{"id":140347,"date":"2022-04-05T22:11:06","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T03:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=140347"},"modified":"2024-10-04T11:38:31","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T16:38:31","slug":"learn-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Learning SEO can seem overwhelming. It\u2019s a complex topic, and the industry is rife with misinformation. But with a bit of time, effort, and the right roadmap, it\u2019s something that anyone can&nbsp;learn.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the roadmap we\u2019ll cover in this&nbsp;guide:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140598\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo.png\" alt=\"Learn SEO flowchart\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo-306x425.png 306w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo-768x1065.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo-1107x1536.png 1107w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-learn-seo-1476x2048.png 1476w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s get to&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#1-learn-seo-fundamentals\">Learn SEO fundamentals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2-put-your-knowledge-into-practice\">Put your knowledge into practice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3-deepen-your-seo-knowledge\">Deepen your SEO knowledge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4-keep-your-finger-on-the-pulse\">Keep your finger on the&nbsp;pulse&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5-teach-others-what-you-know\">Teach others what you&nbsp;know<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"1. Learn SEO fundamentals\" data-section=\"1-learn-seo-fundamentals\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Learn SEO fundamentals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re not already familiar with the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/seo-basics\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-basics\/\">basics of SEO<\/a>, this is where you should start. You need to understand how search engines work and the four main facets of SEO. Let\u2019s go through these real&nbsp;quick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How search engines work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Search engines work by finding content and storing it in a big database known as an index. Think of this as a library, but one that stores web pages instead of books. When you run a search, the search engine finds and returns matching results from the index. Finally, complex processes known as search algorithms rank the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, when you search for something on Google, you\u2019re not searching the entire web. You\u2019re only searching the pages in Google\u2019s index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This matters for one simple reason:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you\u2019re not in Google\u2019s index, you can\u2019t rank in their search results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google builds its index from two main sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sitemaps \u2013 <\/strong>A sitemap is a file listing all the important pages on your website that you want search engines to index. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-sitemap\/\">submit your sitemap to Google<\/a> to tell it that your pages&nbsp;exist.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Links from known webpages <\/strong>\u2013 Google already has billions of pages in its index. If you get a link from one of those pages, Google can \u201cfollow\u201d the link to discover your&nbsp;page.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Known web pages aren\u2019t always on other websites. Google can discover new pages on your site by \u201cfollowing\u201d links from known pages on your&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n<p>For example, let\u2019s say Google already has your blog homepage in its index. If you add an internal link to a new blog post from there, Google can \u201cfollow\u201d that link to find the&nbsp;post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/how-do-search-engines-work\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-do-search-engines-work\/\">How Do Search Engines Work and Why Should You&nbsp;Care?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keyword research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Keyword research is the process of finding what your customers are searching for. It\u2019s important because you won\u2019t get discovered if people aren\u2019t searching for the keywords you target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, Google doesn\u2019t exactly make this information accessible. So the best way to find keywords is with a keyword research tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>. To use it, enter one or a few broad topics related to your industry, hit search, then go to one of the keyword ideas reports. You\u2019ll see the keywords\u2019 monthly search volumes and a few other SEO metrics.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140599\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2-keyword-research.png\" alt=\"Matching terms report results\" width=\"1508\" height=\"996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2-keyword-research.png 1508w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2-keyword-research-643x425.png 643w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2-keyword-research-768x507.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1508px) 100vw, 1508px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>, we also show the \u201cTraffic Potential\u201d metric for each keyword. This estimates how much traffic the current top-ranking page for the keyword gets. And this is usually a good indicator of how much traffic you can get by ranking #1.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140600\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-traffic-potential.png\" alt=\"Keyword Explorer overview\" width=\"1648\" height=\"938\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-traffic-potential.png 1648w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-traffic-potential-680x387.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-traffic-potential-768x437.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-traffic-potential-1536x874.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>You can also look at search volume, but \u201cTraffic potential\u201d tends to be more accurate. This is because pages usually rank for more than one keyword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/keyword-research\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-research\/\">How to Do Keyword Research for&nbsp;SEO<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On-page SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On-page SEO is where you optimize the content on your page to rank higher on search engines. It revolves heavily around understanding what searchers want and giving it to them\u2014a process known as optimizing for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">search intent<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if we look at the top results for the keyword \u201cbest protein powder,\u201d we see that they\u2019re all blog posts comparing top&nbsp;picks:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140601\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/4-search-intent.jpg\" alt=\"Google SERP of &quot;best protein powder&quot; \" width=\"1416\" height=\"982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/4-search-intent.jpg 1416w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/4-search-intent-613x425.jpg 613w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/4-search-intent-768x533.