Ahrefs offers an SEO course for digital marketing proficiency.
Covers fundamentals to advanced strategies.
Ideal for improving website visibility and traffic.
Introduction: Unlock the secrets of SEO with Ahrefs’ comprehensive course, designed to elevate your digital marketing skills and website’s performance.
What does the Ahrefs SEO course offer? The Ahrefs SEO course offers a detailed curriculum that ranges from SEO fundamentals to advanced techniques. It is structured to help individuals enhance their understanding of search engine optimization, including keyword research, link building, and site audits. This course is beneficial for anyone looking to improve their website’s visibility, attract more traffic, and achieve higher search engine rankings.
SEO Basics: What is SEO and Why is it Important? [SEO Course by Ahrefs]
In this video, we’ll go over the basics of SEO and cover things like what it is, why it’s important, and how it works.
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Additional SEO Resources
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This is the first lesson of the SEO course by Ahrefs. In this course, you’ll learn the SEO basics, with a heavy focus on execution.
The course is broken down into 4 modules plus this video, which is more of an introduction to the course as well as an SEO 101.
So, this lesson is all about SEO basics. We’ll talk about what search engine optimization is, why it’s important and how Google works.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. And it’s the process of optimizing content to be discovered through a search engine’s organic search results.
If you’re completely new to SEO, then it’s easiest to think of search engines as libraries. But instead of storing books, they store copies of websites and web pages.
So when you search for a query, the search engine will then look through all pages in its index and try to return the most relevant results. And SEO helps demonstrate to search engines that your page is that result.
Now, you might be thinking: why should I focus on SEO when there are so many other marketing mediums?
Well, there are 3 major things that attract marketers to search engine optimization and in my opinion, these 3 things make SEO the best traffic source.
You’ll find out what they are in the video.
To do SEO well, you’ll need to learn how Google works. And you’ll learn all about the concepts of crawling, indexation, and its ranking algorithm in the video.
Timestamps:
1:37 What is SEO
3:40 How Google works
4:37 Google’s ranking factors
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This is the first lesson of the SEO course by Ahrefs. In this course, you’ll learn the SEO basics, with a heavy focus on execution.
The course is broken down into 4 modules plus this video, which is more of an introduction to the course as well as an SEO 101.
So, this lesson is all about SEO basics. We’ll talk about what search engine optimization is, why it’s important and how Google works.
SEO stands for search engine optimization. And it’s the process of optimizing content to be discovered through a search engine’s organic search results.
If you’re completely new to SEO, then it’s easiest to think of search engines as libraries. But instead of storing books, they store copies of websites and web pages.
So when you search for a query, the search engine will then look through all pages in its index and try to return the most relevant results. And SEO helps demonstrate to search engines that your page is that result.
Now, you might be thinking: why should I focus on SEO when there are so many other marketing mediums?
Well, there are 3 major things that attract marketers to search engine optimization and in my opinion, these 3 things make SEO the best traffic source.
You’ll find out what they are in the video.
To do SEO well, you’ll need to learn how Google works. And you’ll learn all about the concepts of crawling, indexation, and its ranking algorithm in the video.
Timestamps:
1:37 What is SEO
3:40 How Google works
4:37 Google’s ranking factors
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What are keywords in the context of SEO?
They’re words and phrases that people type into search engines to find what they’re looking for. Keywords are important in SEO because it sets the entire foundation for search engine optimization.
The basic goal of SEO is to rank your pages for keywords that your target audience or customers are searching for. And if you’re not ranking for keywords that actually get searched, then your SEO efforts are meaningless.
Keyword research is the process of finding keywords that people are inputting into search engines.
How do you actually choose keywords that are worth targeting?
The first thing to check is if your keyword has search demand.
You’ll learn how to check for search demand in the video.
The second thing to check is the traffic potential of the topic. This represents the total search traffic you could get if you were to rank at the top of Google for your keyword.
Why is traffic potential much more reliable than search volume? How do you check it? We’ll go through the process in the video.
The next point is to assess the business potential of the keyword or topic.
Business potential simply represents the value a keyword has to your business. And “value” really comes down to your niche and your business model.
You’ll learn how to do this in the video.
The next point is to see if you can match search intent.
Search intent represents the reason behind a searcher’s query. The way we determine that is by looking at the top-ranking pages for the keyword we want to rank for.
You’ll learn how to do this in the video.
Choosing keywords comes down to finding a balance in the checklist. You have to ask yourself some questions. Which questions are they? You’ll find out in the video.
Timestamps:
0:17 What are keywords
1:17 Check if the keyword has search demand
1:58 Check the traffic potential of the topic
4:16 Assess the business potential of the keyword
6:01 See if you can match searcher intent
6:51 Determine whether you can rank for the keyword
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Search intent represents the reason behind a searcher’s query.
Matching search intent is important to show search engines that your page will fulfill their goal, which is to deliver the most relevant results for any given query.
And while it might sound like you’re trying to satisfy Google, what you’re actually doing is learning what you need to do to satisfy the searcher’s intent.
