{"id":15194,"date":"2022-08-22T13:23:34","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T13:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/best-seo-certifications\/458742\/"},"modified":"2022-08-22T13:23:34","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T13:23:34","slug":"7-best-seo-certifications-are-they-worth-it-via-sejournal-bennyjammins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/?p=15194","title":{"rendered":"7 Best SEO Certifications: Are They Worth It? via @sejournal, @BennyJamminS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I\u2019ll give you one guess about the answer to the titular question: Is getting an SEO certification worth it?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s every SEO pro\u2019s favorite response.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right: It depends! (If it didn\u2019t, this would be a much shorter article.)<\/p>\n

SEO certifications can be valuable if you\u2019re new to the industry or expanding your skillset into different disciplines.<\/p>\n

But do you need a specific certification to be successful? Probably not.<\/p>\n

Certifications and courses are great for building your base skills and familiarity with industry tools. But SEO evolves<\/a> so quickly that experience and testing are often the best teachers.<\/p>\n

Experienced SEO pros who can prove results don\u2019t need certifications for work they already do.<\/p>\n

But you still might find something helpful in the right training. Everyone needs to upskill.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s examine which certifications could be the most valuable for your time or money.<\/p>\n

Is There An SEO Certification?<\/h2>\n

There isn\u2019t one single widely-recognized SEO certification. There\u2019s no SEO degree or common curriculum \u2013 which might sound discouraging if you\u2019re trying to learn how to get started in SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it makes sense.<\/p>\n

SEO is a huge discipline that requires many skills and includes many people.<\/p>\n

Developers, designers, writers, marketers, data analysts, influencers, salespeople, managers, and other professionals all have something to add to the SEO industry.<\/p>\n

There are tons of ways to contribute and plenty of entry points.<\/p>\n

However, the academic community seems to be taking more notice lately. Certifications offered by colleges have started popping up.<\/p>\n

Should You Pay For An SEO Certification?<\/h3>\n

Many businesses offer their own courses and certifications. But, these can be pricy.<\/p>\n

The short answer is: Pay for what you learn, not for the certificate.<\/p>\n

With the number of free resources out there, from SEO beginner guides<\/a> to advanced SEO strategy guides<\/a>, I don\u2019t advise paying a lot of money for basic certification.<\/p>\n

The certificate itself probably isn\u2019t what\u2019s going to move the needle for you.<\/p>\n

This industry cares about what you can prove \u2013 and for the most part, all a certificate proves is that you can Google the answers to multiple-choice questions.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the courses themselves can be extremely valuable when they go beyond the basics. If there\u2019s a course you want to take, and you think you\u2019ll gain helpful skills from it, then it\u2019s absolutely worth paying for.<\/p>\n

So evaluate a certification or course based on what actual educational value you get from it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also noticed that many paid certifications are companions to a specific premium SEO tool. So, they\u2019re likely worth it if you\u2019re committing to that tool.<\/p>\n

My advice is to check out the free content first. If you like what it does and feel like you\u2019d get actual business value out of the course or certification, then go right ahead!<\/p>\n

Is A Google SEO Certification Worth It?<\/h2>\n

Learning new skills and tools can propel your career and help you command greater compensation. Plus, a series of specialized certifications can build an impressive LinkedIn profile and CV.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re new to the industry, certifications can help you prove your knowledge to attract your first clients or jobs.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, if you\u2019re hoping for official certification from Google, it doesn\u2019t offer anything directly that fits that description.<\/p>\n

However, it does offer certifications in all of its tools. It also provides a variety of digital marketing, career development, and data courses \u2013 though not all of these come with certificates.<\/p>\n

If you browse the Digital Garage, you\u2019ll also find courses from providers outside of Google, such as Coursera and educational institutions.<\/p>\n

The Google resources are helpful in their granularity.<\/p>\n

You should be able to tell which are relevant and useful to you quickly. Not all will be, but you should at least consider taking tool-specific courses.<\/p>\n

The courses are categorized by time, skill level, and whether you\u2019ll get a digital certificate at the end.<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, they\u2019re all free \u2013 so there\u2019s really no reason not to check out something you\u2019re interested in.<\/p>\n

A Google account with a healthy selection of completed certificates can be helpful if you lack real-world experience with the tools.<\/p>\n

Plus, Google partner organizations often require Google certifications.<\/p>\n

7 Best SEO Certifications<\/h2>\n

This list includes some of the most highly-regarded certifications that provide a lot of value in the learning process. I\u2019ve focused on free certifications first, but we\u2019ll talk about paid courses that might be worth it later on.<\/p>\n

1. Google\u2019s Fundamentals Of Digital Marketing Certification<\/h3>\n

This one\u2019s not technically an SEO certification but features SEO modules, including modules about search ads and local search.<\/p>\n