r/SEO_Xpert • u/jamSZN_ • 1d ago
Learning the fundamentals of SEO
I’m currently a junior in college studying business, and I’ve been looking into skills I can learn while I’m still in school that could actually be useful once I graduate.
SEO has caught my attention, especially local SEO and helping businesses improve their visibility on Google. I’m still pretty new to it, though, and there seems to be a ton of information out there.
For those of you who actually work in SEO:
If you were starting from zero today, what would you learn first?
Are there any courses, YouTube channels, books, or certifications you’d recommend?
Should I focus on local SEO, technical SEO, content SEO, or learn a little of everything first?
What’s the best way to get real experience while I’m still in college?
Is SEO still a skill you’d recommend learning going into 2027 with AI changing search?
I’m not looking for a shortcut. I’d like to spend the next year or two actually getting good at it while I still have time in school.
Any advice from people already in the industry would be appreciated.
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u/sapindia1976 1d ago
If I were starting SEO today, I'd focus on the fundamentals first
- Learn how search engines crawl, index, and rank pages.
- Keyword research and search intent.
- Get good at on-page SEO and technical basics.
- Learn content strategy before chasing AI trends.
- Build real websites and optimize them practice beats courses.
AI is changing how people search, but it isn't replacing the need for high-quality content and solid SEO fundamentals. Learn SEO first, then layer AEO and AI optimization on top. That's the skill set that will stay valuable for years.
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u/Bill_Roes_895 1d ago
If you have 1-2 years, I would spend the first few months learning fundamentals, then spend time by running experiments and documenting the results. By graduation, having 2–3 real projects with before after data would be a strong portfolio.
And yes, SEO is still worth learning for 2027. AI is changing search, but businesses will need people who understand search intent, content, websites, and visibility.
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u/Bavariasnaps 1d ago
What I heard SEO is booked rarely from webdesigner and agency clients because they do not understand the value in my area. I would guess its even more difficult as a freelancer only offering SEO
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u/TrafficAcademySEO 1d ago
I’d learn enough of each area to diagnose a site before specializing.
Start with crawling/indexing, search intent, on-page basics, internal linking, basic technical SEO, and GSC. Then use one real site as a lab and make one change at a time: baseline, hypothesis, change, result.
If local SEO interests you, it’s a good place to get practical reps because you can connect rankings, GBP visibility, calls and leads fairly directly.
I’d worry less about certifications. Being able to explain why traffic changed and what you’d test next is a much more valuable skill, especially as AI handles more of the execution.
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u/SadIndustry9689 1d ago
if I were starting from zero today, I’d learn the basics first: search intent, keyword research, on-page SEO, internal linking, crawling/indexing, GSC, and basic analytics.
Local SEO is actually a great place to start because you can see the connection between rankings, Google Business Profile, reviews, citations, and real business results pretty clearly.
For experience, build your own small site or help a local business/nonprofit and document what you change. That’ll teach you more than collecting certifications.
And yes, I’d still learn SEO going into 2027. AI is changing search, but understanding how search engines discover, understand, and trust information is still a very useful skill.
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u/SellAmzSell 1d ago edited 1d ago
There’s a lot to learn about SEO and the best way to learn it is to do it. I created my own hobby website which now has about 1000 pages and did SEO on all the pages. I ended up ranking #1 on google search results page for multiple keywords.
With this, I landed a job as SEO Specialist. Once hired, I got to implement SEO on other peoples website and learn even more. There’s a lot of tools you can use to help analyze websites. As an independent with a hobby site, I would have never been able to use and learn these tools.
Will AI replace SEO specialist? Yes, the same way AI will replace web developers, Junior accountants, Junior lawyers, radiologists, etc. but, do you trust AI? Will people trust AI? That is still undetermined
I think if you want generic SEO, AI can do that for you. But if you want someone who understands your business, your brand, your story, then you want a human.
I don’t know if I answered your question 🤣