If you want to learn SEO, free SEO courses can teach you the exact skills you need.
And yes—the best free courses are just as valuable as paid ones. In fact, many are created by industry experts and leading companies.
Whether you're a site owner, content creator, or marketing professional, this guide will show you nine free SEO courses that deliver practical, up-to-date knowledge you can use right away.
1. Semrush SEO Crash Course with Brian Dean
Link: Semrush SEO Crash Course with Brian Dean
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 50 minutes (seven video lessons)
Instructor: Brian Dean
Who it's for: SEO beginners and site owners who want a clear, step-by-step process for ranking on Google
This foundational SEO course teaches complete beginners the exact steps they need to follow to rank higher in Google using an SEO system that gets results.
In this course, Brian Dean, Founder of Backlinko and recognized SEO expert featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, and Entrepreneur, breaks down complex SEO concepts into simple, actionable steps.
What you'll learn:
- The basics of how search engines work
- A proven system for finding untapped keywords
- A step-by-step content creation process
- Practical link building techniques you can use today
- An effective approach to tracking your SEO results like a pro
Why we love it: The course delivers advanced SEO concepts in bite-sized, beginner-friendly chunks. Each lesson provides specific action items you can implement right away. Plus, Dean’s teaching style makes complex SEO topics feel surprisingly simple.
2. HubSpot SEO Certification Course
Link: HubSpot SEO Certification Course
Course provider: HubSpot Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 3 hours and 50 minutes (eight lessons, 26 videos)
Instructors: Matthew Howells-Barby and Rachel Sheldon
Who it's for: Small business owners who want more website visitors, SEO professionals looking to level up their skills, and content creators who want their work to rank higher in search results
This comprehensive SEO course teaches you how to create and execute a complete SEO strategy from scratch.
Matthew Howells-Barby, HubSpot’s Director of Acquisition, and Rachel Sheldon, a HubSpot Academy Professor, will teach you everything from SEO basics to advanced techniques that drive real organic traffic.
What you'll learn:
- How search engines work
- How to conduct a step-by-step website audit
- How to do keyword research that actually works
- How to implement technical SEO fundamentals
- How to gather SEO performance data
Why we love it: The course combines deep SEO knowledge with practical examples from HubSpot's own success. Each lesson includes specific actions you can take immediately. Plus, you'll get access to real-world case studies showing exactly how these activities work.
3. Google SEO Fundamentals by UC Davis
Link: Google SEO Fundamentals
Course provider: University of California, Davis (via Coursera)
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 29 hours (four modules over three weeks)
Instructor: Rebekah May
Who it's for: Beginners who want a deep, academic understanding of SEO fundamentals and professionals seeking to build credible SEO expertise
This university-backed SEO course teaches you how Google ranks websites. And guides you in mastering both basic and advanced SEO concepts through hands-on projects.
Organic Growth Marketer Rebekah May leads this comprehensive curriculum that covers on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.
What you'll learn:
- How to master keyword research fundamentals
- How to conduct a complete SEO competitive analysis
- How to create effective sitemaps and robots.txt files
- How to execute a technical SEO audit
- How to measure brand recognition through social signals
Why we love it: This course combines academic theory with real-word application. Each module includes hands-on projects that let you apply concepts immediately. Plus, you'll get a university-backed certificate that can give credibility to your SEO expertise.
4. Semrush Keyword Research Course with Greg Gifford
Link: Keyword Research Course with Greg Gifford
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 47 minutes (eight video lessons)
Instructor: Greg Gifford
Who it's for: Complete beginners and intermediate SEOs who want to master the fundamentals of keyword research
This course teaches you the step-by-step process SEO professionals use to identify the best ranking opportunities. So you can find profitable keywords that drive targeted traffic to your website.
What you'll learn:
- How to find valuable keywords
- How to analyze search intent effectively
- How to find competitor keywords
- How to uncover keywords labeled "not provided" in Google Analytics
- How to turn keyword research into optimized content
Why we love it: Gifford provides a clear, actionable framework for keyword research. Each lesson builds on the previous one, giving you a complete system you can use immediately.
5. The SEO Roadmap
Link: The SEO Roadmap
Course provider: LearningSEO.io
Certificate: No
Course length: Self-paced (10 comprehensive sections)
Creator: Aleyda Solis
Who it's for: Anyone who wants a structured path to learn SEO, from complete beginners to advanced practitioners looking to fill knowledge gaps
This carefully curated SEO learning path, developed by world-renowned SEO consultant Aleyda Solis, shows you exactly how to master SEO from the ground up.