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1416px) 100vw, 1416px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This tells us that although searchers are in the market for a protein powder, they\u2019re still weighing up their options and aren\u2019t quite ready to buy. As a result, it would be tough to rank an e-commerce product page for this query. That\u2019s not what searchers want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/on-page-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\">On-Page SEO: Complete Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Link building<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from other websites to your site. It\u2019s important because <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/now-know-googles-top-three-search-ranking-factors-245882\">backlinks are one of Google\u2019s top three ranking factors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is probably why there\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-traffic-study\/\">a clear correlation<\/a> between linking websites and organic traffic:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140602\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/5-referring-domains-vs-search-traffic.png\" alt=\"Line graph showing clear correlation between referring domains and search traffic\" width=\"900\" height=\"942\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/5-referring-domains-vs-search-traffic.png 900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/5-referring-domains-vs-search-traffic-406x425.png 406w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/5-referring-domains-vs-search-traffic-768x804.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Not all links are created equal, however. Links from relevant and high-quality websites usually move the needle more than links from irrelevant and low-quality websites. In other words, if your site is about Bitcoin, a link from a website about cryptocurrencies will likely positively impact rankings more than one from a website about travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/high-quality-backlinks\/\">Building high-quality links to your website<\/a> is arguably one of the most challenging aspects of SEO and one of the most in-demand <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-skills\/\">SEO skills<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/link-building\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building\/\">The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Link Building<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical SEO ensures that search engines like Google can find, crawl, and index your content. Unless they can do all three of these things, it\u2019s unlikely that your pages will show up in the search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at these three things in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Find <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;Google first needs to know that your page exists and where to find&nbsp;it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Crawl <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;Google now needs permission to crawl the page. That\u2019s where a computer program downloads the page\u2019s content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Index <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 <\/span><\/strong>Google now needs permission to add your page to its&nbsp;index.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>You can solve the first part of the process by ensuring that your page has links from other known pages on your website and is in a sitemap that you\u2019ve submitted to Google.<\/p>\n<p>As for crawling and indexing, you need to ensure that you\u2019re not blocking Google from doing either of these things. This is done using a file called <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/robots-txt\/\">robots.txt<\/a> (crawling) and a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-meta-tags\/\">meta tag<\/a> called <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-robots\/\">meta robots<\/a> (indexing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/technical-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-seo\/\">The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Technical SEO<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"2. Put your knowledge into practice\" data-section=\"2-put-your-knowledge-into-practice\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Put your knowledge into practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s an apt&nbsp;quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n<p>Knowing SEO theory is one thing; applying that knowledge to rank a website is another thing entirely. You\u2019ll learn more about SEO in the trenches than any other&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p><\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Will Critchlow\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/will-critchlow.png\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Will Critchlow,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchpilot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">SearchPilot<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>For example, when I was getting started in SEO, I created a bodybuilding website, as I was interested in the topic at the time. First, I made sure my technical SEO was on point and that Google could find, crawl, and index any content I published. I then did some keyword research to find topics to cover. After that, I began publishing optimized content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the first post I published in August 2012:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-140603 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-first-affiliate-site.jpg\" alt=\"Excerpt of article about best types of protein powder\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-first-affiliate-site.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-first-affiliate-site-680x407.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-first-affiliate-site-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-first-affiliate-site-1536x919.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, I built some&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s one of the links I built with a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/guest-blogging\">guest post<\/a> (it\u2019s still live today\u2026 10 years&nbsp;later!):<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140604\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-first-guest-post.jpg\" alt=\"Excerpt of article about motivating yourself to go to the gym\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1651\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-first-guest-post.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-first-guest-post-515x425.jpg 515w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-first-guest-post-768x634.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-first-guest-post-1536x1269.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This website ended up doing quite well, which validated that the SEO theory I\u2019d learned made sense. However, I made some mistakes too. For example, I distinctly recall the rankings for a page tanking after randomly deciding to rewrite the copy. This taught me a valuable lesson that I didn\u2019t learn elsewhere:<em> If it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix&nbsp;it!&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"3. Deepen your SEO knowledge\" data-section=\"3-deepen-your-seo-knowledge\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Deepen your SEO knowledge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s impossible to learn absolutely everything about every facet of SEO. The topic is just too broad. So now that you\u2019ve spent some time in the trenches and learned which aspects of SEO you enjoy, it\u2019s time to niche down and deepen your knowledge in one&nbsp;area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is known as becoming a t-shaped SEO.