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SEO Essentials with Semrush

If anyone knows search engine optimization, it's Semrush. So why not kickstart your journey with this free beginner SEO course, designed to teach you the basics of using Semrush for SEO? If you want to learn foundational techniques to grow your online visibility and apply them right away, this course is for you!

Who is this сourse for?

This course is for any SEO beginner and those looking to get started using the Semrush SEO toolkit. Whether you're already familiar with the concepts and just want the Semrush tutorials, or you're starting from scratch, you're in the right place.

What you’ll learn

In this crash course, you'll learn the basics of using Semrush for SEO, including keyword research, technical SEO, content optimization, and backlink identification. We'll dive into each concept and help you set up Semrush tools for your site.

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Semrush has been recognized by the search community across the globe, winning several accolades as the best SEO software suite. Learn more

Kyle Byers

Kyle Byers

Kyle Byers is the Director of Organic Search at Semrush. He leads Semrush’s global SEO, CRO, Organic Content, and International Blogs teams. Kyle has built and led SEO and digital marketing teams both agency-side and in-house for startups, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between. His work has been featured and cited in major media and industry publications.

Rita Cidre

Rita Cidre

Rita Cidre is a marketing leader, instructor, and storyteller with 15 years of experience working at the intersection of marketing and content. Rita has held growth marketing leadership roles at Zillow Group, Time Inc., and National Public Radio (NPR). Currently, as the Head of Academy at Semrush, she builds innovative educational programs and courses designed to empower digital marketers around the globe.

Course Structure

1

Welcome to SEO with Semrush

Welcome to SEO Essentials with Semrush! Meet our Head of Academy, Rita, who will be going over what you can expect to be covered in this course.
1 video
2 minutes
2

Housekeeping

Make sure to download our worksheet and have a Semrush account (and Project) ready to go to get the most out of this course!
1 video
1 minute
3

Walkthrough: Access Your Semrush Account and Complete Setup Tasks

This tutorial walks you through account creation and essential setup tasks to customize your experience. Complete your profile, set preferences, and connect analytics tools to unlock the full power of your Semrush account.
1 video
14 minutes
4

Strategy: What is SEO?

In this video, Kyle Byers, Head of Organic Search at Semrush, will explain exactly what search engine optimization means, the different forms it may appear in, and why it's so important, even if you don't work with it directly.
1 video
4 minutes
5

Strategy: The 3 Components of SEO

In this video, Kyle explains the 3 key components of SEO: On-page, Off-page, and Technical, as well as a brief intro to how keywords work.
1 video
3 minutes
6

Walkthrough: Measure Your Visibility

The first step in any SEO process is competitive research. This quick tutorial walks you through the essential Semrush tools for revealing your rivals' traffic sources, backlink profiles, and keyword performance. Perfect for anyone looking to gain a competitive advantage in organic search!
1 video
8 minutes
7

Strategy: Intro to Keyword Research

Learn how to identify the best keywords for your website using Semrush. This video covers search volume, keyword difficulty, relevance, and search intent—helping you choose keywords that drive traffic and conversions. Whether you're targeting head, medium-tail, or long-tail keywords, you'll get actionable insights to improve your SEO strategy.
1 video
10 minutes
8

Walkthrough: Identify Your Target Keywords

Discover how to unlock SEO success with the Semrush keyword research suite. This video guides you through some of our most popular tools like Keyword Overview, Keyword Magic Tool, and Keyword Gap, that can help you boost traffic and outsmart competitors.
1 video
16 minutes
9

Walkthrough: Set up Position Tracking

Learn how to quickly set up Position Tracking wuth Semrush to monitor your keyword rankings, track competitors, and measure visibility across specific locations and devices.
1 video
6 minutes
10

Strategy: On-Page SEO

In this video, Kyle dives into on-page SEO, including SERPs, where it's appropriate to add your keywords, and what makes a great title tag and meta description.
1 video
10 minutes
11

Strategy: Technical SEO

In this video, Kyle discusses technical SEO, why it's arguably the most important of the 3 SEO components, and touches on how search engines work to understand crawlability.
1 video
4 minutes
12

Walkthrough: Identify Technical Errors with Your Website

Explore how Semrush's Site Audit tool can reveal hidden website issues impacting your search performance! This walkthrough shows what the tool can tell you about your site and which fixes deliver the biggest SEO impact.
1 video
6 minutes
13

Strategy: Off-Page SEO

In this video, Kyle explains off-page SEO, also known as off-site SEO. You'll learn about backlinks, how they work, and why they're fundamental to succeeding in SEO, as well as the Semrush tool that can help you find where to target them.
1 video
8 minutes
14

Strategy: How to Find Backlink Opportunities

In this video, you'll learn some practical ways to build backlinks, from guest blogging to finding unlinked brand mentions.
1 video
4 minutes
15

Walkthrough: Identify Backlink Opportunities

Learn how to use Semrush's backlink analysis tools to get a picture of your website's link profile and the competitive landscape. This walkthrough explains what these tools actually track, how to interpret link quality metrics, and ways to identify valuable link-building opportunities.
1 video
10 minutes
16

BONUS: Local SEO Strategy and Walkthrough

A quick mention of Local SEO, and why if you're a brick-and-mortar store who wants to get their name out there on Google Maps and other platforms, you should register a Google Business Profile!
1 video
1 minute
17

Inside the Transformation of Morningside Acupuncture

From struggling with local visibility to dominating NYC's competitive acupuncture market - watch how Teddy Levarda, Owner of Morningside Acupuncture & Licensed Acupuncturist used Semrush to quadruple his revenue and grow organic traffic by 2,900%. No paid ads, just smart local SEO tools that turned Morningside Acupuncture into a 5-star success story.
1 video
1 minute
18

Congratulations and Next Steps

Congratulations on completing your course! In this video, Rita walks you through the next steps after earning your certificate. Discover three exciting ways to continue your SEO journey: explore recommended Semrush Academy courses, visit the onboarding page, and sign up for the online workshops (available only for Semrush paid subscribers).
1 video
2 minutes
19

Would You Recommend this Course?

One last thing! If you enjoyed this course (or even if you didn't, we won't take it personally), please give us some feedback so we can keep making even better free content in the future!
1 video
1 minute
Enroll for free
Start your SEO journey today with this course, packed with strategies you can implement right now.
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