SEOMoz
One of the internet’s most authoritative guides to SEO, SEOMoz offers a free SEO tutorial or a more comprehensive guide to SEO that you can access by joining their pro network. In the basic tutorial, you’ll learn more about the psychology behind search engines, how keyword research works, and how to track your website’s success. In addition to this guide, SEOMoz also has a treasure trove of consistently updated information in its blog section. By reading SEOMoz’s blogs and viewing an SEO tutorial video like this one, you’ll be well poised for success.
DistilledU
One of the most comprehensive online tools available, the Distilled U program includes an impressive 50 hours of training components. It’s well suited for complete SEO beginners, including a rundown of how search engines work as well as both on and off-page optimisation techniques. You’ll learn more about link analysis, keyword research, and copywriting basics. After the initial 101 section, there’s another “Further SEO” section covering more advanced concepts including content strategies and data analysis.
Search Engine Guide
One of the most popular online publications covering small business SEO, Search Engine Guide is a good resource for updated blog posts covering the latest news in the world of SEO. They also provide an SEO 101 tutorial, which is comprised of fifteen easily digestible parts. Topics covered include site architecture, title tags, keyword tags and research, SEO copywriting, and the basics of linking.
SEO Book
The right SEO strategy will depend on the type of website you are running. Bloggers will want to use different techniques than those running an ecommerce website, for example. SEO Book publishes a “Blogger’s Guide to SEO” which explains how SEO for blogs differs from other types of websites. Many different subjects are covered with bloggers in mind, including web analytics and optimizing site structure. It also includes a comprehensive list of links to help you expand your blog SEO knowledge.
If you’re trying to learn more about how search engines rank websites, why not go straight to the source? Google offers numerous tools for website owners great and small. Their “Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide” is a PDF download that you can find at the Google Webmaster Tools page. Although the document was originally designed for Google employees, it is also a useful tool for outside web designers and bloggers. It explains all of the practices used by search engines to index, crawl, and archive site content, which can help you devise your own more effectively.
Resources like this keyword research tutorial for beginners are a great place to start when you want to learn the basics of how SEO works. However, to really get a feel for it, it’s best to dive in and put these theories into practice on your own website to see what works and what doesn’t.