by Jillian McCoy

Created on: September 08, 2010

Search engine optimization (or SEO) is a confusing subject to get wrapped up in. Keywords, tags, backlinks and lots of other details go into making your content rank well in the search engines. Unfortunately, lots of amateurs and shady marketers complicate the SEO learning experience. They know it's Greek to you, and give out lots of misinformation about how it's done. You might get some quality information, but might also wind up chasing your tail. Fortunately, there are a few SEO authorities willing to lend a hand.

There are two names that stand out as the best websites for learning SEO. Both offer a wealth of free resources and tools to help you get started, as well as premium services for businesses and individuals that need additional training.

 SEOmoz

SEOmoz provides software and tools to help simplify your SEO experience. Their tools can help you figure out how competitive a keyword phrase is, how strong your competitors are, and where your website's weak points are. If you don't need software, SEOmoz still has lots to offer you. They offer a free beginner's guide to SEO, as well as maintaining a blog full of helpful tips and tricks. There's a second blog maintained by the website's thriving community (about 100,000 followers strong), and the website's strong social media presence makes it easy to connect with other members. Last but not least, SEOmoz also features a job board. This not only shows you what businesses are looking for in an SEO professional, but may be a place for you to earn some money for your learning efforts further down the line.

 SEOBook

This is considered one of the best websites for learning SEO for several reasons. First and foremost, the wealth of free information and tools are appreciated by SEO learners the world over. Their helpful and free browser toolbar gives you competitive information about any website, including its pagerank and backlinks. Like SEOmoz, they offer a free training course for SEO newbies. SEOBook gives away powerful strategies to help you rank better, as well as insightful information about the SEO industry and how to make SEO work for you. They provide SEO content through their blog, videos and their paid training program. There's also a forum for members of their subscription program, to discuss strategies and get answers to all your questions.  SEO consulting normally comes at a hefty hourly rate (think $60 per hour and up), so investing in a program that gives round-the-clock access may be a valuable tool for small business owners and other online professionals.

Though both SEOmoz and SEOBook stay in business with their paid offerings, both offer an overwhelming amount of free training materials. These are the best websites for learning SEO as a beginner, but are still great for more advanced learners. If you're looking for a complete education in SEO, these are the resources to familiarize yourself with.

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