Search Engine Optimization Training and Certification
Make sure search engines, and your audience, can find your site by learning today's most effective SEO best practices from recognized authorities, led by respected speaker and consultant Todd Malicoat.
THIS ONLINE COURSE INCLUDES...
- SEO Fundamentals & Best Practices
- SEO Design & Architecture
- Keyword Research & Competitive Analysis
- SEO Copywriting
- Link-Building
- Local SEO Optimization
- SEO for Mobile Devices
- SEO Project Management
- More about the SEO Curriculum
Learn by the Month - $299/mo |
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Study SEO online with monthly training from bestselling authors and speakers. Continue your training with ongoing studies in our multi-discipline curriculum. ![]() Start Your
SEO Training $299/month |
Faculty-Led Course - $3500 |
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Learn with faculty guidance as instructors review your progress through a structured curriculum. Take on real-world projects, defend your dissertation and receive your certification. ![]() Start Your
SEO Master Certification $3500 Semester |
MORE ABOUT OUR SEO CURRICULUM
From on-page fundamentals to site architecture to link building and more, Market Motive SEO training gives you the tools you'll need to succeed in the challenging and far-reaching world of SEO. Your all-star instructors will guide you through a comprehensive 90-day curriculum that includes these modules and many more:
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SEO FUNDAMENTALS AND BEST PRACTICES
In this comprehensive SEO overview, Todd Malicoat illustrates all the on-page and off-page information you need to build a fully SEO-optimized website. Whether you're just starting out and learning SEO concepts, or you're a seasoned professional looking for a reference guide that covers all the critical checklist items, this is a module you'll return to again and again.
You will learn:
- How to write page titles that the search engines love.
- The importance of a well-organized website architecture hierarchy.
- How Meta Description tags are best utilized in today's search-based web culture.
- How search engines really view your headers, footers, and navigation elements.
- How to write effective page copy with current best practices in mind.
SEO DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE: FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY SEO
Don't start building your website before watching this module. As Todd and Matt explain, good site design and architecture is critical not only for your user's experience, but for your site to rank well. Without good structure, your site will be abandoned by users and ignored by search engines.
You will learn:
- Making your site more accessible and more search friendly.
- Understanding how and where to draw the line between usability and SEO.
- Proper site architecture for large sites, small sites, and blog sites.
- Keyword research and its relationship to site architecture.
- Building an internal architecture that optimizes your chances for ranking well.
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KEYWORD RESEARCH AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Keyword research remains one of the most important aspects of the search engine optimization process. Understanding your ability to rank for each keyword ensures your website gets in front of the right eyeballs. Learn which tools to use, how to use them, and what to look for in the critical research module.
You will learn:
- Building a solid keyword list for your site.
- How and where to blend long tail and short tail terms into your strategy.
- Analyzing your competition and finding out where they are vulnerable.
- Developing a realistic timeline for competitive term ranking.
- How to use the many tools at your disposal.
SEO COPYWRITING
Understanding how search engines see on-page content, title tags and meta descriptions, and how users view your search results is critically important to good rankings, good conversions, and lower bounce rates. Learn from on-page expert Jennifer Laycock as she teaches you how to show the search engines what they want to see in order to rank well for your keywords.
You will learn:
- Optimal keyword sorting strategies to maximize your exposure.
- Writing effective page copy for both search engines and site visitors.
- Writing compelling meta descriptions to bring users to your site from the search results.
- Optimizing your title tags for maximum effectiveness.
- Stragies for building "exact match" phrases without spamming the engines.
LINK-BUILDING STRATEGIES, TECHNIQUES, AND TOOLS
Once your SEO optimization techniques are in place, there's another important part of the SEO puzzle to be mastered --link-building. The
way that search engines see it, the more important the sites are that link to you, the more important your site must be. Therefore, it becomes critically important to understand the delicate art and science of building an effective inbound link strategy.
You will learn:
- The types of links available and which ones to try to get.
- Strategies for requesting links from 3rd party websites.
- The ins and outs of purchasing paid links.
- Engaging the blogging community for links.
- Negotiating for links.
OPTIMIZING FOR LOCAL SEARCH RESULTS
Local search expert David Mihm joins Todd Malicoat for an in-depth discussion about ranking in local search markets. Learn from their experience and ensure your optimization includes a comprehensive list of techniques to get ranked when people are searching for your services near their own home towns.
You will learn:
- The top 10 local search ranking factors.
- Improving the trust your business has with search engines.
- Optimizing the pages that are most important to search engines.
- Strategies for premium listings in the search engines.
- Staying away from PPC when driving traffic to local search results.
OPTIMIZING FOR MOBILE SEARCH RESULTS
Cindy Krum of Rank-Mobile guides you through the mobile maze, explaining how to ensure your site looks good on any phone, how to rank well in mobile-specific search engines, and how to engage your customers with mobile marketing campaigns.
You will learn:
- Optimizing specifically for mobile search results.
- The importance of .mobi domain name.
- Building an effective text message campaign.
- Integrating mobile into your marketing mix.
- Building dynamic and hybrid pages to optimize the mobile user experience.
SEO PROJECT MANAGEMENT
In-house SEO expert Jessica Bowman takes you through the strategies and techniques to get management, marketing, developers, IT, and designers all on board with your SEO project.
You will learn:
- Learning to be an SEO evangelist.
- Cultivating relationships with all marketing, management, and development teams.
- Getting your SEO projects permanently into the development lifecycle.
- Using your QA teams to your advantage.
- Reporting techniques when delivering SEO results to management.
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BONUS TRAINING
Unlimited advanced and cross-topic lessons are available to all students. Study web analytics, social media, PPC advertising, landing page conversion, online PR, and more.
Or, go deeper into advanced SEO topics where Todd and invited specialists reveal some of the deeper secrets of Search Engine Optimization
You may choose to study:
- Google algorithm insights via patent disection with Ted Ulle
- 20 Things to Teach your manager about website improvement with Avinash Kaushik
- 18 top search ranking factors with Rand Fishkin
- How to use Social News for SEO
- All other training training topics and courses
LEARN FROM BESTSELLING AUTHORS AND SPEAKERS
Todd Malicoat
Author of popular SEO blog StuntDubl.com and frequent conference speaker, Todd has an uncanny ability to come up with new angles on the complex realm of SEO, link building, link baiting and search engine marketing. With Todd, you learn the basics, and a whole lot more.
Jessica Bowman
Former SEO for Yahoo, Jessica now freelances for clients that include eBay and Hewlett-Packard. Jessica is considered an expert on in house SEO and writes a blog on the subject at SEMinHouse.com.
Matt Bailey
Matt is a regular speaker for the Search Engine Strategies Conferences, the Direct Marketing Association and the American Advertising Federation. In addition to his training and consulting company, Matt is also the director of the Direct Marketing Association's Search Engine Marketing Certification Program.














