Priority Networks Inc. (www.PriorityNetworks.ca), a Toronto-based computer network company that offers customized search engine optimization weighs in on how to teach yourself SEO. The article posted by Forbes, written by Josh Steimle, shares some great information and sources on executing SEO for yourself or your business. However, Massimo from Priority Networks shares his insight on the potential downside and where applying SEO yourself is more suited. (Source: How to teach yourself SEO, Forbes site, September 18, 2015; https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2015/09/18/how-to-teach-yourself-seo/?sh=78007bf773f5)

Josh Steimle begins the article by sharing his start-up journey, which led him to build his SEO firm. Josh expresses, “Although others can facilitate learning, nobody can teach you anything–they can only inspire you to teach yourself. That means if you want to learn search engine optimization (SEO), you’ll have to take matters into your own hands”. It goes without saying, education in any form, for any reason, is essential. Education provides the tools and foundation that will propel us further in the direction or path we choose. Many professionals are self-taught and are exceptionally successful. Massimo from Priority Network Inc, explains “As a business owner, I commend those who are self-educated and succeeded by building their company on their own. I believe in order to accomplish anything; you have to get your hands dirty. It would be best if you put in the effort; do the work, and you will learn from trial and error”.

Josh Steimle shares some great resources on where to begin your pursuit of search engine optimization. Josh also explains that most SEO enthusiasts do not take the time to learn the fundamentals of what SEO entails and the critical elements of how search engines work. Although the end goal of driving web traffic is what we are all after, you must understand the foundation to proceed further. Massimo agrees, “understanding the fundamentals of SEO is critical. Although learning SEO on your own is possible, many companies choose to outsource. The reason being, it is time-consuming. Your website is your main source of marketing. A website is the face of your company. Therefore, you want to make sure SEO is executed correctly. At Priority Networks Inc, our team of professional SEO writers has access to certain platforms that track a website’s progress and performance of keywords. As a business owner, your attention to detail is focused on other elements. To maintain an online presence, outsourcing SEO writers is worth the investment”. 

In regards to expert level SEO, Josh explains, “By investing a few hours a month, you can move toward becoming a true SEO expert yourself and then you’ll have the knowledge to know what those you hire to do SEO for you should be doing, and you can better gauge their readiness before hiring them.” Massimo points out, “the issue for many business owners is that a few hours a month is asking for a lot, you cannot afford to have your efforts wasted. A few hours a month is not enough time to become an expert level SEO writer from our experience. Writing text and curating other content elements requires creativity and dedication. I agree that if you plan on hiring an SEO service, it is worth reading up on some key components to effectively communicate your desired outcome and understand how SEO is working in your favor. If you are a blogger, and writing is your passion, then absolutely! Learning SEO is worth your while. However, if you are running a company, outsource and get the job done right the first time”.