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-140605\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/8-t-shaped-seo.png\" alt=\"T-shaped SEO\" width=\"900\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/8-t-shaped-seo.png 900w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/8-t-shaped-seo-426x425.png 426w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/8-t-shaped-seo-768x765.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Being a t-shaped SEO means that you have a broad knowledge of all things SEO but excel in one particular area. The area you choose to specialize in should be one that you\u2019re best at and most&nbsp;enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For me, this is link building\u2014which is why I\u2019ve written <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/category\/link-building\/\">much of our content about this topic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few more examples of t-shaped SEOs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/patrick-stox\/\">Patrick Stox<\/a>:<\/strong> Technical SEO<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nick_eubanks?lang=en-GB\">Nick Eubanks<\/a>: <\/strong>Keyword research<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joncooperseo\">Jon Cooper<\/a>: <\/strong>Link building<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marie_haynes\">Marie Haynes<\/a>: <\/strong>Google penalty recovery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice how Marie Haynes\u2019 specialty is hyperspecific? Instead of choosing one broad facet of SEO (e.g., keyword research or link building), she decided to specialize in the niche area of Google penalty recovery. As a result, there\u2019s probably no SEO on the planet that knows more about this topic than&nbsp;Marie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going hyperspecific like this is a good idea if you\u2019re learning SEO to become an in-demand SEO expert. But if you\u2019re looking to rank websites, it\u2019s probably better to keep things slightly broader and stick with one of the four main facets of&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Either way, you should always test what you learn on your website. This is where true learning happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"4. Keep your finger on the pulse\" data-section=\"4-keep-your-finger-on-the-pulse\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Keep your finger on the&nbsp;pulse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite what many people say, the fundamentals of SEO barely change. But small things are constantly changing. There are Google updates multiple times a year, changes to how search engines handle aspects of technical SEO, smart folks coming up with new tactics, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this in mind, while you shouldn\u2019t spend all day every day reading SEO news, it\u2019s important to keep your finger on the&nbsp;pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few ways to do&nbsp;that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attend SEO conferences and meetups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO is a big industry with big conferences. For example, BrightonSEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightonseo.com\/frequently-asked-questions\/#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20attend%3F,in%20just%20a%20few%20minutes.\">attracts more than 4,000 attendees<\/a>. There are numerous smaller meetups too, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/topics\/seo-search-engine-optimization\/\">you can find on meetup.com<\/a>, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boom-online.co.uk\/drink\/\">this one in my hometown<\/a>. These are all places where like-minded people doing SEO share insights and tactics, so there\u2019s a lot to learn from getting involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-conferences-roundup\/\">8 SEO Conferences (Online and Offline) to Attend<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen to SEO podcasts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Podcasters often interview smart SEOs about their successes, failures, and experiences, making podcasts a great way to keep your finger on the pulse while on the go. For example, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/creative-link-building-with-bibi-raven\/\">this episode of the Authority Hacker podcast<\/a>, link building extraordinaire <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BibiBuzzCom\">Bibi<\/a>&nbsp;shares her creative approach to link outreach emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/best-seo-podcasts\/\">15 Podcasts to Boost Your SEO&nbsp;Game<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join SEO Facebook groups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Facebook has an active community of SEOs who are always willing to answer questions and offer advice should you need it. In fact, our Facebook group, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/ahrefsinsider\/\">Ahrefs Insider<\/a>, has almost 17K members and is very active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/facebook-seo-groups\/\">4 Best Facebook Groups for SEOs (Most Voted&nbsp;For)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Join SEO Slack communities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019d prefer not to be distracted by Facebook, consider joining an SEO Slack community. Some are free, whereas others charge a monthly subscription.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-slack-communities\/\">10 Slack Communities for SEOs and Digital Marketers<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read SEO&nbsp;blogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 Like the one you\u2019re reading, where we often publish unique ideas, processes, and studies. For example, when Google <a>switched<\/a> to relying less on title tags to generate SERP titles, we studied almost a million pages and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/title-tags-study\/\">published the results<\/a> for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-blogs\/\">29 Awesome SEO Blogs to Follow (Graded and Ranked)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Watch SEO YouTube videos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 Like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCWquNQV8Y0_defMKnGKrFOQ\">our YouTube channel,<\/a> where we publish similar content to our&nbsp;blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google publishes official algorithm updates and announcements on the <a>Search Console Blog<\/a> and hosts weekly \u201coffice hours\u201d hangouts on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/GoogleSearchCentral\/videos\">its YouTube channel<\/a>. You can also follow Google search representatives like <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/johnmu\">John Mueller<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/methode\">Gary Illyes<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read SEO&nbsp;news<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/\">Search Engine Roundtable<\/a> describes itself as the pulse of search marketing and publishes daily updates on everything search. <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\">Search Engine Land<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/\">Search Engine Journal<\/a> also frequently publish news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"5. Teach others what you know\" data-section=\"5-teach-others-what-you-know\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Teach others what you know (optional)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Look back at the roadmap, and you\u2019ll see a recommendation to share what you learn with others.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-140606 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo.png\" alt=\"Learn SEO flowchart\" width=\"1800\" height=\"2497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo-306x425.png 306w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo-768x1065.