SEO Free course · Certificate included
Off-Page SEO & Link Building
Earn links and mentions that last: spam policies, digital PR, outreach, AI-assisted workflows and honest measurement
- Intermediate
- 6 h 46 min
- 17 lessons in 7 modules
- 2 h 26 min of video lectures
- Updated Sep 2026
About this course
Links still help search engines discover, understand and trust websites — and in 2026 earned references also shape how AI Overviews, AI Mode and answer engines describe brands. The shortcuts that once worked now waste budgets and put clients at risk. This course teaches link building the professional way.
You will learn how links and authority work (without made-up metrics), how links and mentions feed AI search, and exactly what Google's spam policies say about link spam, site reputation abuse, expired domain abuse and manipulating AI answers. You will build a link audit sheet with formulas and Python, decide when disavow is appropriate and write a credible reconsideration request.
Then you get practical: linkable assets and original research, broken-link building, resource pages, unlinked mentions, expert commentary, digital PR campaigns, compliant personalised outreach, AI-assisted prospecting with human QA, relationship systems, measurement with the Search Console API, competitor link gaps and a 90-day plan. Examples span the UK, US, UAE, KSA and Pakistan.
Tools you’ll use
- Google Search Console
- Search Console API
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Moz
- Majestic
- Screaming Frog
- Google Sheets
- Python
- pandas
- GA4
- Wayback Machine
- Google Alerts
- Claude API
Skills
- Link building
- Off-page SEO
- Digital PR
- Blogger outreach
- Backlink analysis
- Google spam policies
- AI-assisted outreach
- Relationship building
What you’ll be able to do
- Explain how links and earned mentions influence classic rankings and AI search visibility without relying on vendor metrics
- Apply Google's link spam, site reputation, expired domain and AI-manipulation policies to real scenarios
- Audit a backlink profile with spreadsheets and Python, and decide when disavow and reconsideration are warranted
- Plan and run white-hat tactics: linkable assets, broken links, resource pages, mentions, expert commentary and digital PR
- Write compliant, personalised outreach and use AI tools for research and drafting with human quality control
- Measure campaigns by quality and business outcomes using Search Console, GA4 and control groups
- Turn competitor link gaps into a prioritised 90-day plan with owners and directional KPIs
Curriculum
Syllabus
- Modules
- 7
- Lessons
- 17
- Reading time
- 3.5 h
- Assessment questions
- 30
A clear, hype-free model of why links matter, what makes one link worth more than another, and how to judge opportunities.
- How links and authority workVideo lecture, 9′13 min
- Evaluating link opportunities: a quality checklistVideo lecture, 9′12 min
- Links, mentions and AI search visibilityVideo lecture, 9′12 min
Know exactly what Google treats as link spam, how link attributes work, and when (rarely) to disavow.
- Google's link spam policies and link attributesVideo lecture, 9′14 min
- Manual actions, disavow and recoveryVideo lecture, 9′12 min
- Hands-on: link audit spreadsheets, formulas and PythonVideo lecture, 9′14 min
Practical, policy-compliant ways to earn links: linkable assets, broken-link building, resource pages, unlinked mentions, expert commentary, partnerships and podcasts.
- Linkable assets and data-driven contentVideo lecture, 8′13 min
- Broken-link building, resource pages and unlinked mentionsVideo lecture, 8′13 min
- Expert commentary, partnerships and podcastsVideo lecture, 8′12 min
Build qualified prospect lists, write personalised outreach that respects recipients and the law, and follow up without being a nuisance.
- Prospecting and qualifying at scaleVideo lecture, 8′12 min
- Outreach emails that get repliesVideo lecture, 9′Video · 13 min
Run newsworthy digital PR that earns links and mentions, and use AI tools to speed up research and personalisation without losing quality or breaking rules.
- Digital PR campaigns that earn links and mentionsVideo lecture, 9′13 min
- AI-assisted link-building workflows with human QAVideo lecture, 8′14 min
Turn one-off wins into lasting relationships and measure link building by business outcomes, not vanity metrics.
- Building relationships that compoundVideo lecture, 8′11 min
- Measuring link campaignsVideo lecture, 9′12 min
Reverse-engineer how competitors earned their links and turn gaps into a realistic 90-day plan.
- Competitor backlink analysisVideo lecture, 8′13 min
- Building a 90-day link planVideo lecture, 9′12 min
- Final assessment
Your certificate
Finish with a credential anyone can check
Earn the Certified Link Building Strategist badge: The holder can evaluate link and mention quality, apply Google's link spam, site reputation and AI-manipulation policies, audit backlink profiles with spreadsheets and Python, decide when disavow is appropriate, run digital PR and compliant outreach with AI-assisted research under human QA, and measure campaigns by business outcomes.
Completed all lessons and scored ≥ 80% on the final assessment.
- A public verification page
- A PDF certificate to download
- An Open Badge you can share
- One click to your LinkedIn profile
Final assessment
- 30questions drawn from a larger pool
- 45 mintime limit
- 80%pass mark
- 3attempts per 24 hours
Start learning today. It’s free.
Every lesson is free to read. A free account saves your progress, unlocks the final assessment and issues your certificate.