Identifying search intent is usually quite easy. All you have to do is search for the keyword you want to rank for and then analyze the top-ranking results. And the top-ranking results are a great proxy to understand search intent because Google understands what searchers want, probably more than anyone else.
But how do you analyze the top-ranking results?
You can use a simple formula we call the 3 Cs’ of search intent. And you’ll learn how to use this formula to analyze search intent in this video.
Timestamps:
0:45 Identify the search intent
1:10 Check the three C's of search intent
2:24 Examples of content analysis
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Keyword research is the process of finding keywords that people are searching for in search engines.
The general process can be divided into two major steps.
Step 1 is to generate keyword ideas. And step 2 is to validate whether those keywords are worth going after.
This lesson is mostly about step 1: generating keyword ideas for your website. To do that, you need a keyword research tool.
Keyword research tools show you information on keywords like their search volume, keyword difficulty scores and other SEO metrics. Plus, they should help you discover potential topics worth going after.
How do you use keyword research tools to come up with ideas that’ll keep you busy for years? You’ll learn how to do that in this video.
Timestamps
0:30 Get the keyword research tool
1:31 Come up with a list of seed keywords
5:24 Use modifiers
8:22 Check the keywords your competitors rank for
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When it comes to ranking in Google, you need to understand who you’ll be up against before you target a keyword. Otherwise, you could be entering a battle you won’t be able to win.
From an SEO perspective, competitors are pages and websites that rank at the top of Google for your target keywords. So that means your competitors can be different for every single keyword you target.
So there are 3 main things you’ll want to consider before you decide to pick a fight. And those are:
► Search intent
► Metrics of the top ranking pages and websites
► Topical authority of the top ranking websites
You’ll learn about all three individual points in the video, plus we’ll create a list of self-check questions that’ll help you make informed decisions in your keyword targeting.
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On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages to rank higher in search engines. And it revolves heavily around optimizing pages for search intent.
But on-page optimizations also involve creating and optimizing HTML tags like titles and meta descriptions.
If you’ve been exposed to the practice of on-page SEO, then it’s quite likely that you’ve heard conflicting advice.
So, in this video, you’ll learn some common advice on on-page SEO best practices that are not true today.
Timestamps
1:06 What on-page SEO is not about
3:45 What on-page SEO is today
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With on-page SEO, there are two main things we need to cover.
The first is to ensure that your page satisfies search intent.
You’ve already learnt the 3 Cs’ of search intent. But what do you need to write about in order to satisfy searchers? The answer is to learn from your competitors’ pages.
The top-ranking pages are ranking at the top for a reason. Google and other search engines deem them as the best candidates to satisfy a searcher’s query. So they’re clearly doing something right, at least from the perspective of a search engine.
You’ll learn how to research your competitors’ content in the video.
Once you’re armed with information, you can begin with your “technical” on-page optimizations. These will be:
► Target keyword in the title
► Short and descriptive URL slug
► Meta description
► Add internal links
► Optimize and compress your images
► Optimize for readability
We’ll go through each point in more detail in the video.
Timestamps
1:12 Ensure your page satisfies searcher intent
1:40 Learn from your competitors
5:05 Do a content gap analysis
7:10 Include your target keyword in the title
7:46 Use a short and descriptive URL slug
8:26 Craft your meta description
10:21 Optimize your images
12:31 Optimize for readability
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Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to a page on your website. And these hyperlinks are called backlinks.
While the end result of link building seems simple and makes sense, the part that most people fail to understand and can’t get right is the process. This ultimately boils down to emailing complete strangers and asking them to link to you.
Effective link building is tough. Why is it even worth the effort? You’ll find out in the video.
Timestamps
0:22 What is link building
3:43 Why it's worth the effort
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A strategy is high-level. It outlines the scope of the plans. Tactics are more micro and often focused around smaller steps.
When it comes to link building, there are 3 main strategies to get backlinks.
The first method is to create backlinks. Creating backlinks means manually add links on one domain back to yours.
Is this strategy useful from an SEO and ranking perspective? You’ll find out in the video.
The second method is to buy backlinks. And buying backlinks is exactly as it sounds. You pay webmasters or authors a fee, and in return, they’ll link back to a page on your site.
Should you use this strategy? You’ll find out in the video.
The final way to get backlinks is to earn them. And there are 3 common ways you can do this:
► Email outreach
► Becoming a source
► Organically
You’ll learn more about each tactic in the video.
Timestamps
0:09 The difference between a strategy and a tactic
0:49 #1 Create backlinks
1:14 #2 Buy links (not recommended)
2:10 #3 Earn links
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Not all backlinks are created equal. And quality backlinks are a prominent ranking signal.
So, in this video, you’ll learn the attributes that make a backlink “good”. They are:
► Relevance
► Authoritativeness
► Link placement
What are these attributes and why are they important? How do you distinguish between them? You’ll learn everything in the video.
You’ll also need to understand the anatomy of a hyperlink and how the different parts relate to SEO. And there are 3 basic parts to a link that matter in SEO. The destination URL, anchor text, and the rel attribute or lack of one.