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo-1107x1536.png 1107w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-learn-seo-1476x2048.png 1476w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This may seem counterintuitive, given that you want to learn <em>more<\/em> about SEO, but I find that teaching others helps me retain and assimilate knowledge. I think it\u2019s because it forces me to articulate things, which often leads me to conclude that I don\u2019t know as much as I thought I&nbsp;knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While you can do this publicly on a blog or YouTube channel, you can also do it semi-privately (in groups and communities) or privately (direct messages, face-to-face).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re thick-skinned enough, doing it publicly often provides an extra line of defense against misinformation because people are usually kind enough to call you out when you get things wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bill_slawski?lang=en\">Bill Slawski<\/a> pointing out an inaccurate claim in one of my articles on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-140607\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/10-feedback-bill-slawski.png\" alt=\"Bill's tweet about Google not ranking pages on the basis of content accuracy \" width=\"435\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/10-feedback-bill-slawski.png 870w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/10-feedback-bill-slawski-680x256.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/10-feedback-bill-slawski-768x290.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This leads me to an important point\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t try to teach others SEO unless one of these things is&nbsp;true:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You\u2019ve thoroughly researched and understood what you\u2019re teaching.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re teaching something based on personal experience and testing (and you\u2019ve made that fact&nbsp;clear).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The last thing you want to do is contribute more misinformation to an industry already rife with&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The famous psychologist, K. Anders Ericsson, theorized that learning a new skill takes 10,000 hours of practice. You\u2019ll certainly gain a good understanding of SEO in that time, but the truth is that you never stop learning. I\u2019ve been involved in SEO for 11+ years, and I learn new things all the&nbsp;time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But remember, learning isn\u2019t only about reading and retaining information. It\u2019s also about putting what you read into practice, testing things for yourself, and finding ways to improve on conventional wisdom over&nbsp;time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s the roadmap we\u2019ll cover in this&nbsp;guide: Let\u2019s get to&nbsp;it. Learn SEO fundamentals Put your knowledge into practice Deepen your SEO knowledge Keep your finger on the&nbsp;pulse&nbsp; Teach others what you&nbsp;know If you\u2019re not already familiar with the basics of<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":140590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-140347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learning SEO can seem overwhelming. But with a bit of time, effort, and the right roadmap, it\u2019s something that anyone can learn.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Just go with the flow.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joshua Hardwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Just go with the flow.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JoshuaCHardwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joshua Hardwick\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e6a89cbde8e750d22996aa26e213e712\"},\"headline\":\"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2257,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/fb_learn_seo.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"General SEO\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/fb_learn_seo.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learning SEO can seem overwhelming. But with a bit of time, effort, and the right roadmap, it\u2019s something that anyone can learn.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/learn-seo\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/fb_learn_seo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/03\\\/fb_learn_seo.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ahrefs\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Ahrefs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/Ahrefs\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ahrefs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/ahrefs\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/ahrefscom\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e6a89cbde8e750d22996aa26e213e712\",\"name\":\"Joshua Hardwick\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/meme.jpg109e89523fcea81015d3cc08c79f9036\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/meme.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/10\\\/meme.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Joshua Hardwick\"},\"description\":\"Head of Content @ Ahrefs (or, in plain English, I'm the guy responsible for ensuring that every blog post we publish is EPIC).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/JoshuaCHardwick\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/joshua-hardwick\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)","description":"Learning SEO can seem overwhelming. But with a bit of time, effort, and the right roadmap, it\u2019s something that anyone can learn.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)","og_description":"Just go with the flow.","og_url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/","og_site_name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","article_published_time":"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Joshua Hardwick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"Just go with the flow.","twitter_creator":"@JoshuaCHardwick","twitter_site":"@ahrefs","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/"},"author":{"name":"Joshua Hardwick","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e6a89cbde8e750d22996aa26e213e712"},"headline":"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)","datePublished":"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/"},"wordCount":2257,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png","articleSection":["General SEO"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/","name":"How to Learn SEO (Complete Roadmap)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png","datePublished":"2022-04-06T03:11:06+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-04T16:38:31+00:00","description":"Learning SEO can seem overwhelming. But with a bit of time, effort, and the right roadmap, it\u2019s something that anyone can learn.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/learn-seo\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/fb_learn_seo.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","description":"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Ahrefs","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","width":2048,"height":768,"caption":"Ahrefs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e6a89cbde8e750d22996aa26e213e712","name":"Joshua Hardwick","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/meme.jpg109e89523fcea81015d3cc08c79f9036","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/meme.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/meme.jpg","caption":"Joshua Hardwick"},"description":"Head of Content @ Ahrefs (or, in plain English, I'm the guy responsible for ensuring that every blog post we publish is EPIC).","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/JoshuaCHardwick"],"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/joshua-hardwick\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140347"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=140347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}