SEO is Challenging Enough, Try it When Things are Always Changing
Changes are constantly occurring in the world of SEO and digital marketing. Moz publishes a widely watched list of known Google SEO algorithm updates here, and they show 10 announced or suspected changes in the past year, but in the introduction to their list, they claim that Google changes their algorithm 500-600 times per year. Whether or not that number is accurate is really beside the point. It’s fair to say Moz’s list of “major” updates is, if anything, a vast understatement of the degree of change in search. If you add in the changes that occur with Bing, all the social media platforms, mobile, technology, you soon become overwhelmed with the thought of keeping track.
We certainly sympathize. At the Search Engine Academy, our flagship SEO training workshop is 5 days and covers, conservatively, hundreds of SEO topics during the course of the training. So it’s, well, interesting keeping our teaching materials up to date. And 2016 has been a busy year.
Starting with our January workshops we’ll be rolling out updated materials. Here are just some of the things that have changed:
- Keyword Research (we cover it on Day 1 and then return to it on Day 3) – Google has changed their keyword planner, making it more restrictive for organic SEO research. We’ve had to update to cover the changes and, more importantly, to give you a nifty workaround so you can still find out the size of your target audience
- Paid Search (PPC, or Google AdWords) – dozens of changes have been rolled out by Google, the latest of which is Expanded Text Ads. Our entire morning on Thursday (Day 4) is devoted to Google AdWords fundamentals, including the latest changes
- SERP (Search Engine Results Page) Layout – Google has changed the way their search results pages look dramatically over this past year. On Day 1 we’ve updated our course to bring you up to speed with the latest changes and how they impact your search marketing
- Google Analytics has been updated as well. In our sections on Google Analytics on Day 1 (basics) and Day 4 (advanced Analytics), we’ve made sure to give you the current best ways to analyze your data, and we also have added a section on dealing with Analytics spam, which has started to overwhelm unprepared Analytics users.
- Local SEO has changed as much or more this past year as in any year since Google introduced local search way back in 2004. We have sections on Local SEO on Days 2 and 3, and both days have the latest from the front lines of the local search battlefront.
- Mobile Search and Apps – If local search has changed rapidly, the changes in mobile have been positively supersonic. Things like deep linking and ASO (App Store Optimization) have emerged from the realm of theory and are now having a real impact on digital marketing. Fortunately, we give you a handle on both now on Day 3.
- Google Search Console is not merely the new name for what used to be Google Webmaster Tools, GSC has brought with it a host of new features and refinements (for example in Search Analytics, the use of property sets, feedback on mobile issues, to name a few) that are covered on Day 4.
- Technical SEO may not be your thing, but some tech issues in search won’t go away, such as structured data and Google’s movement to prefer “https” (secure protocol) sites. And what about AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)? Are they pushing hard on that, or what? So it’s a good thing our Day 5 does pick up some of the tech SEO slack by focusing on these and a few other key issues that you can’t afford to ignore.
- Our SEO Certification exam, which is administered to students who want to get SEA certified, has been completely remastered for the latest information.
Bottom line: if you’re interested in the latest in SEO training, don’t waste time, we have a full range of SEO Workshops in January. Pick the one closest to you (or in a city that sounds like a fun business trip) and register today.
5-Day SEO Complete Workshops in January
- January 9-13, Dallas, Texas – Sign up here
- January 9-13, Las Vegas, Nevada – Sign up here
- January 23-27, Tampa, Florida – Sign up here
- January 24-27, Montreal, Canada – Sign up here
- January 30-February 3, Brisbane, Australia – Sign up here