How Long Does it Take to Learn SEO?

As someone who has generated over 90% of their clients through content marketing and SEO, I’ve received this question a lot: “How long does it take to learn SEO?”

Let’s get a few things out of the way first. Yes, how fast you learn depends on a lot of factors. No, it doesn’t have to be filled with stress and pain. Yes, it’s a “long game” as many have said; learning SEO is one thing but getting results is another.

Table of Contents

How Long Does it Take to Learn SEO?

How Long Does it Take to Learn SEO?

How Long Does it Take to Learn the Basics of SEO?

It takes 2-4 months to learn and apply the basics of SEO. You can master the fundamentals to generate your own clients online, or help others do the same. If you are running an agency or working for a larger company that requires fast growth, however, it may take anywhere between 1-2 years of training to master advanced SEO.

A key point to remember is that the kind of SEO you must learn depends on the industry you are trying to get clients in. So, for instance, SEO for a law firm may require that you learn copywriting as an emphasis in your SEO. However, SEO for a fashion brand may require a completely different set of tools separate from copywriting.

Also, note that SEO consistently changes with every search engine update. When Google makes a new update, certain industries like affiliate marketing may need to restructure the focus of their business plan. Thus, you should expect to spend some free time keeping updated with SEO best practices so that you don’t stay behind.

Some people learn through an internship, an online class, or just starting their own business and experimenting. Our advice is that you should learn in a manner that doesn’t burn you out. SEO is a long game, and the number one reason people stop learning is that they become impatient with results.

When Do I Get Results in SEO?

Whether you are hiring an agency or working on SEO yourself, you need to have the patience to wait at least 6 months for results. Even then, the most you’ll see may be a few clicks including some spammers here and there.

It can take anywhere from 6-18 months for real results to show from good SEO. That means organic traffic that can be reliably monetized, and not just bots roaming the internet. So, even if you’ve followed all the best practices and implemented every technique, you won’t see major results instantly. These things take time!

So, you may wonder to yourself whether such an investment is actually worth it. What if you’re a real estate agent, and you need to snag clients fast? Or, let’s say you’re a freelance tradesman who doesn’t have time to fiddle around with nerdy marketing “stuff”? What if you absolutely cannot afford to spend the 6-18 months required to see results?

Well, you’ll most probably still need it.

Whether it’s through outsourcing talent or bootstrapping it yourself, how you generate organic traffic and moetizable results is up to you. However, what’s clear to every freelancer and business owner is that SEO has one of the most valuable assets one could ask for: marketing that is passive. Properly optimized blog posts and web UI/UX handles itself. You don’t need to get customers through knocking door-to-door. Instead, the customers come to you. Once SEO is done right, you don’t have to worry about fishing for customers ever again.

This is an asset to practically any business owner. Thus, you most likely still need it. It’s likely that spending the 6-18 months learning SEO techniques yourself will be worth it. Though, if you can’t you may want to consider hiring an SEO expert.

Pay for SEO? Or, Do it Yourself?

So, we now know that most if not all businesses can greatly benefit from SEO. Free marketing and consistent clients means less outreach costs.

However, let’s say the 6-18 months required to learn and get results from SEO is just too long. The question then becomes this: should I hire someone to do SEO for me? Or, should I still do SEO on my own?

This of course relies heavily on both your industry and individual circumstances. SEO can be an expensive cost for small businesses and especially freelancers. However, it may not be too big an expense for larger companies looking to save money on hiring a marketing team. Thus, I would say that if you’re on the fence about whether to pay for SEO or do it yourself, you should speak with us. We can give you a custom plan and suggestions based on a free phone consultation. We also respond within 48 hours.

If you want to pay for someone to do SEO for you because learning to do it on your own is too much of a time commitment, that’s okay! Here’s what I would recommend you keep in mind when purchasing SEO services.

Ask multiple agencies and freelancers. Freelancers work for smaller scale businesses and agencies are better suited for larger companies.
Remember that SEO is a long game. You need to communicate with your SEO expert; thus, it’s important that you’re okay with working with this person for a long span of time.
Make sure the person has evidence of real results from their SEO experinece. Have they scaled their own business or used SEO tools to generate clients?
Know EXACTLY what you’re paying for. SEO marketing is filled with a lot of jargon. Thus, you need to know what exactly your money is going to. Are there random, nonsensical add-ons tacked onto your bill? Are these prices reasonable?
Know what the market average is like. A person providing SEO services may also need to provide UI/UX, site design, backlink outreach, keyword research, and copywriting (blogging) services in order to ensure you maximize results. How much of that can you do on your own? How much of that requires professional help? Do the math and compare around. For us, we provide all those items for people for an average of 3,200 a month. However, rates would depend on the individual, how quickly they want result, their competitiors, and what industries they are in.

If you have to learn SEO yourself, I would recommend staying away from YouTube. This is because YouTube is often filled with people looking to sell courses that have little to no value past the free courses you can get practically anywhere else. From what I’ve seen, you can learn the basics of SEO and bootstrap everything you need with only a few resources. Typically, you would only need 2 guides max to learn the basic fundamentals. I recommend finishing a guide one at a time. Here are a few free resources I highly advise.

I would also suggest that those who are looking to get a job in SEO or work under another company as a marketing specialist earn their Google Analytics Certificate. You can find more info here.

So there it is! In short, it takes around 2-4 months to learn basic SEO, and 1-2 years to get very good at it. However, it takes anywhere between 6-18 months to get very good at it. If you have any other questions about how long it takes to learn SEO, or just questions about SEO for your business in general, don’t be afraid to schedule a free consultation! I’ve worked to scale my own business and replace my own income using SEO, so I know how to approach it from the business side!