10 Sites and Forums You Should Know for Answers Regarding SEO

SEO ain’t easy.
In fact, it’s perhaps one of the most challenging parts of running a website, if you care at all about being seen online. And these days, who doesn’t?
Without a keen eye pointed towards SEO rules and expectations, you’re missing out on a huge portion of your consumers. Fortunately, there is an abundance of online resources that can help you build out an SEO strategy that goes beyond posting once a week on social media.
Here are 10 of our favorite resources:
Sites
Websites are great tools for extensively researching one, particular topic. Sites dedicated to SEO will often come complete with tutorials, expert opinions, up-to-the-minute news on changes to ranking algorithms, and other resources to explore.
When you are ready to try out something new or understand a general concept about search engine optimization, these websites are a good place to start:
SemRush
At the heart of SEO is the idea of creating content focused on a “keyword.” Put simply, keywords are the terms that your demographics are searching for. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as using keywords like “radio” and “books.” Too many other websites with bigger followings and bigger budgets have already dominated the simplest of keywords.
It should come as no surprise that huge names in the industry like Barnes & Noble and Amazon are at the forefront of that particular search term:
So, what’s a humble local bookseller to do?
Using SEMRush, you can hone in on much more specific search terms that are being used by people interested in whatever you’re selling.
For example, Googling “buy local books” gives me results for websites that are much smaller in the book world than Google Books or Books-a-Million. Instead, I get results for a couple of really small (and really cool!) bookstores in my area that would have never ranked if I kept my keyword as broad.
Perhaps more importantly for the businesses focused on e-commerce, I also got results for websites that can help me find the books that I’m looking for and order them online.
Figuring out the right combination of words is like discovering a secret code. For people with little experience in SEO, it can seem impossible to crack. SEMRush makes the magic happen by providing you with comprehensive lists of keywords that will up your Google rankings and help your website be seen.
It makes the hard part easier, so you can spend more time focused on creating incredible, unique content that is going to draw customers into your website.
They also feature other cool resources, like webinars, articles, ebooks, and games to help you learn about SEO. It’s a resource you’ll come back to time and time again.
Pricing: Premium accounts start at $99.95/month, but you can get 10 free results a day if you sign up.
Search Engine Land
If there was a Wikipedia for SEO and SEM, Search Engine Land would be it. In addition to providing a plethora of information about every topic in the SEO galaxy, the site is well-organized and constantly updated.
One of my favorite features is the “Sections.” While the homepage compiles all the latest information into one news page, the sections split the information out into specific categories. Yes, the search bar does basically the same thing, but you have to know what you’re looking for in order to find it.
Instead, users can pop over to the “Google” section to find a comprehensive list of Google news or the SEO section to see information specific to that topic. Because the site is packed to the gills with info, it can help the overwhelming amount of resources feel a little more digestible.
But that’s not all! In addition to a constantly refreshed news page, they also offer standby resources that will always come in handy. The comprehensive SEO guide can help you “master the science of SEO,” while their compendium of webinars, reports, and white papers can help you hone your skills once you’re ready to take your learning to the next level.
The website also hosts several conferences a year that you can sign up for right through their website. The Search Marketing Expo, or SMX, is a world-renowned series of workshops that travel all over the globe to bring “a firehose of tips, tactics, and strategies; 70+ unique sessions covering the topics that matter most: SEO, SEM, agency operations and management, local search marketing for multi-location brands, CRO, analytics, attribution, content, video, mobile, local tools, and beyond.”
Pricing: Completely free! You don’t even have to create an account to access the majority of materials.
Moz Pro
Even if you know next to nothing about SEO, you’ve probably heard about Moz. They are the leaders in the land of SEO, reigning as king of a complex and vast landscape. What Moz offers is a comprehensive suite of SEO tools that use data and expertise to help you drive your strategy. Like SEMRush, Moz offers a keyword exploration tool that helps you prune away the search terms that are unlikely to attract readers to your page. It can also help you see how difficult it would be to get your content ranked by Google.
Google Search Console
When we talk about SEO, we’re really talking about giving Google what it wants. Like the eldritch god Cthulhu, it awaits in the depths of the internet with a keen eye on all you do on your website. Appease it, and you will be rewarded. Mess up, and your website will be banished to the ether, never to be seen by your intended audience again. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but not entirely untrue. Google holds 92.62% market share of all search traffic, with Bing in a distant 2nd at 2.51%. Even Spiderman switched over to Google after the first movie.
Ontolo
Ontolo is a neat little tool that goes beyond keyword optimization. Instead, it hunts down opportunities for users to backlink to other websites. It makes the “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” of content creation a little easier. Backlinks are a critical part of Google’s evaluation of your website. The more pages that link to your website, the more credible you look online. Get enough backlinks, and someone might just start thinking you’re an expert in the field. Pulling information from over 80 sources, Ontolo works in the background to find prospects for guests posts, social media tagging, and reputation building.
Forums
No matter what level of SEO-expertise you’re at, from newbie to battle-scarred veteran, forums are the place to be. There, you can find people dealing with the same issues you are, people who have already solved the problems you’re experiencing, and even people that are seeking your help once you’ve got a few SEO notches in your belt. They also work well in conjunction with sites like Search Engine Land to keep you updated on the latest shifts in the SEO landscape, including methods for efficiently adapting to emerging changes.Warrior Forum
Warrior Forum has been around damn near as long as the concept of digital marketing has existed. Since 1997, it has hosted over a million users seeking help and camaraderie in their journey to achieving their SEO goals. The forum is split up into thirty different boards, which include specific topics like SEO, PPC, and email marketing. Here, you can talk to others who are interested in the same areas you are.
Wicked Fire
If you’re looking for a fun way to network with like-minded individuals, Wicked Fire is the way to go.
Google Webmaster Central Help
Google seems to have it all when it comes to SEO resources. To accompany their Search Console, they also host a forum called the. Here, you can find resources beyond what is offered in the Help Center.
SEO Chat
SEOChat is part of the WebmasterWorld site, where you can find information about new developments in social media marketing, search engine rankings, and anything else you could imagine needing to know about when it comes to hosting your website. Their stated mission really nails down what the forum is all about:“Running a website takes a great deal of knowledge. The design, coding, maintenance, promotion, marketing, and management of a website is almost an impossible task for one person alone without extensive training. We are here as a forum for the members to share and gain knowledge in operating and promoting a website. Think of us as part of your extended site development and process team.”Topics are arranged into message boards, including specific spots to talk about Google SEO, social media optimization, and beyond.
The Moz Q&A Forum
If you’re looking for information specific to search engine optimization without the other “fluff” of running a website, the Moz Q&A Forum is a good place to start. Moz staff and other leaders in the field work to answer your questions about moving up in search rankings, building a backlink network, and methods for dealing with site crawl errors. While the site is free to view, you can’t post your own questions without a Moz Pro account. If you do have a paid subscription, participating in the community can earn you MozPoints. It’s their way of rewarding an active community and incentivizing people to answer questions thoughtfully. Users who earn 200 MozPoints in a single month are eligible to get their next month of MozPro free. You can earn points for commenting on posts, getting a thumbs up on your comments, writing a Moz Blog post, and more. It pays to be active. Even people just starting out in the SEO game can start earning Moz points.
