There’s no debate that learning SEO is crucial for anyone who wants to communicate clearly and effectively for different purposes online. However, studying search engine optimization is no longer just about ranking on Google’s first page and out-publishing competitors. This SEO type is narrow and does not consider the changes to the behavior of online users in the last five to ten years.

SEO is crucial to business owners, serial entrepreneurs, marketing professionals, PR professionals, and so on. In addition, SEO coaching services and ongoing SEO training remain essential to professionals who already do SEO because SEO is constantly changing.

How Long Do You Have to Study SEO?

This question has a very open-ended answer for me. First, learning SEO differs from learning any other type of knowledge or specialization. But one might argue that many professionals didn’t formally study their life focus and still managed to do well.

That’s true, too. No person or company can monopolize learning search engine optimization. If you would imagine SEO as a location on a map, you can already visualize that there are countless approaches to reach the location.

Some are more challenging, while others are more straightforward.

As an SEO coach who meets weekly with students and all sorts of individuals interested in inbound marketing, customer behavior, and search engine optimization, my first concern is always answering the question, “What does success in SEO mean to [you]?”

How do you qualify for success and the value you assign to learning a new skill like search engine optimization?

I think I’m not alone when I say that it’s impossible to give everyone a general timeframe because we don’t all have the same backgrounds, technical knowledge, goals, and milieu. Growing up in a different city, for example, changes how one views success and goals in business and professional life.

Of course, people need a framework as they approach something wholly new and possibly life-changing. SEO is life-changing because it opens opportunities that weren’t there previously. It makes the picture whole for digital marketers. It makes the job easier for SEO professionals. It makes business more viable for business owners and entrepreneurs.

What does “good enough” mean for you?

Is SEO learning good enough that you have the sufficient technical knowledge to work in SEO?

Or is SEO training good enough to work on your website’s SEO regularly, get more customers for your business, and make more money as a result?

Whatever the value of SEO is to you, we’ll figure that out together, with me as your SEO coach and you as my student.

Now let’s try to answer the big question through scenarios and periods.

Study SEO With Me For One Day (For Free)

I’m sure this section’s got you wondering: can anyone learn anything valuable in one day? You’d be surprised with how much you can learn from about an hour of consulting with an expert in any field.

Then you’d dip your toes into some deep waters. In my formal practice as an SEO consultant and inbound marketing scientist. I give people a free consultation if they want to learn SEO with me.

I provide free consultations because I figured that if I provided potential students with actionable steps, they might come back and sign up for more classes with me so that I could share more of my knowledge with them. Maybe a business owner who gets more customers because of my insights and SEO tips can now confidently sign up for monthly SEO classes.

Ongoing SEO training is so necessary. However, SEO training is never one-size-fits-all. I must study the overall situation with the student, figure out a blueprint, and then an action plan so my student can apply SEO knowledge to their website.

1on1 SEO Training is about “getting SEO smarts” so you can do SEO without hiring an SEO agency. Of course, there are many reasons why folks decide to learn SEO themselves, but I think it’s always a good idea, even if you decide to hire an SEO consultant or SEO company later.

Attend SEO Classes With Me For Three to Six Months

If you’re going to ask me how much time people need in general to figure out how SEO works and how to apply it to their websites and work, I’m going to say that for most students I’ve worked with over the years, the timeframe is between three to six months. However, a more significant percentage worked with me for at least six months.

Six months seems to be a magic figure for learning SEO and SEO training, generally.

Case Study # 1

I worked with the son of a plumber for six months. My student at that time was just eighteen years old. After our time learning SEO together, he established his own SEO company, marketing to plumbers. He’s probably moved on to marketing to HVAC companies and related professionals because why shouldn’t he?

Case Study # 2

A young professional named Nimra once approached me on LinkedIn to ask about my SEO training services. Nimra was from India, and she asked me, “How long does it take to be successful in SEO?” Of course, I had to ask her, “What does success mean to you?”

It turned out that Nimra’s main objective was to land a job as a full-time SEO professional in her country. Nimra, an HR professional, said that there’s little money to be made in that line of work, so she thought it was better to try SEO. The problem was, Nimra didn’t have any budget for formally learning and enrolling in my classes.

I thought about her predicament and offered her a position as an intern. I would ask her to do SEO tasks for me. In return, she learned my systems and strategies that would have otherwise been hidden from view because there are so many of them. They connect in different ways and at different times, depending on the client, the website, the situation of the website, and so on.

In short, without my instructions and the systems I’ve devised, Nimra’s tasks wouldn’t have made much sense to someone who would have just been observing her.

Nimra eventually applied for a job in India as an SEO professional, making the big jump from being an HR professional. First, she asked me if she could add the name of my business on her LinkedIn profile (which I agreed she could do), and then she asked me if I could be her reference, so the company could contact me if they did decide to hire her.

Eventually, diligent Nimra landed the SEO job that she wanted from the very beginning. I still meet with Nimra once a week, just like we did before, and I’m happy that she succeeded with SEO the way she wanted. Furthermore, I’m thrilled that I was part of her incredible journey to becoming an SEO professional.

Take an SEO Journey With Me Beyond Six Months

Many SEO students succeed in search engine optimization and move on; that’s just part of the journey. But some stay on with me for over six months. Some students decide to stay for years.  

I guess they stay because they want to keep their SEO knowledge current, and a field like SEO never stays put for long. Anything involving marketing and technology is sure to change annually and monthly. Since I never stop doing SEO, and new information and strategies are in front of me daily, I find it easy to share these new strategies with my students in our weekly classes.