Learning how to optimise your website for search engines is no small task. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a complex process with many moving parts, which can make it hard to work out on your own. That is where SEO courses can help. If you are looking for one, you are in the right place.
The best SEO courses (our top picks for 2025)
- SEO Essentials Certificate by Moz
- SEO Certification Course by HubSpot
- Search Engine Optimisation Training Course by Simplilearn
- SEO Training Course by Ahrefs
- SEO Certification by ClickMinded
- Intro to SEO by WordPress
- SEO Specialisation by UC Davis
- SEO for Beginners by Yoast
- SEO Basics Course by SE Ranking
- On-page SEO Course by Semrush
- SEO Training for Beginners by Shopify
On this page we list the 11 best SEO courses (free and paid) you can take to become an expert in search engine optimisation. Read on.
The best SEO courses [Summary]
| Course name | Provider | Cost | Course length |
| SEO Essentials | Moz | $595 | 8 hours |
| SEO Certification Course | HubSpot | Free | 4 hours |
| Search Engine Optimisation Training Course | Simplilearn | Free or paid ($1,499) | Self-paced (90 days of course access) |
| SEO Training Course | Ahrefs | Free | 2 hours |
| SEO Certification | ClickMinded | $999 | 3-6 hours |
| Intro to SEO | WordPress | Free | 1 hour |
| Search Engine Optimisation Specialisation | University of California, Davis | Free to enrol | 3 months at 10 hours a week |
| SEO for Beginners | Yoast | Free | 2 hours |
| SEO Basics Course | SE Ranking | $32.20 a month | 6 hours |
| On-page SEO Course | Semrush | Free | 1 hour |
| SEO Training for Beginners | Shopify | Free | 1 hour |
The 11 best SEO courses of 2025
Here are the best SEO courses and certifications to help you become an SEO professional.
1. SEO Essentials Certificate by Moz
Cost: $595
Length: 8 hours
To start this list of online SEO courses, let us look at the SEO Essentials Certificate by Moz. This in-depth course gives you everything you need to optimise your website for search engines.
The Moz course covers topics such as:
- SEO basics
- How to carry out keyword research
- What to know about optimising pages for search engines
- How to do link building
- How to build SEO reports
- And more.
If you want a detailed, in-depth course that gives you what you need to do SEO well, this one is a strong choice.
2. SEO Course by HubSpot
Cost: free
Length: 4 hours
One of the free SEO courses that also comes with a certificate is HubSpot's. This SEO course teaches you all the basics of SEO so you can improve your performance.
The course explains how to analyse and improve an SEO strategy. It also teaches you how to build backlinks, carry out keyword research and understand the results in your SEO reports.
The course is made up of:
- 6 lessons
- 26 videos
- 5 quizzes.
3. Search Engine Optimisation Training Course by Simplilearn
Cost: free, up to $1,499
Length: self-paced (90 days of access to the lessons)
There are plenty of free online SEO courses, but there are also some paid options that go deeper into SEO.
If you choose Simplilearn's bootcamp, this is what you will learn:
- The basics of how search engines work
- The different types of SEO
- How to do keyword research and competitor research
- On-page and off-page optimisation
- What duplicate content is and how to avoid it
- How to optimise the design and architecture of your website
- How to optimise for local SEO
- And more.
That is only the start of what the course covers. It also goes into advanced SEO topics, web analytics and developing a content marketing strategy.
If you want to go deep into SEO and learn everything there is to know, this course is a strong choice.
4. SEO Training Course by Ahrefs
Cost: free
Length: 2 hours
Next on the list is the SEO Course for Beginners by Ahrefs. It is a good free option for anyone who is not very familiar with SEO but wants to learn more.
The course covers the basic search engine optimisation tasks, such as keyword research, on-page SEO and link building.
This two-hour course is made up of 14 lessons split into 4 modules. It will help you learn what you need to rank better in search results.
5. SEO Certification by ClickMinded
Cost: $999
Length: 3-6 hours
Continuing the list, let us look at the SEO certification course from ClickMinded. This paid course is a good option if you want to learn how to increase traffic to your website.
The course covers many SEO topics, from technical SEO to creating content that ranks. The paid option also gives you unlimited access to five SEO mini-courses, so you can refresh your memory at any time.
At the end of the course you sit the final exam. If you pass the certification exam, ClickMinded issues you an SEO certificate at no extra cost.
6. Intro to SEO by WordPress
Cost: free
Length: 1 hour
If you are looking for free SEO courses, WordPress offers one. With its Intro to SEO course you will learn all the basics of search engine optimisation.
This beginner course teaches you everything from creating optimised content and growing traffic to optimising for keywords. It is self-paced and split into short sections so SEO is easy to pick up.
With this course you will learn the basics of SEO and be able to apply them to your own website.
7. SEO Specialisation by UC Davis
Cost: free to enrol
Length: 3 months at 10 hours a week
Another SEO certification you can take is the UC Davis SEO Specialisation. It is one of the best SEO courses for anyone who wants to learn at university level. Two instructors teach the five courses that make up the certificate.
The five courses cover these topics:
- Introduction to Google SEO
- SEO fundamentals
- Optimising your website for search engines
- Content and social tactics for SEO
- A capstone project including a competitive analysis, keyword maps and an SEO pitch.
This SEO course is a good choice if you want an in-depth course that covers everything you need to know about SEO.
8. SEO for Beginners by Yoast
Cost: free
Length: 2 hours
Looking for more free online SEO courses? Have a look at "SEO for Beginners" by Yoast. The course covers several SEO topics, including:
- Understanding keywords
- Optimising site structure
- Understanding the technical side of SEO, such as crawling and indexing.
The course is split into 20 video clips that help you understand SEO better.
Want to go beyond the basic SEO courses? Yoast offers Yoast SEO Premium at $118.80 a year (excluding VAT), which includes full access to all the courses in the Yoast SEO Academy so you can study SEO in more depth.
9. SEO Basics Course by SE Ranking
Cost: $32.20 a month
Length: 6 hours
Another SEO certification course you can take is "SEO Basics" by SE Ranking. It covers all the basic information you need about SEO.
This six-hour course deals with the fundamentals of SEO and teaches you how to promote your business online through search engines. At the end of the course you receive a certificate of completion.
10. Technical and On-page SEO Course by Semrush
Cost: free
Length: 1 hour
If you are after more technical SEO certification courses, look at the on-page SEO course by Semrush. It teaches you what you need to know to improve your website's technical SEO.
Here is what the course includes:
- Introduction to SEO
- How to optimise content (SEO, E-E-A-T, how to generate content ideas)
- Fixing errors (broken links, alt text problems, duplicate content)
- On-page optimisation
- And more
It is a good option if you want to improve your website's SEO.
11. SEO Training for Beginners by Shopify
Cost: free
Length: 95 minutes
If you want to broaden your SEO knowledge through certification courses, try SEO Training for Beginners by Shopify. The course gives an overview of SEO and teaches you all the basics you need.
On this course you will learn the benefits of SEO, how to do keyword research and off-site and on-site optimisation tactics. Shopify also gives you a 3-step framework to help you use SEO effectively for your business.
Take this course if you want a simple beginner's introduction to learning SEO.
Become an expert in less time
Choosing an SEO course is not easy. You have to decide between a free and a paid course, and then which one suits you given your starting level.
If you are not ready to pick an SEO course yet, that is fine. Our blog covers dozens of SEO topics, and you can get the basics from these guides too:
- On-page SEO guide (keyword research, titles, metadata and more)
- Off-page SEO guide (backlinks, local directories, reviews and more)
Want to assess your SEO performance? Get in touch to request an SEO audit of your website.
