Google SEO Fundamentals
Offered by University of California, Davis.
Google SEO Fundamentals is a beginner-level online course from Coursera in SEO. It is structured in 4 modules with 3 stated learning outcomes, over 9h 27m. Learners rate it 4.8/5 from 3.7K ratings on Coursera.
Part of our SEO courses collection, where we compare it against 8 other courses.
Course highlights
| Provider | Coursera |
| Duration | 9h 27m |
| Level | Beginner |
| Mode | Self-paced |
| Language | English |
| Certificate | Yes — shareable certificate |
| Rating | 4.8★ (3.7K reviews) |
| Price | Check price |
About this course
Google SEO Fundamentals is a self-paced course built for beginners who already have some experience with websites or digital marketing. Offered by the University of California, Davis through Coursera, it walks through the core parts of a complete SEO strategy: on-page work, off-page authority, technical SEO, and keyword research.
What you learn comes straight from the module list. You complete a competitive analysis on a webpage, interpret brand recognition through social media, and create sitemaps and robot.txt files while planning redirects and managing site errors. The syllabus moves from Getting Started and Introduction to On-page SEO through Introduction to Off-Page SEO, Introduction to Technical SEO, and Keyword Theory & Research.
By the end you can audit a webpage or site and identify practical SEO improvements. You can rewrite title tags and meta descriptions, evaluate backlink quality, and recommend fixes for crawl, redirect, or error-page issues. You should also be able to build a keyword plan tied to search intent and compare a page against competitors more thoughtfully.
Honest limits: the course expects you to start analyzing pages, backlinks, crawl issues, and search intent fairly early. If you are completely new to SEO, a more introductory course may feel easier to start with. It also does not cover advanced link-building tactics or in-depth AI SEO workflows — for those, the Udemy alternatives in the data are worth a look.
Prerequisites list at least 2 years of business or marketing experience and familiarity with social media. The course is taught in English and gives a shareable certificate on completion. It is self-paced, so you can spread the 9 hours 27 minutes across whatever schedule works for you.
What you’ll learn
Level and time commitment
- At least 2 years of business or marketing experience; familiar with social media
Skills you’ll gain
What this course covers
4 modulesThe 4-part outline Coursera publishes for this course, across 9h 27m.
Module 1 · Getting Started and Introduction to On-page SEO
Module 2 · Introduction to Off-Page SEO
Module 3 · Introduction to Technical SEO
Module 4 · Keyword Theory & Research
What learners rate it
Rated 4.8/5 by 3.7K learners on Coursera (checked 10 Aug 2026).
This rating is collected by Coursera from its own enrolled learners. We reproduce it as reported and do not accept paid or incentivised reviews. See it on Coursera →
Compiled by the CoursesGlobal editorial desk. Fees, ratings, duration and certificate details for the 1 course shown are read directly from Coursera course pages — we never estimate a price or a rating. Last verified 10 August 2026.
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Compare with alternatives
Same topic, different trade-offs — here's who runs each one and what it's best at.
| Course | Provider | Rating | Price | Duration | Why pick this one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google SEO Fundamentals This |
 Coursera
|
4.8★ | Check price | 9h 27m | Highest rated (4.8★ from 3.7K reviews) |
| Search Engine Optimization (SEO) |
Coursera
|
4.6★ | Check price | 2 months | Beginner-friendly · 2 months |
| Free SEO Training Course |
 Udemy
|
4.6★ | Free | Free — and still gives a certificate | |
| Introduction to Google SEO |
Coursera
|
4.6★ | Check price | 16h 13m | Beginner-friendly · 16h 13m |
Where SEO leads
Roles we map to SEO on CoursesGlobal. This is our own mapping of subject to job, not a placement claim by Coursera.
Browse every course we track for one of these — courses for digital marketers.
Common questions
How much does Google SEO Fundamentals cost?
Coursera does not publish a price we can read on the course page, so we do not show one. Check the fee on the provider site — we would rather say nothing than quote a number we did not collect.
Does Google SEO Fundamentals come with a certificate?
Yes — Coursera lists a certificate on completion. It is a course certificate, not a formal qualification or university credit.
How long does Google SEO Fundamentals take?
Coursera lists it at 9h 27m. It is self-paced, so that is the volume of material rather than a deadline — how long it actually takes depends on the hours you put in each week.
Is Google SEO Fundamentals suitable for beginners?
Yes. Coursera lists it at Beginner level, so no prior experience in the subject is assumed.
What does Google SEO Fundamentals cover?
It is organised into 4 modules, starting with Getting Started and Introduction to On-page SEO and going on to Introduction to Off-Page SEO, Introduction to Technical SEO, Keyword Theory & Research. The full outline is on this page.