What you'll learn:
- Step-by-step SEO fundamentals
- Proven SEO processes and workflows
- Platform-specific SEO (WordPress, Shopify, etc.)
- Advanced technical SEO tactics
- SEO automation and tools
Why we love it: Unlike traditional courses, this resource provides a clear learning path with hand-picked, up-to-date content from trusted SEO experts. Each topic links to the best free resources available, letting you learn at your own pace and focus on what matters most to you.
6. Content-Led SEO with Brian Dean
Link: Content-Led SEO with Brian Dean
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: Five hours (27 video lessons)
Instructor: Brian Dean
Who it's for: Content creators and SEO professionals who want to create content that ranks on Google's first page
This advanced SEO course teaches you how to create content that ranks highly in search results and attracts backlinks. You'll learn the exact techniques Brian Dean used to get 5M+ monthly readers to his blog.
What you'll learn:
- Content frameworks that attract backlinks
- Advanced search intent optimization methods
- Strategies for identifying "Linkreators" who share content
- Copywriting strategies that drive conversions
- Systems for scaling content production
Why we love it: Dean provides specific, tested frameworks you can use immediately. Each lesson includes real examples and step-by-step processes. Plus, you'll learn how to scale these tactics once you've mastered them.
7. International SEO with Aleyda Solis
Link: International SEO
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 1 hour 10 minutes (16 video lessons)
Instructor: Aleyda Solis
Who it's for: SEO beginners entering global markets and experienced professionals looking to enhance their international targeting strategies
This step-by-step course shows you how to expand your website's reach into global markets by teaching you techniques for targeting international audiences and boosting your global search visibility.
What you'll learn:
- How to identify profitable international markets
- How to set up a website structure for global targeting
- How to implement content localization strategies
- How to measure international SEO success
- How to avoid common international SEO mistakes
Why we love it: Solis provides a practical framework based on real client cases. Each lesson includes specific examples and walkthroughs using actual tools. Plus, you get a course worksheet to guide you in implementing everything you learn.
8. Local SEO Course with Greg Gifford
Link: Local SEO Course with Greg Gifford
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: 78 minutes (10 video lessons)
Instructor: Greg Gifford
Who it's for: Business owners with physical locations and SEO professionals who want to boost local search visibility
This focused course shows you how to help your local business rank in Google's local search results. You'll learn the local SEO techniques Gifford has developed over 17 years of helping businesses increase their local visibility.
What you'll learn:
- Core local ranking factors Google cares about
- Step-by-step Google Business Profile optimization
- Local content creation tips
- Citation building techniques
- Customer review acquisition methods
Why we love it: Gifford breaks down local SEO concepts into simple steps. Each lesson focuses on practical applications rather than theory. And the course gives you a complete system for improving your local search visibility, from initial optimization to ongoing maintenance.
9. Technical SEO Course with Bastian Grimm
Link: Technical SEO Course with Basian Grimm
Course provider: Semrush Academy
Certificate: Yes
Course length: Three hours (34 video lessons)
Instructor: Bastian Grimm
Who it's for: SEO professionals who need to understand technical concepts, agency teams handling technical SEO projects, and site owners who want to improve technical performance
This comprehensive course teaches you the exact technical SEO skills you need to optimize your website’s performance. And it’s perfect for both beginners and experienced SEOs who want to master technical optimization.
What you'll learn:
- Crawl budget optimization techniques
- Mobile-first indexing implementation
- Log file analysis methods
- Web performance optimization
- JavaScript SEO fundamentals
Why we love it: Grimm delivers deep technical insights in clear, understandable terms. Each lesson builds your technical expertise, from basic concepts to advanced implementations. The course includes real-world examples that show you how to apply these techniques to your site.
Put Your SEO Skills into Practice
Learning SEO through courses is great.
But implementing these tactics is how you'll really learn how to do SEO. And get real results.
Start applying these concepts right away with a Semrush free trial and take actions like:
- Performing keyword research
- Analyzing competitors
- Tracking keyword rankings
- Creating optimized, user-friendly content
- Finding technical SEO issues holding your site back
The best part?
You can access every Semrush Academy course while testing the full Semrush platform.
