by Rachel Smith
01 July 2015
Hi Rachel and Leo! I have a question. What’s a good basic short course you would recommend on blogging? I [also] need some grassroots training in SEOs (still not 100 per cent sure what this even is, but I know it’s important!). Any ideas? Thanks! TM
I confess when it comes to blogging I’m pretty much self-taught (even though I’m starting to do some courses now to take this blog and my others to the next stage). That said, I know there are lots of basic courses available to get you started with several highly regarded providers – whether you do the course on-site, or online. Often with online courses, you’ll be able to do them on any device or computer at any time you like, and they often include transcripts and other tools to help you. Here are some places to start.
Poynter. This site has a heap of self-directed courses for journalists, like this one on developing a successful journalistic blog. You can start and stop whenever you like and courses on the site cost between $15-30. They also offer courses on SEO and web headlines which might be worth checking out.
Pluralsight. This vast online course provider offers a heap of courses for tech and creative people, including building a successful blog. There is a free trial, but to access all the courses you pay a monthly access fee.
Lynda. Another comprehensive online course provider. Here, you can do short courses on everything from writing for the web to setting up a blog. Like Pluralsight, it’s a subscription-based site although you can do a free trial. Monthly costs are around $40 to access any course you like.
The Writer’s Centre. There are heaps of online courses on offer here which you can do in your own time – and which cost under $100. Some you might like to check out include blogging for beginners and getting more blog readers which goes into SEO principles.
Centre for Continuing Education. If you’re based in Sydney, I can highly recommend the courses at Sydney Uni’s Centre for Continuing Education. This eight-hour workshop on search engine marketing isn’t cheap at $394 but it’s extremely comprehensive and could be a great first step.
Have you done any great blogging / SEO courses you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Another online training resource is udemy.com – mid-range to low priced, some certified. This lot are reasonably new kids on the block but they’re starting to gain some word-of-mouth cred.
For loads of free tips and insights from a successful blogger, check out blogtyrant.com. He’s upfront about any affiliate products he recommends.
Nice one Kaye, I’ll have to check those two out for sure – hadn’t heard of udemy.com or blog tyrant. Thanks heaps.
I did my blogging course at the MEAA in Sydney three years ago. Not sure if they still run these courses, but it was a full-day course – and excellent. Also, a post-course suggestion is to attend one of the monthly WordPress Meetups held in Sydney (Ultimo or Nth Sydney). They focus on a different topic each month and are very useful for those wanting information on specific aspects of blogging.
Thanks Ambra, I should’ve mentioned the MEAA! Great suggestions.
The Australian Writers’ Centre course in Sydney is run by Kim Berry. I saw her talk at Storyology last year and she is very good. I also know a couple of people who have done her course and highly recommended it.
Thanks Darren, good to know.
If you are in Victoria try the Council of Adult Education. I did the social media course and highly recommend it, a few hours on the weekend.
Sounds great, thanks Jan!