By this late stage in Google’s history, you are probably thinking it is too late to learn SEO. It seems that the big websites dominate, the smaller websites have their flashes of glory, but otherwise, things are paid up and set. Yet, you would be surprised how much impact a single person can make on the Internet. This is not like Twitter where the ones with the biggest budgets are the only ones that make any impact. With Google, there is so much jostling for position on the search engines that most people can get a slice of the action at some point. It is still a good idea to learn SEO.

But Wait, Haven’t I Missed Too Much Already?

There is this unfair feeling that if you get into the SEO game at this late stage that you will be running too far behind all the other people to ever catch up. Yet, the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) industry isn’t something that is constantly shifting. It is more like learning how to write programs. Sure, there are a few developments every few years, but it doesn’t make the whole situation more difficult to learn.

What About All The Stuff I Missed?

You are in luck because all the stuff you missed doesn’t matter. You are going to hear words like “Keyword stuffing” and “Black-hat SEO” and you may worry that it is too much to learn, but the fact is that the SEO stuff from the last 20 years doesn’t really matter anymore. The rules pretty-much shifted in 2014, and since then the same SEO rules have applied with very little variation. 

All the stuff on websites, on YouTube videos, and in books that explained how SEO works are all redundant. They are nothing. They are gone. Nowadays, SEO works in the new post-2014 way, and that is all you need to learn.

Will I Need to Re-Learn in 5 Years?

There are some qualifications that have a shelf life. Programming/coding is a commonly cited example of a qualification that expires. When you learn something like coding, you have to keep abreast of modern changes and enhancements. The more you resist learning new stuff, then the more out of date your coding becomes.

In truth, there is a little bit of this within the world of SEO. You do have to keep your information up to date, but it is rarely something big. For example, more recently, certain words about gender are not considered search engine friendly, but that is about all you need to know for now. The development previous to that was that Twitter doesn’t really have an SEO benefit anymore and Instagram does. 

If you are interested in learning more, then there are places that teach you everything you need to know. There are places that teach full courses where you can learn SEO at your own pace. Try the SEO Academy. They have courses that teach the sort of up-to-date information that will keep you informed for years to come. They teach you the core fundamentals and then teach you the top tips-sort of stuff that you see on YouTube. Learn at your own pace and then test out your knowledge on your own website or even on your social media channels.