Free SEO, AEO, and AI visibility course

Learn SEO from the first crawl to the client strategy.

A practical course on technical SEO, customer research, content, local and ecommerce search, AI answer systems, measurement, and ethical client delivery.

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What this course changes

Leave with an operating system, not a bag of tricks.

The course follows the work in the order a strong search program needs it: understand demand, make the site eligible, publish useful evidence, measure what changed, and decide what to do next.

Diagnose before you prescribe

Trace discovery, crawling, rendering, indexing, internal links, and conversion paths before calling something an SEO problem.

Plan content around real decisions

Turn customer language into a site map, evidence plan, page brief, and maintenance decision.

Measure search and AI discovery honestly

Use Search Console, analytics, logs, prompt studies, and source checks without inventing one universal visibility score.

Deliver work clients can trust

Scope the engagement, explain uncertainty, report useful evidence, and build a roadmap someone can actually own.

Complete curriculum

Thirty-six lessons, sequenced from foundations to delivery.

Follow the modules in order for a complete program, or open the module that matches the problem in front of you.

Module 01

How search and AI discovery work

Define visibility, connect it to business outcomes, and build a 90-day operating rhythm.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 01

    Search, AI, and answer systems: what visibility means and how it works

    Learn which parts of search and AI discovery you can influence, observe, and measure without promising a ranking or citation.

    Read lessonComplete
  2. Lesson 02

    Turn business goals into a search measurement plan

    Build a measurement plan that connects customer tasks, leading indicators, and qualified business outcomes without false precision.

    Read lessonComplete
  3. Lesson 03

    Build an ethical 90-day search operating system

    Turn research, implementation, quality checks, and reporting into a realistic 90-day operating rhythm.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the how search and ai discovery work work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Define visibility, connect it to business outcomes, and build a 90-day operating rhythm.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 02

Customer research and site architecture

Find real language, map intent, design topic clusters, and study AI prompts without making up rankings.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 04

    Find customer language and read search intent

    Use customer evidence and live results to understand the task behind a query before you decide what page to create.

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  2. Lesson 05

    Turn keyword research into topic clusters, site architecture, and a roadmap

    Organize demand around customer decisions, then design a site structure and release plan that make those decisions easier to complete.

    Read lessonComplete
  3. Lesson 06

    Research AI prompts and identify brand gaps

    Create a repeatable prompt-research practice that finds missing information, weak evidence, and brand representation gaps without inventing AI rankings.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the customer research and site architecture work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Find real language, map intent, design topic clusters, and study AI prompts without making up rankings.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 03

Technical SEO and safe releases

Control crawl paths, URLs, rendering, structured data, language variants, migrations, and release risk.

6 lessons0/6 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 07

    Make pages crawlable, indexable, and discoverable

    Diagnose the actual stage that is failing: discovery, fetch, rendering, indexing, or serving—then apply the smallest useful fix.

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  2. Lesson 08

    Control URLs, duplicates, internal links, and faceted navigation

    Create one clear route for each important page and manage variations without hiding useful choices or creating uncontrolled duplicate paths.

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  3. Lesson 09

    Build fast, reliable JavaScript and mobile experiences

    Make modern applications dependable for people and crawlers by treating rendering, performance, and mobile usability as product quality work.

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  4. Lesson 10

    Use structured data for accurate eligibility

    Add structured data when it describes visible, verifiable page facts and helps platforms understand eligibility without inventing rich-result outcomes.

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  5. Lesson 11

    Design international SEO and hreflang without conflicting signals

    Choose international site architecture from customer and operational needs, then make language, region, canonicals, and hreflang signals agree.

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  6. Lesson 12

    Use crawler evidence to monitor releases, migrate safely, and respond to incidents

    Turn crawl data, logs, and release checks into a practical safety system for routine changes, platform migrations, and urgent failures.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the technical seo and safe releases work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Control crawl paths, URLs, rendering, structured data, language variants, migrations, and release risk.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 04

Useful, evidence-led content

Write pages, media, and scalable content that earn their place and remain worth maintaining.

5 lessons0/5 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 13

    Plan and write pages people and search systems can understand

    Turn a customer task into a clear page brief, then write titles, headings, snippets, and body copy that guide an honest decision.

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  2. Lesson 14

    Create helpful, evidence-led, citation-ready content

    Make claims that readers can understand and verify, using clear entities, primary evidence, useful boundaries, and answer sections that stand on their own.

