An 8-week syllabus allows for a paced learning experience where participants practice and apply concepts between sessions. This outline is designed to balance instruction, lab work, and measurable progress so attendees leave with an implemented audit and prioritized plan.
Objective: By the end of 8 weeks, participants will be able to perform a basic SEO audit, implement on-page improvements, and set up simple measurement to track progress. The course mixes lectures, live demos, and hands-on labs.
Cover what SEO is, how search engines work, and how to set realistic goals tied to business outcomes. Assign each participant to define one primary SEO goal (e.g., increase organic leads by X%) and prepare a target page for the course project.
Teach methods to discover keywords relevant to chosen goals, group keywords into topics, and map keywords to specific pages. Lab: create a keyword map for target pages and identify content gaps.
Focus on writing effective title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and optimizing page content for user intent. Lab: rewrite two pages with revised titles, headings, and improved content structure.
Explain indexing, crawlability, robots.txt, sitemaps, and mobile-first considerations. Lab: run a site crawl, interpret basic technical findings, and prioritize fixes.
Discuss page speed, image optimization, and layout shifts that affect Core Web Vitals. Lab: use free tools to identify at least two performance improvements and implement or document how to implement them.
Introduce safe, ethical link-building approaches suitable for beginners: outreach for resource pages, local partnerships, and content promotion strategies. Lab: identify three realistic link opportunities and draft outreach templates.
Teach tracking with Google Analytics and Search Console, setting up goals, and using data to refine priorities. Lab: create a simple dashboard of key metrics aligned with course goals.
Participants present a concise audit and a prioritized action plan based on what they learned. Provide peer feedback and finalize the 30- to 90-day implementation plan.
Grade on the quality of the final audit, clarity of the action plan, and evidence of applied improvements from earlier labs. Use a rubric that considers research depth, recommended fixes’ feasibility, and measurement alignment.
Provide templates: keyword map, on-page optimization checklist, technical audit checklist, and outreach email templates. Encourage instructors to demonstrate live changes on a sample site and to give time for hands-on practice during each session.
After the workshop, recommend monthly check-ins or office hours to help participants maintain momentum and iterate on their plans. Offer a follow-up module focused on data-driven content updates based on performance signals.