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Ever wonder why some pages pop up at the top of your internet search results and others — maybe yours — languish down the list? When it comes to ranking toward the top of a search engine query, the magic of landing on top isn’t, as it turns out, magic at all. It’s just good search engine optimization (SEO).

An SEO course can teach skills and strategy to benefit anyone with a website, whether a business owner, blogger or digital marketing specialist. And for someone thinking about turning a passion for SEO into a career or sharpening skills to improve their business rankings, learning SEO best practices is one way to take that first step.

But what are SEO best practices? Why are they valuable, and where are they taught? An SEO course is one of the best ways to develop skills in this digital specialty. 

Search engine optimization is the practice of fine-tuning a website and its pages to "rank" higher in organic search engine queries,  that aren’t influenced by paid advertising.

The reason SEO is so crucial is that ranking "first" (meaning, a webpage appears at the top of a search engine results page) can lead to greater visibility and potentially new customers or visitors. Appearing at the bottom of the first page or not on the initial results page at all, on the other hand, can devastate click rates or relegate a company’s online presence to the black hole of the internet.

No one wants that — especially innovators or creatives who have developed unique products or services. In fact, going to great lengths to innovate and develop a product but not cracking the SEO code is sort of like opening a fresh new restaurant in a dark alley. A restaurant may have created an inspired menu and an inviting ambience, but it won’t matter if no one stumbles upon it.

SEO knowledge can take that restaurant from the internet’s back alleys to Main Street, figuratively speaking. And the best news is, SEO can by pursued online and at a comfortable pace, a company can or devote resources for someone on a marketing team to do so). Google Analytics might not be mastered overnight, but data-driven SEO tools can help get results.

"Deciding to hire an SEO [expert] is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time," notes the .

So, how do SEO professionals put their skills to work? Some common services include:

• A careful analysis of the current site and ranking (if applicable) on the first few pages of search engine queries in that industry or topic A doctor’s office in Omaha, for example, might want to appear on the first page of results for the search "doctors Omaha."
• Research potential keywords that are relevant to the field (doctors, Omaha, medical office, etc.) and compare those against other options.
• Present advice on ways to revamp, finish a build-out for or edit a website.
• Create new content or edit existing content for the site, including blog posts and images.

Offer SEO tips, create documents or even develop training seminars for other staff members who work with web content.

Learning SEO online just makes sense, since it’s work that will mostly be done to optimize a brand’s online presence.

Every course is different, so it’s important to consider goals when selecting an SEO course. A company looking to spruce up its website’s performance is different from a professional looking to turn their talent and interest into a career.

Investing in an online SEO course can teach how to:

• Improve the visibility of websites
• Interpret analytics reports for trends
• Do keyword research
• Evaluate Google Analytics to identify improvements in digital marketing

Some common topics in SEO courses are:

• Google Analytics
• Content marketing
• Keyword research
• Link building
• On-page optimization (and off-page optimization)
• Google Ads
• Mobile-friendly SEO
• SEO strategy in general
• Backlinks and backlinking
• RankBrain (a machine-learning AI system that Google uses to sort search results)
• SERP (aka search engine results pages)

This is the million-dollar question for anyone considering SEO certificates or an online SEO course. Those looking for a career in digital marketing must receive SEO training and a certificate.

And there are advantages to doing so. Consider, for example, the following:

• A course teaches a solid foundation for SEO: The industry is full of acronyms and jargon that may be unfamiliar. An SEO course can help eliminate the gaps.
• A course teaches what to avoid: SEO training can keep businesses from unintentionally spamming or using gimmicks that can actually end up hurting a site in rankings.

 describes SEO as less of a marketing cost and more like a business investment: SEO is "relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, and the payoff will most likely be considered in terms of a brand’s benefit to the bottom line."

And SEO isn’t just for global companies with global reach. Search Engine Journal also reports that for small- and medium-sized businesses, local search has become a central part of their success. Those who tailor local SEO can help a company canvass a local vicinity and carve a local edge.

Knowledge of brand optimization, use of backlinks, and a strong emphasis on user reviews are tricks of the local trade that can boost a brand’s local messaging. These are the types of nuanced skills that SEO certification can help deliver.

There are three key metrics to assess whether SEO efforts are paying off:

• Organic search traffic. An SEO-friendly site should see increasing organic traffic.
• Bounce rate. A high bounce rate hurts SEO, so keeping a website's visitors engaged (through great content and great user experience) is key.
• Conversion rate. Conversions may be the single most important SEO metric for small business marketers.

To that latter point, SEO can also help a business create content that stimulates interest in its brand without an overt sales pitch. Called "content marketing," this approach can help attract and engage potential customers and promote brand awareness — and well-crafted SEO can help put this messaging in front of people, so that when it’s time for them to buy, they’ll remember the brand.

To optimize content, SEO specialists must understand the search habits of users. Generally, "organic," or natural search, outperforms paid searches. This is true even though sponsored or paid content is given more prominent positions on search pages while organic results are bumped down the page.

While statistics vary based on timeframe and methodology. A  article pegs organic search at 53% of all website traffic. Organic rankings get clicks. In fact, according to that same article, over 99% of users click on one of the links in the first SERP.

This makes a site’s organic ranking crucial. More tend to skip past paid content to get to organic search results. Statistics from  show that a ranking of one to three accounts for more than half of click-throughs.

Remember that many users hold SEO efforts in the palm of their hands. Literally.

According to an article on , mobile devices are now the top option for searches. What does this mean for SEO and SERPs? Only 13% of websites retain the same position for search across all devices. In other words, a site might rank well on desktop but not even show up in the first page of rankings on mobile. This can have major financial consequences, especially if the demographic a site hopes to reach relies primarily on mobile usage.

An SEO specialist can navigate these nuances, making sure that a site is optimized for mobile as well as desktop.

SEO is essential in the hands of today’s digital marketers. A marketing course can help deliver the course material to develop expertise in SEO strategy — and hone the raw tools an SEO expert relies upon to excel in site rankings and optimization.

Many tools can help SEO professionals pull the data they need quickly and efficiently. These include Moz, SEMRush and Ahrefs. While they have various strengths and niches, in the hands of an SEO specialist, these tools can be maximized to:

• Drive insights and reporting
• Grow organic traffic
• Track SERP positions
• Analyze competitors
• Understand what customers are searching for
• Conduct link analysis

Other tools can analyze page speed () and responsiveness to mobile (). It’s important to use the right mix of tools for a company’s budget, size and objectives.