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SEOL

    Learning roadmap

    Six stages, in order. A lesson counts as done when you have read it, passed its quiz and completed its exercise. Each stage ends with a project on a real site.

    1. 1

      Beginner

      Understand what search engines do, what SEO can and cannot change, and get your own site measured.

      You will be able to

      • Explain crawling, indexing and serving in your own words.
      • Tell organic results, ads and other SERP features apart.
      • Use the basic vocabulary of SEO correctly.
      • Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools on a real site.

      Modules

      Stage project: Get a real site measured

      Add your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, then record a baseline of how it is indexed today. Everything later in the roadmap builds on this data.

      • A verified Search Console property (Domain property if you control DNS).
      • A sitemap submitted, or a written reason why the site does not need one yet.
      • A baseline note with the number of indexed pages and the top 3 indexing issues, if any.

      Completion criteria

      • Every published lesson in this stage is completed (read, quiz passed, exercise done).
      • The stage project is documented in a Workspace project.
      Published lessons completed– of 8
    2. 2

      Basic practitioner

      Find what people search for and make individual pages match it.

      You will be able to

      • Research and classify keywords by intent.
      • Map one primary topic to one page.
      • Write titles, meta descriptions and headings that match intent.

      Modules

      Stage project: Keyword map and on-page rewrite

      Build a keyword map for 5 to 10 pages of your site and rewrite their on-page elements.

      • A keyword map with one primary keyword and intent per page.
      • Before and after titles, meta descriptions and H1s for each page.

      Completion criteria

      • Every published lesson in this stage is completed.
      • The keyword map and on-page changes are recorded in a Workspace project.
      Published lessons completed– of 15
    3. 3

      Intermediate

      Make the site technically sound, plan content around topics, and read the data.

      You will be able to

      • Run a manual technical audit and prioritise what you find.
      • Plan a topic cluster and write a content brief.
      • Read Search Console and GA4 data to find problems and opportunities.

      Modules

      Stage project: Technical audit and content plan

      Audit your site, track the issues, and plan one topic cluster backed by Search Console data.

      • A technical issue list with priority and status.
      • One content brief for a page that targets a real gap.

      Completion criteria

      • Every published lesson in this stage is completed.
      • An audit with an issue list and a content brief are stored in the Workspace.
      Published lessons completed– of 26
    4. 4

      Advanced

      Work with competitors, links, local search and online stores.

      You will be able to

      • Compare your site with competitors and find gaps.
      • Judge link quality and plan ethical link building.
      • Optimise local presence and e-commerce category and product pages.

      Modules

      Stage project: Competitor gap and growth plan

      Analyse two competitors and plan the off-page, local or e-commerce work that closes the biggest gap.

      • A competitor comparison covering keywords, content and links.
      • A prioritised plan for the next 3 months.

      Completion criteria

      • Every published lesson in this stage is completed.
      • A competitor gap analysis is stored in the Workspace.

      No lessons written yet. 25 lessons are planned for this stage.

    5. 5

      Professional

      Plan, run, measure and report a complete SEO strategy.

      You will be able to

      • Turn business goals into an SEO strategy with measurable targets.
      • Prioritise work by impact and effort.
      • Report progress honestly to people who are not SEO specialists.

      Modules

      Stage project: Full SEO strategy for one site

      Write the strategy, run it for at least one month and report the results.

      • A strategy with goals, priorities and success measures.
      • A monthly report based on real data.

      Completion criteria

      • Every published lesson in this stage is completed.
      • A strategy document and one monthly report are stored in the Workspace.

      No lessons written yet. 6 lessons are planned for this stage.