Search engine optimization remains key in 2023. By harnessing the right SEO resources, you can stay on top of trends, and drive organic traffic to your site.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time than ever online. But they are getting tired of paid advertising – and better at skirting around it.
Consequently, SEO is becoming an ever more important element in increasing traffic, boosting conversion rates, and growing your business.
To help you expand your SEO skills, here are the 20 top resources available online.
Are you a beginner looking to get started with SEO? Check out the online courses below to get a great foundation.
Or do you want to follow the latest trends as a seasoned expert? Visit the blogs and sites on this list to get up to speed.
No matter if you’re a novice or a veteran, these resources will help you take your SEO knowledge to the next level.
SEO 101
To get you started as a beginner, here are a few resources to help you get the basics right.
- SEO Definitions in 100 Words or Less – by HubSpot
- The Beginner’s Guide to SEO – by Moz
- The Complete SEO Guide for Beginners – by Mangools
- How to Learn SEO (and Stay Sane) – by Ahrefs
- Essential Guide to SEO: Master the science of SEO – by Search Engine Land
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide – by Google
- The Ultimate SEO Tutorial For 2023 – by Backlinko
- The Important Differences Between SEO and SEM: What You Should know – by Search Engine Guide
- Google penalties and messages explained – by Search Engine Land
Online SEO Courses
Prefer to get your training with focus instead of pulling resources from all over the place? This is where courses come in to level up your skills. Learn at your own pace, and take the time you need.
- Moz Academy courses
- The Ultimate SEO Training 2023 + SEO For WordPress Websites – at Udemy
- Ahrefs Academy SEO training course – by Ahrefs
- SEO Strategy: Keyword Research, Audit & Link Building – at Udemy
- SEO courses at HubSpot Academy
SEO Blogs and News
Learn from the best and keep up with new developments. Here, you’ll find rundowns on new trends, analyses, and strategies that actually work.
- Search Engine Journal
- Digital Marketer Blog
- Search Engine Land
- Search Engine Roundtable – by Barry Schwarz
- Internet Marketing Ninjas
- The SEM Post
- GSQi Blog – by G-Squared Interactive
- The Moz Blog – by Moz
- SEO Theory
- LocalU blog – by Local University
- State Of Digital
- Portent blog
- SEMrush blog
- Go Fish Digital blog
- Yoast blog and news webinar
- Backlinko – by Brian Dean
- BrightEdge SEO Blog
- Neil Patel’s blog
- Searchmetrics Blog – by Conductor
- WebmasterWorld
- Builtvisible blog
- Everything SEO – by QuickSprout
- r/SEO – on Reddit
YouTube Channels, Videos, and Podcasts
Videos and podcasts are a saving grace when you’re done staring at text, or would rather get away from the screen altogether for once.
- Google Search Central – by Google
- Search Engine Hournal Show – podcast hosted by Loren Baker
- Backlinko with Brian Dean – YouTube channel
- Skill Up Season 1 – podcast by HubSpot
- Marketing o’ Clock – podcast by Cypress North agency
- SEO 101 – podcast hosted by Ross Dunn and John Carcutt
- Experts on the Wire – podcast hosted by Dan Shure
- AuthorityHacker – podcast hosted by Gael Breton and Mark Webster
- Webcology – podcast hosted by Jim Hedger and Dave Davies
Keyword Research: Tools and Knowledge Resources
Without knowing what you’re targeting, all SEO efforts are a shot in the dark. These resources and tools will help you find attractive keywords – and show you what your competitors are up to.
- The SEO Keyword Research Master Guide – by Moz
- How to Do Keyword Research for SEO – by Ahrefs
- How to Use Google Trends for Keyword Research – by SEMrush
- What Are Long-tail Keywords? How to Find and Use Them – by Ahrefs
- SEO Book Keyword Tool
- KeywordTool.io
- Google Keyword Planner
- How to Use Google Keyword Planner (Actionable Guide) – by Ahrefs
- AnswerThePublic
- BuzzSumo
- Ubersuggest – by Neal Patel
- Google Trends
- KWFinder – by Mangools
- Search Term SEO Value Calculator – by Fatjoe
Content Resources and Research Tools
Content is the lifeblood of inbound marketing. Here are some tools to help you figure out what kind of content to publish and how to write it for maximum effect.
- Content Marketing: A Modern Guide – by Copyblogger
- E-A-T & SEO: What content does Google want to see? – by State of Digital
- Content Marketing in 2023: The Definitive Guide – by Backlinko
- What is cornerstone content? – by Yoast
- Study: The Readability of Your Website is Affecting Your Conversion Rates – by Portent
- Content Creation With an SEO Optimized Outline – Go Fish Digital
- SEO copywriting: The ultimate guide – by Yoast
- How to Do a SEO Content Audit – by Search Engine Journal
- An SEO’s guide to duplicate content – by Builtvisible
- Google Content Strategy guides – by Google
- Blog Post Title Generator – by Fatjoe
- SEO Copywriting – by SEObility
On-Page SEO and Technical SEO Tools
SEO isn’t just about link-building. Tthere’s plenty you can do on your own site to rank higher in the SERPs.
