How long did it take you to learn SEO?

Seeking Advice
1

I’ve been learning SEO on my own, and I keep hearing different timelines for how long it takes to really get the hang of it. Some people say a few months for the basics, while others say it can take a year to master. What’s your experience with learning SEO? How long did it take you to feel comfortable with it?

2

For me, it took about 3 months to get the basics down. I was doing it part-time, though, like an hour a day. To really feel confident, I’d say it took closer to a year. But I learned a lot by practicing on my own website.

3

@Brody
Yeah, that seems to be the common timeline. Did you do any classes or just learn from free resources?

4

Isaac said:
@Brody
Yeah, that seems to be the common timeline. Did you do any classes or just learn from free resources?

I mostly used free resources like blogs, YouTube videos, and some online courses from Coursera and Moz. I also set up my own website to try things out, which helped a lot.

5

Honestly, I think it depends on how much time you can dedicate to it. I took a bootcamp course, and that really sped things up for me. It covered a lot in a short time and gave me hands-on experience.

6

Robin said:
Honestly, I think it depends on how much time you can dedicate to it. I took a bootcamp course, and that really sped things up for me. It covered a lot in a short time and gave me hands-on experience.

I’ve been thinking about doing a bootcamp. Do you feel like it was worth the cost?

7

@Isaac
Definitely! It was expensive, but the structured learning and access to an instructor made a huge difference. I learned faster than I would’ve on my own.

8

I’ve been at it for about six months now and still feel like I have a lot to learn. I’ve focused mainly on technical SEO, but I think I need more practice with keyword research and link building.

9

Desmond said:
I’ve been at it for about six months now and still feel like I have a lot to learn. I’ve focused mainly on technical SEO, but I think I need more practice with keyword research and link building.

Same here, I feel like mastering all the different parts of SEO takes time. How are you practicing your keyword research?

10

@Isaac
I’ve been using tools like SEMRush and Moz Keyword Explorer to find keywords, then testing them on a small blog I run. It’s helping me figure out what works.

11

If you’re looking to really get good at SEO, I’d say focus on practicing as much as possible. Theoretical knowledge is good, but nothing beats real-world application.

12

Seo said:
If you’re looking to really get good at SEO, I’d say focus on practicing as much as possible. Theoretical knowledge is good, but nothing beats real-world application.

Good advice! Do you recommend setting up a separate project just for practice?

13

@Isaac
Definitely. Starting a small site just for practice lets you try different techniques without risking anything major. Plus, you’ll learn faster by seeing how changes affect rankings.

14

I picked up the basics in about 4 months by watching YouTube tutorials and reading SEO blogs. I think what helped the most was focusing on tools like Google Analytics early on.

15

Casey said:
I picked up the basics in about 4 months by watching YouTube tutorials and reading SEO blogs. I think what helped the most was focusing on tools like Google Analytics early on.

Google Analytics seems like a big part of SEO. Do you use it often now?

16

@Isaac
Yeah, I use it all the time! It helps me track performance and figure out what’s working and what isn’t.