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  3. Lesson 15

    Optimize images, video, and YouTube for discovery

    Publish media that explains a decision, works for all users, and gives platforms accurate context about what the asset contains.

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  4. Lesson 16

    Refresh, consolidate, and retire content safely

    Maintain a content library by diagnosing each page’s current value, then improving, merging, redirecting, archiving, or retiring it for a documented reason.

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  5. Lesson 17

    Scale programmatic and AI-assisted content without losing quality

    Build scalable pages only where trustworthy data, distinct tasks, quality gates, and lifecycle ownership create value.

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Module checkpoint

Is the useful, evidence-led content work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Write pages, media, and scalable content that earn their place and remain worth maintaining.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 05

Authority, mentions, and link risk

Understand third-party metrics, earn legitimate references, and handle risky links without panic.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 18

    Understand authority, third-party scores, and reputation evidence

    Use links, mentions, reviews, and third-party metrics as evidence without confusing a proprietary score with a search-engine ranking factor.

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  2. Lesson 19

    Earn links, mentions, and trusted community evidence

    Build reputation signals by being genuinely useful to the people and communities that matter to your customers.

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  3. Lesson 20

    Handle risky links, spam, and manual actions

    Separate normal web noise from real policy risk, then investigate and repair the underlying cause without panic.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the authority, mentions, and link risk work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Understand third-party metrics, earn legitimate references, and handle risky links without panic.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 06

Local search systems

Manage business facts, local proof, reviews, pages, service areas, and multi-location operations.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 21

    Build a local visibility foundation with your Google Business Profile

    Make the business easy to identify, contact, and trust in the place where local customers make decisions.

    Read lessonComplete
  2. Lesson 22

    Create local pages, reviews, citations, and trusted local evidence

    Turn real local expertise and service delivery into pages and references that help people choose with confidence.

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  3. Lesson 23

    Measure and scale multi-location and service-area SEO

    Operate local visibility as a segmented system so expansion improves service clarity instead of multiplying duplicate pages and misleading reports.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the local search systems work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Manage business facts, local proof, reviews, pages, service areas, and multi-location operations.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 07

Ecommerce SEO

Build a navigable catalog, keep shopper facts aligned, and expand across markets with margin in mind.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 24

    Design an ecommerce catalog people and crawlers can navigate

    Build a product architecture around real shopping decisions instead of generating endless category and filter URLs.

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  2. Lesson 25

    Keep product data, feeds, inventory, reviews, and buying content accurate

    Make the facts shown in product pages, feeds, ads, and customer communications agree with the actual offer.

    Read lessonComplete
  3. Lesson 26

    Launch international ecommerce and measure profitable growth

    Expand by market with localized customer value, accurate offers, and margin-aware measurement—not by translating pages and hoping demand follows.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the ecommerce seo work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Build a navigable catalog, keep shopper facts aligned, and expand across markets with margin in mind.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 08

AI answers and zero-click discovery

Set crawler policy, run repeatable observations, improve source quality, and build credible off-site evidence.

4 lessons0/4 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 27

    Understand AI answer systems and configure responsible crawler access

    Learn the visible stages of AI discovery, distinguish crawler purposes, and make deliberate access decisions for your public information.

    Read lessonComplete
  2. Lesson 28

    Measure AI visibility with a repeatable prompt-and-citation study

    Build a small, auditable research study that records what answer products visibly say, link, cite, and omit over time.

    Read lessonComplete
  3. Lesson 29

    Make owned content easier to retrieve, cite, and trust

    Publish source pages that answer a real question clearly, show their evidence, and remain useful when a reader wants to verify the claim.

    Read lessonComplete
  4. Lesson 30

    Win zero-click discovery with credible off-site evidence

    Earn awareness and trust where people already learn, while measuring value without pretending every useful encounter creates a trackable click.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the ai answers and zero-click discovery work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Set crawler policy, run repeatable observations, improve source quality, and build credible off-site evidence.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 09

Audits, diagnosis, and automation

Turn evidence into priorities, investigate drops, monitor releases, and automate with human review.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 31

    Turn an SEO audit into a prioritized, honest roadmap

    Transform crawl findings and search evidence into a small sequence of decisions that people can implement and verify.

    Read lessonComplete
  2. Lesson 32

    Diagnose drops, test changes, and monitor releases

    Investigate visibility changes with a timeline, controlled comparisons, and release monitoring instead of reacting to the loudest theory.

