. Start utilizing Twitter. Participate in Twitter chat; share your knowledge, ask questions; and learn.
Amal Ghosh
Also, you cannot miss this! https://learningseo.io by @aleyda. This site will help you choose your unique SEO path and specialization. #serpstat_chat
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
A1: There is nothing like building and optimizing your own site. Reading about SEO is one thing… But once you decide what the title tag, content, images, alt text, etc. should be and you setup GA and tracking, you retain ever so much more. #serpstat_chat
Boyd Norwood – nozzle.io
@darth_na @josephskahn @joeytrend @MontseCano @JonasSickler @ItamarBlauer @GiordMarco96 @GrowMap @SEOcopy @JeremyRiveraSEO @RemcoTensen @continuityseo @BRAVOMedia1 @TaylorMurchison @myriamjessier#serpstat_chat
Olena Prokhoda
So many great names already covered… I’ll add: @Hobo_Web @dejanseo @lilyraynyc @Jammer_Volts @glenngabe @ajkohn @MusingPraveen @NikkiRHalliwell @CrystalontheWeb @davewsmart
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
Follow the most prominent SEOs and Googlers like @aleyda @Marie_Haynes @JohnMu @lilyraynyc @MordyOberstein @nickwilsdon @anton_shulke @myriamjessier @brodieseo#serpstat_chat more to come!
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
Wait until it’s dark, creep into a business, and hack their net… Maybe easier/safer to get your own little site. Plenty of free blog platforms (limited customisability), or go for a cheap host and dabble with static files or WP (if you have to ;)).
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
A3: If you’re still new to the field, then getting work with an agency can be a great way to learn. Different sites, different industries and other SEOs on team to learn from and share ideas with #serpstat_chat
Bill Allen
There are a lot of free courses that teach you how to set up a website from scratch. Just follow one/two courses and set up some websites. WordPress is a good start. Start with easy keywords. #serpstat_chat
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
Build a portfolio. Show that you can do the work. Get pages ranking for various things. Tackle problems like Canonicals, Redirects etc. Then you can go for agencies, or cherry pick some potential clients, or reach out to businesses you like.
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
A4: I have hired well over 50 entry-level SEOs in the last 12 years. The candidates who stood out the most were those testing SEO tactics they were reading about on their own blog or site. Even trying to rank for simple keywords, you learn so much.
Boyd Norwood – nozzle.io
Or you can reach out to an experienced SEO and offer them your help. You won’t be surprised, but often SEOs are overwhelmed with work and will be happy to work with you on some simple or basic SEO tasks. #serpstat_chat
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
Use a tool that offers a lot of explanations and has extensive documentation. I love @serpstat for that absolutely! #serpstat_chat
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
A5 plenty of audit lists out there as a good starting point. Add to them as your needs and experience grow. You will find they need tweaking for nearly every job. But don’t then sell the list or write a book pretending it’s all yours. That won’t go down well. #serpstat_chat
Simon Cox
A5 – I’d agree with @TaylorMurchison about ScreamingFrog as well as Google Search Console and Analytics and from there some “eyeballs and braincells”
Bill Allen
A6: I have 6 years experience. But to be honest SEO is an continue learning thing. Because G algo continue changing. So for basic I suggest anyone should play at least 1 year with google to understand the game.
Ayon Chy
If all you’re doing is looking at feedback from a tool, you can be an auditor in about 10 minutes. Being a good implies you’ve learned how to find & fix real problems, back to “eyeballs & braincells” again. 3+ years depending on what you’ve been exposed to. #serpstat_chat
Bill Allen
A6 all of the years you have left. You never stop learning with SEO-you always realise there are things you don’t know or have not had to solve before. #serpstat_chat
Simon Cox
A7-Reach out to professionals directly. A lot of us are busy, but a good number of folks in my circle will take some time out to at least give a little guidance. #serpstat_chat
Taylor Murchison
A7: Yes. Don’t just read, read, read. Instead do this: Read –> Apply/Test on own site –> Analyze results –> Make note of what you learned –> Test some more –> Analyze some more
Boyd Norwood – nozzle.io
A7 Sleep. get enough. Write something – leave it a day. Come back to it and edit it. Keep notes of processes you do as you do them so you can repeat them. But there are no real shortcuts.
Simon Cox
Ask SEO Twitter or ask me @olgazarzeczna or my SEO assistant Gerard! We will be happy to help. #serpstat_chat
@olgazarzeczna
A8 Google first. Obviously! But there are plenty of folk on Twitter then will point you in the right direction #serpstat_chat
Simon Cox
vA8: Ask someone who has experience with the issue you’re facing. If it’s basic any SEO can help. But if it’s an advanced question, I trust the answer of a professional much more. Ask on social media & forums for help and you’ll get it. #serpstat_chat
Sweepsify
Set yourself challenges. Do X on a dummy/test site. (this could be improving rankings, changing relevance, implementing speed improvements etc.). Try to analyse competitors, or brands, or some fancy SERP feature, and then try to replicate.
Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)
You can also simply ask other SEOs whether they agree with your theories/ideas. A dialog with other SEOs can be really eye-opening!
Olga Zarzeczna (seosly.com)
A9 the quickest way is with an seo tool, some are better than others, so stick with one only otherwise youll hit the spaghetti junction and get confused. #serpstat_chat
Lui Slauco – SEO
Incase you missed the previous #serpstat_chat
