Hey,

What are some good SEO Certification places that give courses on SEO? SohaibT recommended one, but the price is around $300-400 which I can't really justify that type of spending on SEO courses at the moment.

Anybody know of any cheaper SEO courses around the place that will certify you or at least give you some sort of certification whether it be recognised or not?

Are you looking to learn or just to be able to show clients that you are certified? I think its funny that people offer certification in something that is completely unregulated. Then again, certificates can make some clients feel more comfortable.

They say "those who can't do, get certified". Personally I don't see any value in it, especially in your price range. I know Bruce Clay offers some online training, but definitely not in your price range. You can't even really go to a seminar for what you're looking to spend.

Originally Posted by Pearse

Are you looking to learn or just to be able to show clients that you are certified? I think its funny that people offer certification in something that is completely unregulated. Then again, certificates can make some clients feel more comfortable.

Well here's the thing, I am lazy and can't be bothered reading all the information on forums and would rather pay to learn.

I did not even not there was a certification. Since when is this available? Is it official?

Originally Posted by Pearse

Are you looking to learn or just to be able to show clients that you are certified? I think its funny that people offer certification in something that is completely unregulated. Then again, certificates can make some clients feel more comfortable.

Exactly, certificates make some clients comfortable, I didn't learn much from the course I've taken, I knew almost all of the information in the 10 courses, but that's because I took it after 2 years of working in the SEO industry, I only got it for those clients who like to see a certificate.

@illusion, if you want to learn, and you want all of the info in one place, you gotta pay, if your not interested in the certification and only in the info, get the seobook from Aaron Wall, its an excellent book, doesn't cost that much, and has all of important the info you need, anything else comes down to testing and doing stuff yourself.

@handsome rob, I beg to differ, do you mean those 10000' of Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle etc. certified people cant do?

Web CEO has a great certification. It does focus the course a bit on how to use their software but its a good course.

Originally Posted by illusion

Well here's the thing, I am lazy and can't be bothered reading all the information on forums and would rather pay to learn.

My recommendations:
seomoz.org/beginners.php - a free guide by seo expert Rand Fishkin, has a lot of information

seobook.com - Aaron Wall's ebook, I have a copy and I must say it is definately good for beginners, and although I am not a beginner it taught me a couple of things,

seoresearchlabs.com/advanced-seo.php - $895, may not be for you as you want something under $300 but may be of use to others.

I would recommend you start with the seomoz guide and maybe put some effort in to read around some blogs and forums.

Originally Posted by SohaibT

I knew almost all of the information in the 10 courses, but that's because I took it after 2 years of working in the SEO industry

2 years in the seo industry and you offer search engine submission services?

Originally Posted by sandanista

2 years in the seo industry and you offer search engine submission services?

If people are willing to pay, why not?

Originally Posted by handsome rob

If people are willing to pay, why not?

My thougth exactly. I offer it if a client wants it.

Originally Posted by handsome rob

If people are willing to pay, why not?

One of the first things I learnt in seo (years back now) is that you shouldn't be paying for search engine submission. I personally don't think its right to then turn around and start charging people for it.
Plus I've found that if you offer the information on how they can get listed in search engines for free or at least point them in the direction of the information you can gain some initial trust and it is then often easier to sell higher priced services to them, such as link building services, keyword reports, consulting, etc. In addition I think it can help your business reputation.
Personally I'd rather write a useful article on how to get listed in search engines for free (an article that people might want to link to which could help the rank of your site overall) than charge $10 for the service.
In an attempt to relate my rant to the thread, my advice to illusion is that once you have studied seo in detail, tested it for yourself and you feel confident enough to offer it to clients, write some useful articles, become a resource for your industry. I've always found that giving people information they can use, showing them that you know what you are talking about is more valuable than a certificate to say you can do your job.

I think everyone is talking about directory submission... not SE.

Originally Posted by Pearse

I think everyone is talking about directory submission... not SE.

That I have no problem with as it is actually a useful service.
What I was referring to was services that offer to submit to a long list of search engines which often include all the international versions of versions of google, yahoo, and msn for a fee, which I personally (and a lot of seos will probably agree with me) don't think is of great value.

is "seoresearchlabs.com/advanced-seo.php" really worth it?

Originally Posted by IsMaR

is "seoresearchlabs.com/advanced-seo.php" really worth it?

It isn't something I have tried myself. I have used the first two resources I suggested. Rand Fishkin's seomoz and Aaron Wall's seobook. Prior to that I'd spent almost 4 years researching seo so while those two resources were useful I found I already knew a lot of the advice included - though Aaron's book had a couple of new things to me. They are both great resources for beginners though. As far as seo research labs goes I am only assuming that the service is good as I personally feel that their keyword reports are second to none and their owner Dan Thies has provided the seo and webmaster community with a lot of useful articles and is an authority resource in the field of seo (going back to my earlier point).

Originally Posted by sandanista

That I have no problem with as it is actually a useful service.
What I was referring to was services that offer to submit to a long list of search engines which often include all the international versions of versions of google, yahoo, and msn for a fee, which I personally (and a lot of seos will probably agree with me) don't think is of great value.

Agreed. Thought you were against directory submission.

Originally Posted by Pearse

Agreed. Thought you were against directory submission.

Definately not, it is one of the services I offer :thumbup:

Originally Posted by sandanista

2 years in the seo industry and you offer search engine submission services?

Nope, thats only one of the things I offer.

There is no merit in any online SEO certification.