    Read lessonComplete
  3. Lesson 33

    Automate SEO research and reporting with human review

    Use automation to collect, compare, and surface evidence faster while keeping people accountable for claims, decisions, and customer impact.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the audits, diagnosis, and automation work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Turn evidence into priorities, investigate drops, monitor releases, and automate with human review.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Module 10

Sell and deliver ethical SEO

Productize the work, set scope and price, onboard well, retain clients, and protect trust.

3 lessons0/3 completeStart this module
  1. Lesson 34

    Productize, position, and sell a credible SEO offer

    Turn your expertise into a clear service that solves a defined business problem without selling rankings as a guaranteed commodity.

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  2. Lesson 35

    Scope, price, onboard, and deliver SEO engagements

    Turn a good sales conversation into a working client system with clear responsibilities, change control, and useful reporting.

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  3. Lesson 36

    Retain clients, grow responsibly, and build an ethical practice

    Earn long-term trust by making progress visible, telling the truth about uncertainty, protecting customers, and recommending the work that actually helps.

    Read lessonComplete

Module checkpoint

Is the sell and deliver ethical seo work ready?

The team finished the lessons, but the handoff only lists tasks. Choose the strongest response before moving on.

  1. Add more tasks so the handoff looks complete.
  2. Present one evidence-backed artifact showing how the team addressed: Productize the work, set scope and price, onboard well, retain clients, and protect trust.
  3. Start the next module and document this one at the end.
Reveal the reasoning

Answer: B. A list proves activity; a reviewable artifact proves judgment. Before moving on, the evidence should show the decision, its source, its limits, and the next step.

Course project

Build a search operating plan you can defend.

Your final project joins strategy and implementation. It should be clear enough for a client or internal team to challenge, approve, and run.

  1. 01A customer-language and intent evidence log
  2. 02A technical eligibility trace for priority URLs
  3. 03A content and source-quality backlog
  4. 04A measurement plan with decision rules
  5. 05A 90-day roadmap with owners and review dates

How to finish it

Turn the pieces into a handoff someone else can review.

  1. 01Assemble all five deliverables and link every important claim to its source.
  2. 02Run a first review with the rubric. Mark assumptions and decisions that still lack support.
  3. 03Ask another person to challenge the plan without your explanation. Note where they get lost or ask for proof.
  4. 04Revise the handoff, assign owners and dates, and record what would cause the plan to change.

Defense rubric

A submission is ready when it survives these four questions.

Evidence
Can a reviewer find the source, date, and limits behind every important claim?
Judgment
Does the work explain why each decision was made and which alternative was rejected?
Operation
Is it clear who does what, when they do it, and what happens when something fails?
Review
Is there a measure, threshold, and date that tell the team whether to keep, change, or stop the plan?
See the 10-minute defense outline

Do not read the document from beginning to end. Present the reasoning in this order:

  1. The real problem and the evidence showing it deserves attention.
  2. The main decision, the trade-off it creates, and the alternative you rejected.
  3. The riskiest part of the plan and the protection you put around it.
  4. The first signal you will review, when you will review it, and what decision it will trigger.

Questions, answered

What to know before you begin

Is this SEO course really free?

Yes. Every lesson is public, and you do not need an account to read the course.

Does the course cover AEO, GEO, and AI search?

Yes. It explains how answer systems retrieve and cite sources, how to run a repeatable prompt study, how crawler access differs by provider, and how to improve the underlying evidence without chasing a fictional AI rank.

Do I need to know technical SEO first?

No. The early modules establish the mental model. The technical module then walks through crawlability, URL controls, JavaScript, mobile rendering, structured data, international sites, releases, and migrations.

Can I use this to deliver SEO for clients?

Yes. The final module covers positioning, scope, pricing, onboarding, reporting, retention, and ethical boundaries. It does not promise outcomes that an SEO cannot control.

Which tools does the course require?

None. Examples refer to categories of evidence such as Search Console, analytics, crawlers, logs, rank data, and AI observations. You can use the providers that fit your budget and market.

Where should I start if my traffic just dropped?

Start with the diagnosis and release-monitoring lessons, but first confirm the date, affected pages, query groups, markets, and recent site changes. A traffic drop is a symptom, not a diagnosis.

Next step

Turn the next lesson into real work.

Use the course on its own, or organize the research, tasks, owners, and follow-up inside Spacebrain.

Start for free