An SEO’s job is multifaceted, requiring skills that run the gamut from basic language skills to advanced technical knowledge of web development and coding for SEO. But, if your experience is anything like mine, you know that teaching all of this to yourself is pretty intimidating. I’ve been practically obsessed with learning to program for SEO lately, and I wanted to make a post about some of the ways I’ve gotten to where I am. Of course, I’m no full-fledged web developer, but I can navigate code for almost all of the major web languages, from HTML and CSS to PHP, Ruby and Javascript. And I’m (hopefully) on my way to being able to create my own, full-blown SEO tools.
If you want to learn to code for SEO, then take a look at this list of resources. I’ve used each of these myself and they’ve given me a good grasp of the basics of coding for the web. And, given how code-illiterate I was in the past, you can be sure that these tools will help anyone learn to code for SEO.
The Basics: Dipping Your Toes in the Code Stream
My introduction to the world of coding started with Excel and Google docs. Truth be told, the first time I really started thinking seriously about learning to code was when I stumbled upon this amazing tutorial on making your own SEO tools with Google docs by Tom Critchlow. Once I started following along and making my own variations on his tools in Google docs, I was hooked. This set of tutorials spawned my own ventures into this arena, including my post on making your own rank checker.
My introduction to the world of coding started with Excel and Google docs. Truth be told, the first time I really started thinking seriously about learning to code was when I stumbled upon this amazing tutorial on making your own SEO tools with Google docs by Tom Critchlow. Once I started following along and making my own variations on his tools in Google docs, I was hooked. This set of tutorials spawned my own ventures into this arena, including my post on making your own rank checker.
I literally could not get enough of it, and if you’re even moderately interested in coding for SEO, this is the perfect gateway. It’s easy to understand and endlessly intriguing.The lynch-pin in this whole experiment is Google docs’ ImportXML formula. Using this formula, you can pull data from almost anywhere on the web, assuming you’ve got your formula set up correctly. Learning how to grab the data you want from a web page with ImportXML means you’ve got to understand how HTML works; you have to understand how a web page is constructed to be able to target the relevant elements.
Intermediate: Floating Downriver
For your next steps in your coding journey, you’ll want to start learning an actual language. While I wouldn’t recommend jumping right into the thick of Python or anything yet, there are a few extra steps you can take in between the Google-docs-and-real-language phases. Google docs allows you to create your own formulas and macros using their own version of Javascript. You can browse their massive repository of code-related information at Google Code. You can lose days of your life there, so be careful. If you want to experiment with their various APIs, their Code Playground is excellent for beginners; you can play around (as the name suggests, crazy, I know) with pre-built scripts and see results right away.
Intermediate: Floating Downriver
For your next steps in your coding journey, you’ll want to start learning an actual language. While I wouldn’t recommend jumping right into the thick of Python or anything yet, there are a few extra steps you can take in between the Google-docs-and-real-language phases. Google docs allows you to create your own formulas and macros using their own version of Javascript. You can browse their massive repository of code-related information at Google Code. You can lose days of your life there, so be careful. If you want to experiment with their various APIs, their Code Playground is excellent for beginners; you can play around (as the name suggests, crazy, I know) with pre-built scripts and see results right away.
One of the best ways I’ve found to learn the basics of Javascript is to play around with various social APIs. Figuring out how to pull tweet counts for web pages based on your own code is surprisingly exhilarating. Twitter’s API is the easiest to use, I think; Facebook can throw some weird errors and it’s generally less well-received in the development community.Also, check out Codecademy. They just received a round of funding to expand their interactive code instructor and with good reason; it makes it easy and surprisingly fun to code. It’s limited to Javascript at the moment, but it’s still a great introduction.With the basics of coding and programming language comprehension you’ve picked up from these, it’s time to introduce you to a full language…
Advanced (but not really): Swimming Upstream
I don’t know why, but Ruby on Rails has got to be my favorite language, and for more than just the language itself. The Ruby/Rails communities have this quirkiness about them that makes learning the language a lot easier to swallow. You’ll know what I mean once you take a look at these resources. Why’s (poignant) guide to Ruby has got to be one of the more entertaining and informative books I’ve read in a long time. It’s also fraught with some of the strangest writing I’ve ever seen. It’s like the author is about two steps away from full insanity, and he revels in it. I’m almost finished with this book (well, it’s really a PDF, but ok) and I’m thoroughly enjoying it and I have an impressive (well, at least to me) grasp on Ruby. He’s also got a Google Code Playground-esque web app built for those who are looking to get into Ruby. Check it out at tryruby.org.
Advanced (but not really): Swimming Upstream
I don’t know why, but Ruby on Rails has got to be my favorite language, and for more than just the language itself. The Ruby/Rails communities have this quirkiness about them that makes learning the language a lot easier to swallow. You’ll know what I mean once you take a look at these resources. Why’s (poignant) guide to Ruby has got to be one of the more entertaining and informative books I’ve read in a long time. It’s also fraught with some of the strangest writing I’ve ever seen. It’s like the author is about two steps away from full insanity, and he revels in it. I’m almost finished with this book (well, it’s really a PDF, but ok) and I’m thoroughly enjoying it and I have an impressive (well, at least to me) grasp on Ruby. He’s also got a Google Code Playground-esque web app built for those who are looking to get into Ruby. Check it out at tryruby.org.
Beyond the basic introductions–and trust me, they’re pretty basic–here, you can find more information on Ruby and Rails at a few other equally quirky resources: Rails for Zombies and Code School. Code School isn’t inherently quirky, but the Ruby/Rails language seems to attract that sort of person, so consider yourself warned.
Beyond…: Entering the Ocean
Once you’ve gotten past these, you’re well beyond me in terms of coding knowledge. You’re on your own; the wide world of web development is open to you, ready for the taking. Check out GitHub and StackOverflow for some additional information on how to code for the web. With these tools under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to coding the world by storm.What do you think? Are there any other resources that have helped you on your own journey to coding nirvana? Do you hate programming? Why does Why use cartoon foxes in his guide? Let me know in the comments!
Beyond…: Entering the Ocean
Once you’ve gotten past these, you’re well beyond me in terms of coding knowledge. You’re on your own; the wide world of web development is open to you, ready for the taking. Check out GitHub and StackOverflow for some additional information on how to code for the web. With these tools under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to coding the world by storm.What do you think? Are there any other resources that have helped you on your own journey to coding nirvana? Do you hate programming? Why does Why use cartoon foxes in his guide? Let me know in the comments!
