Organized by day and topic. Practical answers with examples. No theory, just what actually works.
Start here if you're brand new to SEO
Yes, especially if you're starting out. SEO is how people who don't know you exist will find you. Paid ads stop working the moment you stop paying. SEO compounds over time.
Starting early means you build authority while you're building your business. A site that's 6 months old with consistent SEO work will outrank a brand new site every time, even if the new site has better content.
Think of SEO like planting a tree. The best time to start was 6 months ago. The second best time is today.
3 to 6 months for meaningful results. Sometimes longer. Anyone promising faster is either using paid ads (not SEO) or using tactics that will get you penalized.
Here's a realistic timeline:
The sites that succeed are the ones that keep going when nothing seems to be happening in months 2-4.
You can absolutely do it yourself. That's exactly why this course exists. SEO is a skill, not magic. The fundamentals haven't changed in years.
You should do it yourself if:
Hire someone if you have a large site (1,000+ pages), a highly competitive niche, or you genuinely don't have the time. But learn the basics first so you can evaluate if the agency is any good.
Not to start. Maybe not ever. Paid tools are helpful but not essential. This entire course is built around free tools only.
What you need (all free):
Paid tools like Ahrefs become useful when you're doing competitor research at scale or managing 10+ sites. For one site as a beginner, they're overkill.
SEO = free organic rankings. SEM = paid ads.
Most businesses should do both, but if you can only pick one and you're patient, choose SEO. The ROI is better long-term.
Crawling, indexing, ranking, and how Google works
Crawling = Google finding your page. Indexing = Google storing it in their database.
Think of it like a library:
If Google crawls your page but doesn't index it, that page can never appear in search results. This happens with low-quality pages, duplicate content, or pages blocked by robots.txt.
Two ways:
Method 1 (Quick check): Go to Google and search
site:yourwebsite.com. You'll see all pages Google has indexed from your site.
Method 2 (Detailed): In Google Search Console, go to "Coverage" or "Pages" to see exactly which pages are indexed, which are excluded, and why.
If a page isn't indexed after 2-3 weeks, use the URL Inspection tool in GSC and click "Request Indexing."
E-E-A-T = Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. It's Google's framework for evaluating content quality.
How to demonstrate E-E-A-T:
E-E-A-T matters most for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics like health, finance, and legal advice. But it helps in every niche.
Data takes 24-48 hours to start appearing. If you're a brand new site with no traffic, there won't be much to show yet.
What to do while you wait:
If it's been more than a week and still nothing, check that your site isn't blocking Google with a noindex tag or robots.txt.
Finding the right keywords to target
Target long-tail keywords (3+ words) in specific niches. The more specific, the less competition.
Strategies:
Google the keyword and look at who's ranking. If it's all big brands (Nike, Amazon), the competition is too high. If you see small blogs and niche sites, you have a chance.
Search intent = what the searcher actually wants to find. There are 4 types:
How to match intent: Google the keyword and look at the top 5 results. Are they blog posts? Product pages? Videos? Whatever Google is showing, that's the intent you need to match.
Publishing a product page when people want a guide will never rank well, no matter how optimized it is.
As a beginner: low volume, low competition. High volume keywords are nearly impossible to rank for without authority.
Strategy: Target 10-20 low-volume keywords (100-1,000 searches/month) rather than chasing one high volume keyword (100,000 searches/month).
Math example:
Once you have authority from ranking for many small keywords, then go after bigger ones.
Yes, if the keywords are closely related. One page typically ranks for dozens or even hundreds of related keywords.
The strategy:
Example: A page targeting "how to make cold brew coffee" will also rank for "cold brew recipe," "cold brew at home," "best cold brew method," etc.
Don't try to target "cold brew coffee" and "espresso machines" on the same page. Those need separate pages.
Title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and content optimization
Forget keyword density. Use your keyword naturally 3-5 times in a 1,000-word article.
Where it matters most:
Google is smart enough to understand synonyms and context. Writing "best coffee makers," "top coffee machines," and "great coffee brewers" is better than repeating "best coffee makers" 15 times.
Write for humans first. If it sounds awkward, it's too much.
50-60 characters. Google truncates titles longer than this in search results.
