SEO Coaching vs Course: Which one is better?
Whether you’re starting your SEO career, or you want to upskill yourself, you can get confused on whether you should take personalized coaching or a course.
As the names suggest, one is personalized and one is not. But there are a lot of factors that go into deciding which one is perfect for you.
By the end of this post, you will have a clear understanding of which one to take to become more skilled in SEO.
Table of Contents
Too Long; Didn’t Read
SEO Coaching is best for you if you’re looking for answers to your specific questions. This is because coaching is tailored to your specific needs. And you should take courses when you want a structured reading experience that covers a bunch of different topics.
What is SEO Coaching?
SEO coaching is where you get personalized guidance from a coach on how to improve your website’s visibility in SERPs. As it is personalized, you can ask any kind of question or seek guidance about any SEO topic you have in mind.
Coaching can be one to few, or it can be 1:1. So for example, a lot of coaches give coaching to a small group that includes 1-10 people. Or it can be 1:1, so there will be only a coach and the coachee.
An SEO Coach is someone who has experience in different fields of SEO and can guide you in your SEO journey. Because the coach is experienced, they should be able to teach concepts in an easy-to-understand manner and help the student achieve their goals.
For example, I write about SEO on this site, Packted, and as you can see, I have generated over 1.36M in impressions from Google Search from Aug 2022- Aug 2023.
The similar goes for Google Analytics 4. The site had 8k+ users in the last 12 months from Organic Medium.
What Does SEO Coaching Include?
Coaching at its core includes calls that are full of guidance and each session is tailored to your specific needs.
The coach first understands your needs, like what exactly you want to learn. According to your answers, the coach will prepare a custom roadmap that will answer all your questions. The coach will then prepare all the materials needed for the call and then they show up on the call.
The schedule of the calls is fixed according to your availability. So if you only want one call per week at a specific time, that’s fine with the coach.
Each call will include a teaching part and a Q&A part. Depending on whether the coach will provide notes or not, you may want to take notes. After the teaching part is done, you can ask any questions you like. Once the call is done, the coach can give you extra materials like notes, further readings, and any template or checklists to help your workflow.
Is SEO Coaching the Best for You?
SEO Coaching is best for you if you’re looking for answers to your specific questions, and you can invest the time and money into upskilling yourself.
As SEO coaching needs 1:1 participation from both the coach and the student, it is good to see if it’s really the one for you or not. So here are some questions that you can ask yourself to see if you should take coaching or not:
- Do you find it hard to access whether the strategy you’re making is right or not?
- Are you someone who finds it overwhelming to keep up with the industry?
- Do you have the time and resources to invest in coaching?
- Is it hard for you to understand if you’re making the right choices or not?
- When performing audits, it’s hard for you to see where to start or what issues to fix.
- Do you learn better by learning alone or learning with an experienced person?
If any of these questions resonate with you, then it means that you should take the coaching.
When you’re asking these questions to yourself, it’s good to seek answers related to the coach like:
- How experienced is the coach?
- Do they have experience/expertise in topics I want to learn?
- What is their reputation in the SEO industry?
- what is their method of teaching?
- Do they include real-life and practical examples in their sessions?
Apart from these questions, here are some things that will make this a worthwhile investment:
- Understanding what are your goals. Why are you taking this coaching?
- Your ability to take the time out to study after the session and do the homework (if there’s any provided)
- Keeping an open mind and asking questions. Remember there’s no silly question
- Implementing what has been taught in the coaching session
- Review and reflect on what you learned and adjust your strategies based on the feedback provided
What is an SEO Course?
An SEO course is usually a pre-recorded set of videos that is about a certain topic or covers a bunch of topics. You can find SEO courses that cover every aspect of SEO like content, keywords, links, and more. Apart from this, you can also find courses that are specialized in specific topics.
What Does SEO Course Include?
On a surface level, an SEO course includes a bunch of pre-recorded videos. A lot of courses include certification, but some don’t. The course instructor combines the knowledge and records the videos. Apart from videos, a lot of courses offer downloadable material, like the slides used in the lesson, or any other further notes about the lessons. include
In some cases, a course is also attached to a community, where you can clarify your doubts and talk with like-minded people.
