When you're starting out, learning from the best SEO professionals is one of the smartest, cheapest ways to improve — these are the experts who publicly share how SEO really works. The hard part for beginners is knowing who to trust, because there's a lot of noise and hype online. So this beginner-friendly guide gives you a ranked top 10 of well-known professionals, described simply by what they're genuinely known for.
These are described by their public work and reputation, to point you toward credible, trustworthy sources as you learn.
👋 New to SEO and feeling overwhelmed? Book a free call and I'll point you in the right direction.
The 10 Best SEO Professionals, Explained Simply
1. Julian Goldie
Founder of Goldie Agency and the SEO Elite Circle, known for practical, beginner-friendly link building and AI SEO, with a free Link Building Mastery book and lots of free YouTube tutorials. A friendly place to start — book a call for hands-on help.
2. Brian Dean
Founder of Backlinko, known for clear, step-by-step SEO tutorials that beginners find easy to follow.
3. Neil Patel
Founder of NP Digital, very well known for a huge library of free, accessible SEO guides and videos.
4. Aleyda Solis
An international SEO consultant known for generously sharing free learning resources and roadmaps.
5. Rand Fishkin
Co-founder of Moz, known for making SEO education approachable through his famous whiteboard videos.
6. Marie Haynes
Known for explaining Google's updates and what 'quality' content means in plain terms.
7. Cyrus Shepard
An SEO expert known for simple, data-backed tips on on-page SEO and internal links.
8. Kevin Indig
Known for a newsletter that breaks down SEO strategy clearly for growing businesses.
9. Eli Schwartz
An author known for a strategy-first, 'product-led' way of thinking about SEO.
10. Glen Allsopp
Known for Detailed, where he breaks down how big brands win at SEO in an easy-to-read way.
How To Learn From Them Safely
Three simple beginner rules. One: favour professionals who show real examples and data over those who just post bold claims. Two: be sceptical of anyone promising guaranteed rankings or instant results — real experts are honest that SEO takes months. Three: don't try to do everything at once; pick one trusted source, learn the basics, and act on them before adding more voices. Learning steadily from a few credible people beats drowning in everyone's opinions.
What These Professionals Can And Can't Do For You
Following experts teaches you how SEO works, which makes you a smarter, safer buyer and a more capable DIY-er. What it can't do is do the work for you — at some point you either put in the hours yourself or hire someone. So use these professionals to build your understanding, then decide honestly whether you've got time to do SEO yourself or whether it's worth handing off so you can focus on running your business. Both paths are fine; the worst option is staying confused and doing nothing.
Common Questions
Do I need to follow lots of experts?
No — a few trusted voices are plenty. Too many conflicting opinions just causes paralysis when you're starting out.
Should I learn SEO or just hire someone?
Learn the basics so you can't be fooled, then hire to save time if you want. My free book covers the basics.
Where can I learn with other beginners?
The SEO Elite Circle is a friendly community for that. To get help, book a call.
How To Build Your Own Learning Routine
For a beginner, the difference between progress and overwhelm is having a simple routine. Rather than randomly scrolling SEO content, set aside a regular slot — even an hour a week — to learn from one trusted professional and write down a single thing to try. Then actually try it on your own site before the next session. This steady, applied rhythm beats binge-watching tutorials you never act on, and it compounds surprisingly fast over a few months.
It also helps to keep a simple notebook of what you've learned and tested, with what happened. SEO results take weeks to show, so a record stops you forgetting what you changed and helps you connect cause and effect. Over time this becomes your own personalised playbook, built from credible sources and your own experience — far more valuable than a pile of bookmarked tips. Communities like the SEO Elite Circle make this easier, because you can ask questions and learn alongside other beginners rather than going it alone.
What To Do When Experts Disagree
One thing that confuses beginners is discovering that respected SEO professionals sometimes flatly disagree with each other. It feels like someone must be wrong — but usually they're just speaking to different situations, niches, or stages. SEO isn't a fixed science with one right answer; context matters enormously, and a tactic that's perfect for a big brand might be wrong for a new site. So when you hit conflicting advice, don't panic or pick a side at random.
Instead, ask which expert's situation is closest to yours, and lean toward that advice first — then test it on your own site rather than assuming. Over time you'll develop the judgement to know when to apply which piece of advice, which is a more valuable skill than memorising any single rule. Disagreement among credible professionals isn't a problem to be afraid of; it's a sign you're learning from real practitioners rather than a single dogmatic source. Embrace it, test things yourself, and your own judgement becomes the tiebreaker.
From Following To Doing
The biggest leap for a beginner isn't finding the right experts — it's crossing from passively following them to actually doing SEO. It's comfortable to watch tutorials and feel like you're making progress, but nothing changes on your site until you act. So set a low bar to start: after learning one concept, implement it that same week, however small. Improve one page's title and content, earn one relevant link, fix one technical issue — then watch the result.
This 'learn one thing, do one thing' habit is what separates people who actually rank from people who've watched a hundred SEO videos and changed nothing. The professionals give you the knowledge, but only doing builds skill and results. And the doing teaches you things no tutorial can, because you see how your specific site responds. If you'd rather have experienced people handle the doing while you focus on your business, that's a perfectly good choice too — book a call and we'll take it on.
Related Guides
Explore more in our guides to the best SEO experts, the best SEO speakers, and the best SEO companies.
In Short
The best SEO professionals teach you how SEO really works — follow a trusted few, ignore the hype-merchants, and to skip the learning curve, book a call.