An SEO certification is generally known as a credential awarded for successful completion of a search engine optimization (SEO) assessment or course.
By earning SEO certifications from reputable providers, you can improve your SEO knowledge and demonstrate relevant skills to clients or employers.
Here are seven SEO certifications that real learners recommend:
Provider | Course | Price* | Length | Best for |
Semrush | SEO Essentials with Semrush | Free | 1 hour 52 minutes | SEO beginners seeking a quick and practical way to get started |
Udemy | SEO Training Masterclass 2025: Beginner to Advanced SEO | $109.99 | 18 hours 55 minutes | Beginners looking for a comprehensive SEO overview |
HubSpot | SEO Certification Course | Free | 3 hours 35 minutes | Beginners looking to learn SEO basics |
Blue Array | SEO Manager Certification | $667 | 30 hours+ | New or aspiring in-house SEO managers |
CXL | SEO Course Bundle | $599 | 18 hours 20 minutes | Intermediate to advanced B2B marketers |
Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) | SEO Online | $445 | 11 hours | Marketers looking to improve their employability |
Coursera/UC Davis | Google SEO Fundamentals | $59 if completed in one month | 13 hours 26 minutes | Marketers seeking a mid-length Google SEO course |
*Please see the sections below for more detailed pricing information
Keep reading to find out what these SEO certifications cover and why learners like them.
1. Semrush: SEO Essentials with Semrush
Semrush is a digital marketing platform used by many SEO professionals, and SEO Essentials with Semrush gives you a practical introduction to improving your search visibility.
- Instructors: Kyle Byers and Rita Cidre
- Length: 1 hour 52 minutes
- Price: Free
In addition to mastering SEO basics, you’ll learn how to use the Semrush SEO Toolkit to measure your website’s search visibility, conduct keyword research, monitor your Google rankings, identify technical errors on your website, find backlink opportunities, and more.

An accompanying worksheet makes it easy to track your progress and ensure you haven’t missed any important tasks.

To earn your SEO certification, you need to pass a 24-question exam.
You can then add the certificate to your LinkedIn profile, share your certificate via URL, or download a PDF certificate.
Sarai Henry, an aspiring marketing professional, earned her Semrush SEO certificate in May 2025. Sarai took the course as part of an internship to start building foundational skills.

Sarai says: “What I found most useful was how practical and beginner-friendly the SEO Essentials course was. It broke down complex SEO concepts like keyword research, on-page optimization, and website auditing into clear, manageable lessons. The real-world examples and actionable insights helped me understand how SEO works and how it can be applied in actual marketing scenarios.
“I also appreciated the interactive format and the final assessment that tested what I learned—it gave me a sense of accomplishment and confidence in my new skills.
“This course is especially valuable for college students or early-career professionals who might not feel confident in their career skills yet. Earning a certificate is not only a great way to build that confidence, but also a tangible credential to show recruiters and employers your commitment to growth and learning.”
You can discover more Semrush SEO certifications in the Semrush Academy.
2. Udemy: SEO Training Masterclass 2025: Beginner to Advanced SEO
Udemy is an online training platform covering a wide range of topics, and you can earn an SEO certification by completing the SEO Training Masterclass 2025: Beginner to Advanced SEO program.
- Instructor: Alex Genadinik
- Length: 18 hours 55 minutes
- Price: $109.99
The masterclass has attracted over 100K learners and earned a 4.5-star rating.
Alex covers essential topics like on-page and off-page SEO, as well as specialist topics like international SEO and WordPress SEO. And he updates the content almost monthly to keep pace with current SEO topics, such as AI SEO.

He also provides practical examples, so you can learn how to apply your knowledge to real-world scenarios.
At the end of each section, you’ll take a short quiz to evaluate your understanding of the material.
Alex says: “Due to the competitive nature of the marketplace, Udemy courses keep having to evolve, which means that I constantly update and improve my courses.”
As for who Alex’s courses are geared toward, he says: “My courses are ideal for people who already have some comfort working on the web and are either looking to start an SEO agency or just boost their website traffic.”
You can find more SEO certification options on the Udemy website.
3. HubSpot: SEO Certification Course
Hubspot’s SEO Certification Course covers on-page and technical SEO, keyword research, link building, website optimization, and SEO reporting.
- Instructors: Rachel Sheldon and Matthew Howells-Barby
- Length: 3 hours 35 minutes (8 lessons, 26 videos, and 5 quizzes)
- Price: Free
If you need help along the way, you can join conversations in the study group community.

To earn your SEO certification, you must score at least 45/60 on the end exam.
Freelance Content Writer Isobel Coughlan earned her SEO certification in May 2025.
She says: “I’ve been working in SEO content writing for nearly five years, so I know the on-page SEO landscape well. But I thought it was time to refresh my knowledge and make sure it’s in alignment with the current best practices.