What are these and how do they work? Why are they important to SEO? You’ll learn all of this in the video.
Timestamps
0:39 Relevance
2:25 Authoritativeness
3:57 Anchor text
5:45 “Rel” attribute
6:58 The link placement
Link Building Tactics for Beginners - 3.4. SEO Course by Ahrefs
In lesson 3.4 of our SEO basics course, you’ll learn the step-by-step ...
In lesson 3.4 of our SEO basics course, you’ll learn the step-by-step process on how to build backlinks, plus 3 tried-and-tested link building tactics.
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Additional SEO Resources
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There are 3 general stages in link building:
► Prospecting
► Vetting
► Email outreach
When prospecting, you’re searching for relevant pages and websites that might link to you. The vetting stage is where you start to refine your list of prospects. These are the people that you’ll be contacting, so you’ll need to visit their websites and validate that they are indeed people worth contacting.
Finally is the email outreach stage.This is when you’ll finalize your pitches and start emailing your vetted prospects.
Depending on the link building tactic you use, the way you prospect, vet and craft your email pitches will differ.
There are a few dead simple but effective link building tactics that are completely newbie-friendly. They are:
► Use HARO
► Guest blogging
► Skyscraper Technique
You’ll learn how to find prospects, vet them and craft your email outreach for each link building tactic in the video.
Timestamps
1:33 What is link building
2:21 Tactic#1: Get free PR using HARO
7:14 Tactic #2: Guest posting
13:34 Tactic #3: Skyscraper technique
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The primary objective of blogger outreach is to convince people with large, targeted audiences to talk about you. And from the perspective of an SEO, you want them to link to your website.
But outreach doesn’t mean broadcasting. It doesn’t mean you should be sending every single person the exact same email like you would through email marketing.
Generally speaking, there are two approaches to blogger outreach:
► Shotgun approach
► Sniper approach
You’ll learn what both approaches mean and which one we recommend in the video.
Before you send an email, you need to know who to contact and how to find their email addresses. In general, you’ll want to contact the author of the post if they work for the website.
How do you find their contact information? You’ll learn how in the video.
If you’ve done the work prior to this module, aka chosen one of the 3 tactics I outlined, created a list of prospects, vetted your list, and found some email addresses, then it’s time to write the pitch.
There are 5 main parts to a typical outreach email:
► Subject line
► Introduction
► Qualification and justification
► Pitch
► One-liner to keep the conversation rolling
You’ll learn how each part of the outreach email works. You’ll also learn how to write a good outreach email in the process.
Timestamps
0:28 The primary objective of blogger outreach
3:13 Approaches to blogger outreach
3:54 Who you should be contacting
4:40 How to find the email address
5:42 Craft a catchy subject line
6:30 Write an introduction
7:08 Qualification and justification
8:53 Craft your pitch with a value proposition
10:08 Continue the conversation
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Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website to help search engines find, understand, and index your pages.
Technical SEO is important because if search engines can’t properly access, read, understand, or index your pages, then you won’t rank or even be found for that matter.
To avoid technical SEO mistakes like removing yourself from Google’s index, there are five things you should understand:
► Noindex meta tag
► Robots.txt
► Sitemaps
► Redirects
► Canonical tags
These are the foundational things that are good to know when it comes to indexing. You’ll learn what each thing is, why they’re important and how to get it done right.
Timestamps:
0:58 Noindex meta tag
2:14 Robots.txt
4:31 Sitemaps
5:12 Redirects
5:50 Canonical tag
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The first thing you should do is ensure that your site structure follows a logical hierarchy.
Site structure is simply the way you organize content on your website. A good site structure helps search engines understand the relationship between your pages, plus helps search engines to crawl your pages more efficiently.
You’ll learn how to do organise your site well in the video.
The second thing is to ensure your pages don’t load slow. As you may know, Pagespeed has been a confirmed ranking factor for desktop search since 2010. And in 2018, Google announced that they’d be using page speed in mobile search rankings.
You’ll learn how to improve your website’s speed in the video.
The last thing is to do your best to stay on top of around 50 potential SEO errors. There are potentially hundreds of technical SEO issues that can and will happen to your site. So, you’ll need to find a way to find and manage them.
With over 20 years of experience in the car business, I’ve navigated the evolution of the industry from traditional sales to the dynamic digital age. My journey through various roles in both sales and management has endowed me with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in automotive sales today.
As the founder of Shawn Ryder Digital, I combine my extensive background in technology with my deep understanding of the automotive industry. This synergy allows me to craft digital marketing strategies that are not just effective but tailored to the specific needs of each dealership. My commitment is to drive your sales, enhance your brand awareness, and ensure your dealership thrives in the digital landscape.
Here at Shawn Ryder Digital, we’re not just about providing services; we’re about building partnerships. As I often say, “In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity.”
Together, let’s embrace the challenges of the digital age and turn them into opportunities for growth and success. Join me in redefining the future of automotive digital marketing. Let’s accelerate your dealership’s journey to the top.
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