SEO certifications are a great way to strengthen your SEO skills and prove your knowledge to potential employers. However, since they are not regulated by anybody or any agency, finding a good one can be unnecessarily difficult.

To help you make the best decision, we have compiled a list of the best currently available SEO certification courses. These certifications originate from some of the best-established and trusted SEO brands, and are therefore guaranteed to help you become an SEO expert in no time.

1. Yoast All-Around SEO Training

Image of a Yoast web page

Yoast is the number one SEO plugin for WordPress websites and is widely used by big-name companies such as Facebook, eBay, and The Guardian. More than 300,000 people attest to the effectiveness of its SEO academy, and the Yoast All-around SEO training is one of its best offerings.

The training costs $99/year and packs a lot into three hours of instructional videos. It is geared towards bloggers, copywriters, and marketers, and touches on most aspects of SEO. That includes technical, on-page, and off-page SEO. You'll learn how to do keyword research, target high-value keywords that drive traffic, and write content that converts.

Although short, the course goes beyond regular SEO curriculums, touching on obscure topics like UX, accessibility, and conversion rate optimization. There are PDF materials if you want more information, and you can test your knowledge with quizzes.

2. Moz SEO Essentials

Moz SEO certificate

Moz is one of the oldest players in the SEO industry, and its SEO Essentials certification series is well respected. The 6-part course costs $595 and consists of six hours of on-demand, instructor-led content in five key topic areas. They include fundamental SEO concepts, keyword research, page optimization, link building, and SEO reporting.

Although expensive, the theories, frameworks, and optimizations this course focuses on are universal, so you can apply them across different toolsets. You also get one-year access to course materials, and you will learn how to apply foundational SEO skills to develop a competitive SEO strategy.

3. SEO Fundamentals With Greg Gifford (via Semrush)

Image showing Semrush SEO certification webpage

Semrush’s SEO Fundamentals course is anchored by industry expert Greg Gifford—an SEO consultant with over 17 years of experience. The course is tailored for beginners looking to learn the basics of SEO, as well as experts who want to brush up on specific topics.

This free course consists of 31 video lessons spanning 4 hours, as well as carefully curated reading materials to help you dive deeper into each topic. Throughout the course, you'll learn all the essentials of SEO, starting with the basics, and moving on to technical SEO.

One con is that the course makes heavy use of Semrush tools which everyone may not have access to, but since the basic principles are the same, you can achieve similar results with other free SEO tools. Upon completing the course, you can take the SEO Fundamentals Exam and earn your certificate.

4. Google SEO Fundamentals by UCDavis (via Coursera)

UC Davis SEO certificate webpage

This 29-hour course, offered free of charge by the University of California, UC Davis through Coursera, teaches on how search engine algorithms affect organic search results. It touches on all the key elements for creating an effective SEO strategy, including keyword theory and research, on-page, off-page, and technical SEO.

At the end of the course, you'll be able to do competitive analysis, interpret brand recognition from social media, and create sitemaps and robot.txt files. Additionally, you will be able to manage site errors, use SEO tools to analyze your audience, and create buyer personas.

5. ClickMinded SEO Certification

A ClickMinded SEO certificate

ClickMinded is one of the best websites for learning SEO and boasts a collection of world-class digital marketing courses. Its SEO training course, led by long-time SEO professional, Tommy Griffith, is perfect for SEO job seekers, and will teach you how to grow your traffic explosively in very little time.

The SEO training covers a lot of ground, starting with what SEO is and how to apply the fundamental rules of SEO to any search engine. You'll also learn about the importance of a data-driven strategy, i.e., keyword research, and how it should influence your content. The course costs $997 and includes lifetime access to the course materials.

You will need to take and pass an exam to earn the ClickMinded SEO certificate. Once you do, you can seamlessly integrate it with LinkedIn and display your achievements to potential employers.

6. Udemy SEO 2022: Complete SEO Training

Udemy SEO certification webpage

Udemy is a renowned online learning platform with several amazing courses on almost every topic. When it comes to SEO, the SEO 2022: Complete SEO Training is one of its best offerings. The course, created by Arun Nagarathanam, is perfect for busy entrepreneurs. It costs $57 to enroll, and has a 4.3 rating from 15,571 ratings as at the time of writing.

The lectures in this course run for a total of 16.5 hours, and are spread out across 152 videos. Each is only a few minutes long, allowing you to learn at a measured pace. In addition to the introductory curriculum, the course also touches on complex SEO areas such as page speed, sitemaps, Google Search Console, and negative SEO.

7. Hubspot Academy SEO Certification Course

Hubspot Academy webpage

Hubspot designed this SEO certification course free for marketers, content creators, and anyone looking to improve their SEO skills. It comprises six lessons and covers the fundamentals of SEO, including on-page and technical SEO, keyword research, link-building, and SEO reporting.

Each lesson is divided into bite-sized videos, 26 in all, making it easy for you to stop and evaluate what you've learned. At the end of each lesson is a quiz to test your knowledge, and you can receive your certificate immediately after you complete the exam.

8. Simplilearn Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Certification Course

Image showing Simplilearn SEO certificate

Simplilearn’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Certification Course is one of the most credible SEO certifications available and will teach you to become a full-stack SEO specialist in no time. It costs $320 or $470, depending on which training option you choose, and is completely risk-free thanks to its 100 percent money-back guarantee.

Through a mixture of live classes and recorded videos, this SEO certification course covers key skills like data analytics, content marketing, website management and optimization, and URL management. You'll also explore real-life industry-based projects, practice your skills, and learn to use popular tools like Majestic, Moz, Semrush, and Spyfu.

Is an SEO Certificate Worth It?

Yes, getting an SEO certificate is worth it. You don't need the certificate to become an SEO specialist, but having one can help prove to future employers that you understand what SEO is all about.

Once you've earned your certificate, the next step is building experience using your learned skills. A great place to start is by making a Wordpress website and practicing boosting its SEO rankings.