Do You Need an SEO Writing Certification to Get Better Jobs?
Why SEO writing certificates won’t get you the gig - but what will instead.
Have you seen our new free SEO writing training video? Watch now!
If you’re out there trying to land SEO writing jobs or thinking about becoming an SEO writer, you are probably wondering how to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
SEO can be a super competitive writing specialty to get into, so you are probably exploring ways to add extra experience, samples and credentials to your resume.
In this post, let’s talk about SEO writing certifications and if they are needed in your career. We’ll explore some common FAQs about SEO writing certificates so you can take the best next steps.
We’ll also talk about some alternatives to SEO writing certificates if you decide that’s the better option for you.
Where Do You Get an SEO Writing Certificate?
A quick Google search will give you an entire list of places to earn an SEO writing certificate, many of them for-profit.
These certificates come from SEO writing courses where you take the course, (maybe) take a little open-book test and then you get a certificate with your name on it.
Many writers might put this certificate on their resume to impress potential clients, but it’s a little disingenuous since these certificates alone do not prove that someone can write high-performing SEO content. But more on that later…
Who Is in Charge of SEO Writing Certifications?
There is currently no universal regulatory body for SEO certifications, let alone SEO writer certifications. There is no organization that makes sure people who say they are SEO-certified writers are indeed certified, unlike other professionals such as doctors, dietitians, psychiatrists and the like.
For example: Before I became a writer, I was (still am) a licensed and credentialed Registered Dietitiation. There are multiple regulatory bodies on the state and federal level that make sure I pay my dues and keep up with all requirements for my certifications. If I fail to meet the requirements, I would be facing some real consequences.
If an SEO-certified writer ends up underperforming or doesn’t know what they’re doing, they face minimal consequences outside of a dissatisfied client. But otherwise, they’d still be able to land jobs and continue working.
There is no state or federal agency to mandate that SEO writers maintain their credentials. (In fact, there are no real SEO writing credentials.) They don’t have continuing education requirements or mandatory fees that must be paid in order to keep an active license.
With no regulatory body to provide oversight of SEO certifications, many courses have taken it upon themselves to offer SEO writing certificates once a student completes the course. However, these SEO certifications simply indicate that someone has completed a course.
It doesn’t mean that someone is a good or experienced SEO writer whatsoever. It’s not like a degree from an accredited college.
What Does an SEO Writing Certificate Prove?
Whenever you cold pitch, send a proposal or fill out an application, you want to make sure you appear competitive and better than anyone else who is vying for that same job. So, will an SEO writing certificate prove that you’re the best candidate? What if another writer has more SEO certifications than you?
You might think you should have an SEO certificate too.
But here’s the thing: When you get an SEO writing certificate from a course, all it proves is that you completed the course. It does not prove that you can actually write SEO that will perform. And it definitely does not prove that you have SEO experience under your belt.
Won’t a Certificate Make Me Stand Out When Applying to SEO Writing Jobs?
An inexperienced client may be impressed by an SEO writing certificate, but more experienced clients and clients who have a background in SEO will know to ask for actual writing samples and performance results. We actually talk about this in our free SEO training video, so we encourage you to sign up to watch it!
So, if you want to get by writing for completely inexperienced clients who don’t know a thing about SEO, an SEO writing certificate may sway them to hire you. However, if you’re hoping to make a successful career as an SEO writer - and want to work for amazing, high-impact companies - you’ll want to make sure you have way more than a certificate in your toolbelt.
How Can I Prove My SEO Skills to Potential Clients?
The only way to prove that you have the best SEO skills is to show real samples of SEO writing work. And, if you have metrics to share in regards to the performance of that work, even better.
What if you currently don’t have any experience and no clients right now? No problem! Here are ways you can create SEO work - assuming you know what you’re doing - even without having your first client yet.
How to Gain SEO Experience with No Clients:
Write SEO content for your own site. Establish a consistent blog or vlog and check to see how it performs over time. You definitely can share this content with potential clients!
Barter your SEO writing services with other professionals. Partner up with a designer or developer to write some content for them. In return, they can set up your website or redesign your portfolio.
Do sample work for a real company (or fake one). As long as you do all the right SEO writing tactics, it doesn’t matter if that company hired you or not. All you’ll be doing is using it as a sample piece. However, to make it crystal clear that you were not commissioned by this company, label it as a “spec piece.”
Get some guest posting gigs. There are so many places where an SEO writer can guest post for free! Plus, there is usually minimal back and forth with the brand. If you’re not familiar with guest posting, guest posting is where you create a piece of content that is posted on someone else’s site. You want to guest post on websites that have a good reputation and that have a similar target audience to your ideal clients.
As you can see from the list above, these are all ways to demonstrate your ability to write for SEO, versus having an SEO writing certificate to say that you completed a course.
What Are Alternatives to SEO Writing Certificates?
SEO writing certificates look good on paper, but they won’t help you in your work, and they definitely won’t help you if a potential client asks you to write a test piece!
With our course here at AWS, our students do not earn a certificate of completion because it simply would not mean anything. What we do instead for our students is make sure that their writing is correct and worthy of being published. Learn more about it in our free SEO training video.
As a student, you get access to content reviews by SEO writing experts (such as myself). You get individualized feedback and suggestions on your work to ensure that you’re on the right track.
And, a student’s work, when done correctly, also has the ability to get published, which is a published sample that they can share with prospective clients. So, instead of a cheesy certificate of course completion, our students can show off their spotless, published work to prove that they can walk the walk.
To sum that up, here are the alternatives you’ll want to have instead of an SEO certificate.
Things That Are Way More Powerful and Compelling than an SEO Writing Certificate:
Having a successful blog on your own website.
Being able to carry a high-level conversation with other SEO experts.
Sharing a published piece of SEO content.
Earning notable performance metrics on your content.
Getting awesome testimonials from SEO clients.
Understanding (almost) everything about SEO, including on-page and off-page tactics.
Offering to do some extra high-impact SEO projects like title tags and meta descriptions.
Now, could you imagine how impressive you’d be if you came to an interview with all of these things instead? These are the things that you should be striving for! Plus, as you explore all your options in SEO writing training, these are the things your courses need to be offering you, not a made-up SEO writing certificate!
Where to Learn About SEO Writing for Free
If you’re loving this philosophy, then I know you’ll absolutely love our free training video called, “How to Land Tons of Exciting, Stress-Free SEO Writing Work without the Low Rates, High Competition and Burnout.”
It’s perfect if you are brand new to the thought of SEO writing, because you’ll get a taste of what SEO is all about, and perhaps, dive in a little bit more.
Or, if you’ve been trying to get into SEO writing, but you don’t really know where to start or you’re just lost about how to find work, this video training will help you too.
Or, if you’ve already tried learning how to write for SEO, you’ve already tried to land jobs, get on discovery calls, and yet you never get the job - and you don’t know what you’re doing wrong - this video is definitely for you!
