How long will it take me to complete this course?

This is a very hard question to answer as different people work at different speeds and it depends how much time you allocate this course per day/week. It also depends on what state your blog is in right now. But taking all this into consideration I would estimate that to cover all the units in this course would take about 10 hours. However, you will need to actually do the action points at the end of each module/unit as well in order to benefit from this course and this will obviously take you additional time. Please don’t be alarmed by this, though – I have broken this course down into individual modules and units which are short and actionable.

How fast will I see results?

Again, this is difficult to answer as results will be different for everyone, depending on how much work you do, how fast you get through the course, how optimised your blog is already, how old your blog is and a whole load of other factors. However, for most blogs, I would expect to see some tangible results within 3 months and a clear improvement by 6 months. I realise it’s frustrating to wait for results – we’d all like a quick fix, but sadly that’s just not the way SEO works. However, the good thing about search engine traffic is it builds and grows over time (with much less work than initially), so you should find your traffic continues to grow and grow over time, even long after you've finished the course.

What if I don’t have a blog yet?

If you don’t have a blog yet, then your first action point is to start one and write a few blog posts. Having a blog with some content is one of the few prerequisites of doing this course. If you don’t already have a blog, I suggest you follow this tutorial on Productive Blogging, which gives step by step instructions on how to start a blog and write your first few blog posts. Once you’ve started your blog, come back and get started on this course.

I’ve only just started my blog, is this course right for me?

Absolutely! In fact, it is hands down the best time to learn about SEO – BEFORE you make a whole load of mistakes you need to go back and fix.

I have a well-established blog, is this course right for me?

Definitely! This course will work whether your blog is brand new or you’ve been blogging for years. The one thing to note though is the older and more established your blog, the more work you are likely to need to do to fix things you have done in the past that aren’t SEO friendly! It will be hard work, but well worth it, as an established blog is likely to see positive results much faster than a new blog

I’m on Blogger/Squarespace/Wix/WordPress.com can I still do this course?

There are lots of parts of this course that you can still do if you are on Blogger / Squarespace / Wix / WordPress.com etc. However, I would strongly advise that you switch to a self-hosted WordPress site BEFORE you do this course, if you possibly can. Not only will this mean you get a lot more out of the course, but it will also mean you will be able to do much more to improve your SEO and grow your blog much faster. If you need more information on this, please see my post on hosted vs self-hosted blogs on Productive Blogging.

Is there any benefit to doing this course but not doing the action points?

Nope! You will only see the benefits of this course if you do the actions too!!

SEO changes all the time, how will you keep this course updated?

Actually, this is only partially true! While it is true that search engine algorithms change all the time, their basic aim does not. Search engines want to provide excellent results for their customers (AKA their searchers) and so their algorithm changes are always focused on doing this better. The way to do well in search engine results is to BE THE BEST RESULT and this really does not change. This course is focused on helping you be the best result.

That said, there are, of course, new ideas and best practices in SEO – essentially these are even better ways of being that best result. And when these come along of course I will do my best to keep you updated on them. The best way to keep updated is by making sure you are subscribed to the Productive Blogging mailing list and you are in the Productive Blogging Community Facebook Group. And of course, if anything fundamental happens in the world of SEO, I will change the course materials and let you know what I have changed!

I am a total SEO newbie, will I be able to understand this course?

Absolutely! I have designed this course assuming you have no SEO knowledge. I use ‘normal person’ English and explain SEO jargon. But if you do get stuck, please just ask in the Productive Blogging Community Facebook Group. I am in there most days and I always prioritise answering questions from my course students!

I know a bit about SEO, will this course be too easy for me?

That depends on how much you know. I would say this course is suitable for anyone who is between beginner and intermediate level. If you know a little about SEO, then you will probably benefit from this course. If you know a lot about SEO, then you will almost certainly find this course too easy.

Will there be any additional costs or hidden charges?

There are no additional costs that you HAVE to make to do this course (unless you are not on a WordPress self-hosted blog or haven’t started your blog yet), though, there may be areas you WANT to spend a little extra money on in order to take your SEO to the next level.

For example, you may decide you want to spend a little more on hosting or a caching plugin to make your blog faster, or you may decide you want to pay for Yoast Premium to get the redirects feature.

However, you do not HAVE to spend any additional money in order to complete this course – all the SEO tools I use are free!

Can I do this course in any order?

I wouldn’t recommend that approach. I have deliberately structured this course in a specific order as I think this is the best way to approach SEO. I also assume knowledge from previous units as you progress through the course and I assume that you have done the actions in the previous units too. As you know, I am all about productivity and I have designed this course to makes sure you work as efficiently as possible and get maximum results from your time!

When does the course start and finish?

The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.