Courses are a great way of learning concepts. They usually combine all the knowledge you need in one place and it’s easier to learn. This is because the courses are self-paced. This means that you can learn from the course anytime, anywhere. If you’re someone who likes the self-paced aspect of courses, then they can be worth it too.
Differences Between SEO Coaching and Courses
There are a lot of differences between coaching and courses when it comes to personalization, interaction, feedback, flexibility, depth of learning, and more. Let’s look at all the differences through this table.
| Aspect | SEO Coaching | SEO Course |
|---|---|---|
| Personalization | Coaching is personalized for each learner. | Courses are made to appeal to a large amount of audience. |
| Interaction | The interaction happens directly with the coach for asking questions | Interaction with other members through forums or Q&A sections. |
| Skill level | You can get immediate feedback from the coach on any topic or strategy. | Courses are not made to be designed for each person’s skill levels |
| Feedback | The learning happens one-sided with no direct interactions. | Getting feedback on your strategies is hard and not immediate |
| Flexibility | The coaching schedule is fixed according to your availability. | You can learn courses at your own pace. |
| Depth of learning | The sessions are in-depth about each topic | It depends on the type of course. Some courses are in-depth, while others are generalized. |
| Cost | Coaching is typically expensive because of the personalized attention | Ranges from free to $999+ |
| Style of learning | The learning is interactive and conversational. | The learner is self-accountable |
| Progress | The progress happens at a much faster pace because of the direct guidance | The progress depends on how dedicated you are. |
| Accountability | The learner is accountable to the coach | The learner is self accountable |
| Suitable for | Suitable for people who need personal guidance, and are looking to solve specific problems. | Suitable for people who like self-paced learning and want to learn in a structured manner. |
Let’s discuss some points in depth.
- Price: You can get SEO courses for any amount you like. This is because it ranges from free to a few thousand dollars. But when it comes to coaching, it might not be a suitable option for many learners because of the price. Coaching generally is expensive compared to courses, but it yields the most returns.
- Personalization: The biggest disadvantage of courses is that the curriculum of the course is not specifically tailored for each learner. But when it comes to coaching, it’s quite the opposite. The learner communicates their needs to the coach, and the coach makes the experience specifically tailored to each learner. The coach will only cover topics that the learner wants to know and there is also room for asking questions. The coach will also keep in mind the level of understanding each learner has.
- Accountability: When you’re studying from a course, it becomes hard to take accountability for your actions and you might not implement whatever you’re learning. But when it comes to coaching, you are accountable to your coach. This helps you stay on track and implement the things you’re learning.
What is the Best Way to Learn SEO?
The best way to learn SEO will depend on your needs. If you want to solve specific doubts, need quick feedback, or need help understanding how effective your strategies are, then coaching is the best option for you. If you like structured learning experience that covers a lot of topics then you should take courses.
That being said, it can also happen that when you’re starting SEO, you can take courses to learn fundamentals and when you need specific guidance, then you can go for coaching.
While we’re on the subject, you might ask if it’s feasible to learn SEO without any coaching or courses. And the answer is yes. A lot of people never took coaching or courses in order to become experts. This way is free, but it takes a LOT of time. And because there’s a lot of misinformation in the SEO industry, it can happen that you end up learning the wrong things. This is largely because when you’re learning like this, you will consume different kinds of knowledge from different people. And what can happen is that you will learn for a long period of time without actually implementing anything.
Having guidance on where to start, what to learn, and whom to learn from is very important when it comes to SEO. There are a lot of people who are still teaching the old tactics. And when you’re a new learner in the world of SEO, it becomes hard to distinguish what is right and what is not. That’s why having a mentor or coach will help you make sure you’re doing the right things.
Recommended Reading: Learn SEO With 170+ Free And Paid Resources
Final Words
SEO coaching can be beneficial for you in any part of your journey. Whether you’re starting out, or you’re a bit experienced. Whether you’re an in-house, freelancer, or a business owner. Even the most experienced people in the industry need guidance in order to make the right decisions.
On the other hand, courses are best for learning different topics at once. It covers a bunch of topics in a structured manner. Courses are a great way of upskilling yourself without spending a lot of time and resources.