Best practices:
Good example: "Keyword Research Guide: 7 Steps for Beginners (2026)"
Bad example: "Welcome to Our Website | Home | John's Digital Marketing Agency Services and Consulting" (too long, no clear keyword)
No, meta descriptions are NOT a direct ranking factor. But they massively affect click-through rate, which does influence rankings.
Think of your meta description as ad copy. It should:
Good example: "Learn keyword research in 20 minutes. Free template included. No paid tools needed. Perfect for beginners."
Note: Google sometimes rewrites meta descriptions. That's fine, but still write a good one.
One H1 per page is best practice. Technically you can have more, but one clear H1 helps both users and search engines understand the main topic.
Heading hierarchy should look like this:
Your H1 should include your primary keyword and clearly describe what the page is about.
Yes. Clean, keyword-rich URLs help both users and search engines.
URL best practices:
Good: yoursite.com/keyword-research-guide
Bad: yoursite.com/post.php?id=12345&category=seo
Site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawlability, and technical fixes
Yes, you need a sitemap. It's a file that lists all your important URLs to help Google discover and crawl them efficiently.
Two types:
How to create one:
Under 3 seconds on mobile. Under 2 seconds is ideal.
Google's Core Web Vitals targets:
Test your speed at pagespeed.web.dev
Quick wins to speed up your site:
Use a responsive theme/design. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it judges your site based on the mobile version.
Check if you're mobile-friendly: search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
Common mobile issues and fixes:
If you're on WordPress, most modern themes are already responsive. If not, switch to a better theme.
Yes. HTTPS is a ranking factor and affects trust. Sites without HTTPS show "Not Secure" in browsers, which scares visitors away.
How to get HTTPS:
If your host doesn't offer free SSL, consider switching hosts. SSL should be standard in 2026.
Creating content that ranks and converts
Long enough to fully answer the question. Usually 1,000-2,500 words.
The real answer: Google the keyword and look at the top 5 results. How long are they? Match that depth or exceed it.
Content length by intent:
Quality beats quantity. A focused 800-word post beats a fluffy 3,000-word post every time.
Yes, but you must edit and add personal experience. Google doesn't penalize AI content - it penalizes low-quality, generic content.
How to use AI effectively:
The combination of AI efficiency + human expertise is unbeatable. Pure AI content with no editing will rarely rank well because it lacks the experience and uniqueness Google rewards.
Answer questions concisely in 40-60 words, use clear formatting.
Featured snippet strategies:
Example structure:
H2: What is keyword research?
Answer (40-60 words): Keyword research is the process of finding words and phrases people search for on Google. It helps you create content that matches what your audience is looking for...
Then expand with more details below.
Updating old content often has better ROI than creating new content.
When to update vs create new:
How to update content effectively:
Google loves fresh, updated content. A well-updated post can jump from page 3 to page 1.
Backlinks, authority, and off-page signals
There's no magic number. Quality beats quantity.
Reality check:
Focus on earning links from sites in your niche with real traffic. A link from a relevant blog with 10,000 monthly visitors is gold.
Start by getting your first 10 quality links before worrying about scale.
Guest posting and resource link building.
5 beginner-friendly link building tactics:
Avoid: Buying links, link exchanges, link farms. Google will penalize you.
No. Social media links are nofollow and don't pass SEO value.
However, social media still helps SEO indirectly:
Think of social media as the top of your SEO funnel, not a direct ranking factor.
Yes, if they're spammy or from penalized sites.
Bad backlinks to avoid:
What to do if you have bad links:
Most negative SEO attacks don't work anymore. Google is good at ignoring spam. Focus on earning good links, not worrying about bad ones.
Putting it all together and creating your action plan
Priority order: Technical issues → Content gaps → Link building.
Step-by-step audit priority:
Don't build links to a broken site. Fix the foundation first.
Top 7 beginner mistakes:
Avoid these seven and you're ahead of 80% of beginners.
Full audit every 6 months. Quick checks monthly.
Monthly quick check (30 minutes):
Full audit every 6 months (2-4 hours):
The 7-day course answers these questions with hands-on exercises, real examples, and AI prompts.
Start Day 1 →