Best SEO Certifications: 2023 List
The Internet plays a massive role in connecting organizations and other businesses with their target audiences. Search engine optimization, simply known as SEO, has played an essential role in connecting these parties through digital marketing.
SEO practices have steadily been growing over the past few decades. SEO specialists are employed based on their research, practices, and implementation strategies. To increase your chances of landing a lucrative job, you must consider SEO certifications. Read on to find out more about the best SEO certification courses and their benefits.
Why Are SEO Certifications Important?
SEO certifications are important because they can help you pursue a career in digital marketing. If you are just starting, an SEO certification could make a difference. These certifications are designed to equip you with specific skills taught by an industry expert.
However, if you already have experience, you might not need an SEO certification. Consider such programs as credentials to add to your exciting skills to increase your marketability. It is easy to learn SEO and become an SEO expert in only a few weeks.
Professional Certification
vs Certificate Program
A certificate program refers to a document issued by an institution to a student to recognize the conclusion of an academic program. In contrast, a professional certification is awarded to qualified professionals who have demonstrated specialized knowledge skills or experience through an exam.
| Professional Certification | Certificate Program |
|---|---|
| A degree program or a gateway to one | Does not have any academic relationship to attaining higher education |
| Awarded after the end of an educational process | Awarded after an assessment of specific skills or experiences |
| For aspiring professionals and newcomers | Usually requires industry experience from professionals |
| Often designed through a series of academic processes | Developed and maintained by professional bodies and organizations |
What’s Demand for SEO Skills Like in 2023?
The demand for SEO skills is projected to grow. For instance, jobs in marketing and advertising are expected to increase by six percent over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is two percent higher than the average growth rate, which the BLS reports as four percent.
SEO specialists work in many fields such as advertising, digital marketing, and web development. In all these fields, the number of SEO specialists has been growing. Additionally, with COVID-19 influencing online activity, the demand for SEO specialists is set to increase over the next few years.
The Best SEO Certifications
Many SEO certifications offer valuable skills that could help you launch your career in SEO. Some are free, and others can cost upwards of $100. Below are the best search engine optimization (SEO) certifications that you should consider.
Cost: Free
Validity: One Year
This beginner certification course is ideal for professionals looking to demonstrate their abilities to measure and optimize digital ad performance. Certified professionals can analyze key metrics to derive actionable insights to improve and performance using Google’s search engine.
Search engine optimization is nothing without the analysis behind it. With the knowledge from this certification, you will be able to create marketing plans and use previous data to analyze results.
Cost: Free
Validity: One Year
Google is the most used search engine in the world. Demonstrating proficiency in building and optimizing Google search campaigns is ideal for aspiring SEO professionals. As well, Google’s certifications go a long way in improving your marketability.
By earning this certification, Google recognizes your ability to derive a search optimization strategy that increases leads, conversions, sales, and web traffic. It also recognizes your ability to reach target audiences using Google search optimization strategies.
Cost: Free
Validity: One Year
Search optimization is not limited to browsers and written content only. In fact, YouTube is the second most used search platform after Google. As a result, optimizing content to rank high on search engines that utilize video content is also essential.
Google issues this certification to recognize professionals capable of deriving effective strategies that deliver more relevant ads to targeted audiences at every stage of their journey. You will be able to use YouTube to increase traffic to a business as well as build brand identity.
Cost: Free
Validity: One Year
Several certifications do more than just optimize content for ranking highly. This certification program from Microsoft is proof that holders can optimize ad campaigns to reach target audiences effectively. This certification is a great choice if you want to become an SEO manager.
With this certification, you’ll be able to grow a business through search optimization, ad campaigns, and ad management. Other benefits that holders of this certification enjoy involve resume building assistance and recognition as a Microsoft Advertising expert with an official member badge.
Cost: $225
Validity: Two years
This certification program is standardized, authored, and maintained by volunteers. They include respected authors, select committees, educators, and other agencies worldwide. Holders of this certification earn about sixteen percent to twenty six percent more than non-certified employees, according to the OMCP website.
Holders of this certification have demonstrated proficiency in digital analytics, social media marketing, paid search advertising, search engine optimization, content marketing, mobile marketing, keyword research, programmatic buying, and marketing automation.
How to Choose the Right Certification
There are tons of certification courses offered online and in person. As a result, selecting one might prove to be challenging for you. Below are some tips that should help you choose the proper certification.
Evaluate Your Career Ambitions
Choosing the right certification program first starts with your career ambitions. What do you hope to achieve, and what career do you want to pursue? Many professionals seeking to advance their careers often get certified to expand their job opportunities with potentially better salaries.
Consider In-Demand Programs
There’s no point in enrolling in courses that are not in demand because you will not see better job prospects after earning them. For such reasons, it would be best only to consider those certification courses which equip professionals with the skills that most employers want.
Look for Professional Certifications
There are many certification programs online. However, you should only consider those approved by professional bodies because such programs are credible and marketable to employers. You should research the best certifications for your preferred field and position.
Resources to Prepare for
Your Certification Exam
SEO exams can be challenging, especially for first-time takers. However, the right resources could make a difference as they cover important areas which are often tested in the certification examinations. Below are SEO courses and books that will help you get ready for your certification exams.
Type of Resource: Online Course
Cost: Coursera Membership fees
Content marketing and social media affect SEO strategies used to drive search results to a website. By the end of this marketing course, you should be able to use better content management strategies to drive SEO ranking high. Coursera is one of the best online course providers to learn SEO and other skills.
Type of Resource: Online Course
Cost: Coursera Membership fees
This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge necessary to increase site traffic using technical, social media, and mobile strategies. It takes about 25 learning hours to complete.
After this course from Coursera, you’ll be able to find and fix SEO or website-related problems, use tools to arrive at insightful data, and develop compelling strategies to launch successful web marketing campaigns.
Type of Resource: Book (Kindle)
Cost: $30.99
As the name suggests, this book will help you master SEO in today’s web market. The book is a popular choice for most aspiring SEO specialists. The book is loaded with industry insights and knowledge from experts who give guidelines and innovative techniques to help you develop comprehensive SEO strategies.
Type of Resource: Online Course
Cost: Coursera Membership fees
A lot of SEO certifications are based on Google’s search engine. For this reason, you should consider this course as it will give you a deeper understanding of search engine algorithms and how they work. This course from Coursera can give you some of the best training to earn Google SEO certifications.
Type of Resource: Online Course
Cost: $94.99
This course covers just about everything that you need to know about SEO. According to Udemy, this course has been ranked by several websites, including Google, as the top technical SEO guide. It is a popular choice for most prospective SEO experts, with over 76,000 enrolled students.
Should I Pursue an SEO
Certification in 2023?
Yes, you should pursue an SEO certification in 2023. Pursuing any kind of certification is of great value for your resume. However, it also depends on your current career status. If you are just starting, you should consider an SEO certification, as it could add a few valuable skills to your portfolio.
You could also check out the top attributes of a digital marketer to help inform your decision. If you are a seasoned SEO specialist, you could probably do without an SEO certification because you might already have the skills from working as an SEO specialist. However, anyone can get one of the top SEO certifications.