“The most useful aspect of this course was that I could dip in and out of lessons. Everything was broken up into bite-sized portions—much like headings in an SEO blog—so it felt easy to follow and digest.
“I also appreciated the examples given throughout the course, as it’s always good to see practical applications of what you’re learning.”
4. Blue Array: SEO Manager Certification
Blue Array is an SEO agency based in the U.K. that offers an SEO Manager Certification program through its Blue Array Academy. Modules cover SEO fundamentals and specialist topics like ecommerce SEO, international SEO, and Google News optimization.
- Instructors: 13 SEO experts, including Lucinda Wood, Tom Pool, and Kim Dewe
- Length: 30+ hours of content
- Price: £497 (approximately $668)
The program is great for SEOs who learn through doing, as it provides a series of tasks to complete. For example, you’re required to configure Google Search Console and perform a keyword gap analysis.
Learners also receive templates to help them create an SEO roadmap, technical backlog, and more.
To earn your SEO certification, you need to score at least 80% on multiple knowledge tests.
Senior SEO Executive Laura Vaduva earned her SEO Manager Certificate in October 2024.
She says: “I took the course to refresh my SEO knowledge on areas I haven't been working on lately and to gain more knowledge on managing an in-house SEO team. I'm currently aspiring for a manager role.
“For me personally, the templates were the most useful part, as I've recently started to offer part-time freelance services in addition to my current in-house role. The course provided me with the clarity I needed.”

Laura recommends the course to three types of professionals:
- Junior SEO specialists looking to expend their knowledge in multiple areas
- In-house specialists looking to go freelance
- Entrepreneurs or agency managers looking to offer SEO as a service
You can find more SEO certification options on the Blue Array Academy website.
5. CXL: SEO Course Bundle
The SEO Course Bundle is a certification program offered by CXL, a B2B marketing education specialist and an authorized education provider on LinkedIn. The company has a 4.8-star rating on G2.
- Instructors: See table below
- Length: 18 hours 20 minutes
- Price: $599—also available through an all-access subscription
You can earn SEO certificates for completing each of the bundled courses:
Title | Instructor | Length |
Content Strategy for Demand Generation | 5 hours 27 minutes | |
Bottom-of-Funnel SEO Strategies in Tough Niches | 2 hours 26 minutes | |
On-Page, On-Site, and Programmatic SEO | 2 hours 2 minutes | |
SEO-Driven Editorial Calendar | 2 hours 3 minutes | |
Growth-Focused SEO Testing | 2 hours 22 minutes | |
SEO Link Building | 4 hours |
Instructor Logan Bryant says: “My ‘On-Page, On-Site, & Programmatic SEO’ course is beginner-friendly, yet it also provides a lot of deep, field-tested insights for intermediate to advanced SEO professionals.
“This course focuses on content strategy, on-page, and on-site SEO, which are typically the most impactful ways to drive performance for most companies. It also dives into the more advanced world of programmatic SEO for scaling thousands of pages to cast the widest net possible for traffic and rankings.”

“My other course, ‘Growth Focused SEO Testing’ also has some great beginner-friendly concepts. However, it is even more geared toward the intermediate-to-advanced SEO crowd.
“This course goes deeper into performance measurement techniques to help teams improve their measurement processes for SEO performance through iterative testing.”
You can find more SEO certification options on the CXL website.
6. Digital Marketing Institute: SEO Online
The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) is a leading digital marketing education provider (with a 4.6-star rating on Trustpilot), and the company offers an SEO Online course.
- Instructors: Varied
- Length: 11 hours
- Price: $445
Participants get access to five interactive learning modules covering key areas such as on-page and off-page optimization, mobile usability, content strategy, and performance evaluation.
Learners also receive a DMI Professional Membership, which provides access to thousands of extra resources and the DMI’s community forum.

To earn your certification, you need to pass a 40-question multiple-choice exam. And completing a DMI program can pay off in meaningful ways:
- Nearly 90% of employers say they’re more likely to hire candidates with a DMI certification on their resume, according to the DMI Chief Marketing Officer Survey 2024
- Over 95% of learners say they upskilled and improved their role-related performance, according to the DMI Business Member Survey 2024
You can find more SEO certification options on the DMI website.
7. Coursera/UC Davis: Google SEO Fundamentals
Google SEO Fundamentals is a certification course created by the University of California, Davis (ranked #9 in U.S. News list of Top Public Schools) and offered through Coursera.
- Instructor: Rebekah May
- Length: 13 hours
- Price: $59 (if you earn your certificate in one month)
To earn your certification, you need to complete four modules covering on-page seo, off-page SEO, technical SEO, and keyword research.
Each module includes videos, readings, assignments, and discussion prompts to keep you engaged and reinforce your learning.
The course has a 4.8-star average rating from over 3.6K reviews.
A recent reviewer writes:
“The Google SEO Fundamentals course on Coursera is a well-structured and insightful introduction to search engine optimization. It covers essential topics like on-page and off-page SEO, technical SEO, and keyword research in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. The video lectures and quizzes help reinforce key concepts effectively.
“One of the best aspects of this course is that it provides a strong foundation for beginners. The explanations are clear, and the real-world examples make it easier to grasp SEO strategies.”
You can find more SEO certification programs on the Coursera website.
Earn Your First SEO Certification
You can earn your first (or next) SEO certification in just a couple of hours—and without spending a penny.
Sign up free to start SEO Essentials with Semrush.