- On-Page SEO: An In-Depth Guide (2020) – by SEMrush
- SEO Mythbusting – Videos by Google Search Central
- JavaScript and SEO: The Difference Between Crawling and Indexing – by State of Digital
- Google Search Console under the hood – by Google Search Central
- Google Webmaster Guidelines – by Google
- Is Google AMP Worth It? Three Real-World Case Studies – by State of Digital
- A Web Dev’s Checklist for Maintaining Page Speed – by Portent
- Core Web Vitals: The Next Official Google Ranking Factor – by Moz
- How UX can improve your SEO – by Edit
- 11 Low-Hanging Fruits for Increasing Website Speed (and Conversions) – by CLX
- SEO A/B Testing Whitepaper – by Distilled and Searchpilot
- The ultimate guide to robots.txt – by Yoast
- Understanding XML Sitemaps – by BrightEdge
- Mobile SEO: The ultimate guide – by Yoast
- A 16-Step SEO Audit Process To Boost Your Google Rankings – by Ahrefs
- SEO for a new website: The very first things to do – by Yoast
- 27 Free Ways To Improve SEO (Onsite And Offsite) – by ThinkingNotes
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- WebPageTest.org
- Google Search Console – by Google
- Link Explorer – by Moz
- Broken Link Checker
- Site Explorer – by Majestic
- Spider View Simulator – by WebToolHub
- Anchor Text Over-Optimization Checker – by Remove’em
- Website Grader – by HubSpot
- Website Speed Test – by Pingdom
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- FATREL NoFollow Link Highlighter – by Fatjoe
- Browseo
- GTmetrix
- Lighthouse
- Find Broken Links, Redirects & Site Crawl Tool – by Ninja Internet Marketing
- XML Sitemap Generator
- SimilarWeb
- Seobility SEO Checker
- Nibbler Website Tester – by Silktide
SEO Tool Tips
There are a few tools either so important you can’t get around them or that can’t be neatly categorized. This is where we’ve collected them.
- The Best SEO Tools the Pros Really Use – by QuickSprout
- Advanced Google Chrome Bookmarklets for SEOs: A Detailed Guide – by Detailed
- SEMrush
- Moz
- Ahrefs
- Serpstat
Link Building
Links aren’t dead. They’re still a core part of any good SEO strategy. Here are a few straightforward guides on how to get link building right.
- Guest Blogging for SEO: How to Build High-quality Links at Scale – by Ahrefs
- Actionable Link Building Strategies (with Examples and Scripts) – by Robbie Richards
- The Noob Friendly Guide To Link Building – by Ahrefs
WordPress SEO Resources
If you have a website, there’s a fair chance it runs on WordPress. These are the best WordPress-centric SEO resources.
- WordPress SEO: the definitive guide – by Yoast
- Ultimate WordPress SEO Guide for Beginners (Step by Step) – by WPBeginner
- 18 Best SEO Plugins and Tools for WordPress (As Voted By The Experts) – by Robbie Richards
- The Ultimate Mega Guide to Speeding Up WordPress – by WPmudev
E-Commerce
If you’re in the business of selling products or subscriptions, SEO can help your shop get found. Here are the best SEO resources for e-commerce.
- Ecommerce SEO: A Simple (But Complete) Guide – by Ahrefs
- Ecommerce quick wins you can implement today to boost your SEO performance – by BuiltVisible
- Shopify SEO – How to Optimize Your Shopify Store – by Style Factory
- BigCommerce SEO – 10 Essential Tips – by Style Factory
Local SEO Resources
Even though our culture steadily moves online, people still prefer local goods and services. Search engines reflect this in their rankings. Here’s all you need to know about local SEO.
- A Beginner’s Guide to Ranking in Google Maps – by Moz
- Google My Business: A Guide to Google Business Profile – by SEMrush
- Local SEO Checklist – 10 Key Tips on How to Rank Locally – by Style Factory
- Local SEO Success: How to Feed, Fight, and Flip Google, and part 2 – by Moz
- Selecting Your Primary Category on Google My Business – Proceed With Care – by Local University
- 4 Google My Business Fields That Impact Ranking (and 3 That Don’t) – by Moz
- How Do I Change my Google My Business Logo? – by Local University
- Local Listing Score tool – by Moz
- How to check Google search results for different locations – by Seach Engine Land
- How to Improve Local SEO and Grow Your Digital Visibility – by ThinkingNotes
Video and Podcast SEO
Finally, video and podcast content are booming. To get viewers and listeners, though, you need to adapt your SEO strategies.
- Video SEO: The Definitive Guide – by Backlinko
- The rise of the podcast and how to get yours ranking – by Builtvisible
