SEO and Ranking Foundations

Using SEO techniques to rank in Google and other search engines is essential for the success of any online business.  I got SEO and ranking foundations training from Wealthy Affiliate 8 years ago, and I’m working as a full-time affiliate marketer as a result.  Their techniques work.

In this 5-part training series from the experts at Wealthy Affiliate, you’ll learn everything you need to know about creating content that will not only be loved by your readers, but loved by the search engines as well!

SEO and Ranking Foundations

This SEO course includes the following SEO optimization classes:

Class #1: Beginner’s Guide to Ranking in Search.  Your website has two audiences:  1) your readers and 2) search engines.  Doing SEO correctly helps interested readers to find your website online.  In this class, the instructor will go through all aspects of SEO and show you some best practices to get your website off the ground, whether it’s a new website, or a seasoned website.

I have found that having an equal balance between “writing for Google” and “writing for people” provides the most success in rankings.  Follow the SEO techniques you learn in this class, but also remember you’re posts are being read by real people.  Make it interesting, engaging and helpful for your reader!

Class #2:  SEO Foundations – On-Page SEO.  Optimizing your website for SEO can be challenging if you don’t undertand the basic guidelines.  In this live class, the instructor will walk you through the core elements of on-page SEO and how it can drastically increase your website traffic from the search engines while also creating a great experience for your readers.

When I was new af affiliate marketing, I had an SEO Checklist posted on the wall above my computer.  I had to refer to that list every time I wrote a post so I wouldn’t forget the SEO steps Wealthy Affiliate taught me.  I don’t need the list anymore, but I’m sure you’ll benefit from making a list for yourself.  At the end of this post, I’ll give you a link to a printable SEO checklist you can use if you like.

Class #3:  SEO Foundations – Off-Page SEO.  Off-page SEO has gotten a bad reputation for being a form of manipulating search engines to cheat or game the system somehow.  This class will show you otherwise!  The instructor will walk you through how you can improve your off-page SEO strategies ethically.

Stress the word, “ethically.”  I’ve never been any sort of spammer, but over the years I think I made some mistakes following the advice of people on YouTube (who didn’t know what they were talking about!) to get more traffic and sales.  Take this particular training to heart.  It’ll save you a ton of grief in the long run.  Trust me on this.

Class #4:  SEO Foundations – Internal Linking Posts.  Internal links are extremely under utilized as an SEO strategy.  In this class, you’ll learn about how internal links work and you can use internal linking to drive relevant traffic to all pages of your website.

I’ve always known that you should have at least one internal link in each of your posts.  An internal link is a link to another post on your website that is relevant.  This may seem difficult in the beginning, but once you get more and more posts written, you’ll find you have plenty of posts to choose from to use as internal links.

But here’s something I learned just recently.  Not only does having internal links raise your ranking potential in the posts you write, but it also raises the ranking potential for the post whose link you’re inserting.  Apparently, if any post on your website isn’t linked again somewhere else on your site, Google may interpret that as meaning that post isn’t that great.  I’m not 100% sure this is true.  But I’ve been going through all of my posts to make sure each has been used as an internal link somewhere on my site.

Class #5:  SEO Foundations – Using Search Console for SEO. Google search console provides data regarding various elements of your website.  This can be a very powerful asset for you.  In this class, the instructor will walk you through everything you need to know to harness the power of Google search console.

To be honest, I’ve found the process of using and analytizing data on Google search console downright mind-numbing over the years.  I use Google console on a regular basis to make sure my content is indexed, ranking, and doesn’t have any errors that would hurt my site.  But I know I also need to take more classes on Wealthy Affiliate for this.  When I started 8 years ago, I don’t think they had detailed training on this.  But now that they do, I need to take this particular class right along with you!

You can watch this entire training series for free with Wealthy Affiliate’s 14-day trial.