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If you’ve been on the blogging scene for a while, you’ve probably heard of Stupid Simple SEO (SSSEO) at some point.
It’s one of the most popular and widely recommended SEO courses on the web.
And I happen to be one of the many bloggers singing its praises.
I’ve been blogging for over a decade now, and Stupid Simple SEO is still one of my top 10 favorite SEO courses.
In this post, I’ll tell you exactly why. I’ll give you an honest and thorough review of Stupid Simple SEO, provide a quick look at everything it covers, and break down the pros and cons for you.
With this, I can hopefully help you decide whether getting this course is going to be as helpful for you as it was for me!
Table of Contents
Fast Facts About the Stupid Simple SEO Course
| What is it? | A comprehensive SEO course with over 70 video lessons and bonuses, giving bloggers all they need to get started with search engine optimization the right way |
| Who can benefit from it? | Bloggers that want to grow their SEO traffic |
| What results can I expect from it? | Increased organic traffic from Google, more opportunities for income growth, and a wider audience reach |
| Pros | Helpful and comprehensive Engaging and easy to read Constantly updated Always accessible Self-paced |
| Cons | Costly Time-consuming |
What Is SEO?
Before I get into the details of the course, it’s crucial that you know what SEO is first.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.
Basically, it’s a process that uses different techniques to bump up your site’s visibility on Google and drive organic traffic to your site.
Organic traffic measures how many visitors come to your site through Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) — not through ads.
So when you use SEO practices to improve and optimize the content on your site, it’ll rank higher on Google.
Let’s say you’re into makeup, and you’ve written a ton of SEO-optimized articles about it. When someone searches for a keyword like “cheap makeup products,” your page will be one of the first they see.
And once they get to see and enjoy your awesome content, they can subscribe to your newsletter, purchase your products, or click on your affiliate links.
All this translates to an increase in your monthly revenue and more earning opportunities for you through blogging!
Sounds exciting, right?
But you may be wondering how exactly you can make all that happen.
That’s where the Stupid Simple SEO Course comes in.
How Stupid Simple SEO Helped Me Rank Higher on Google: My Experience
Before taking the Stupid Simple SEO course, I was pretty much exclusively a “Pinterest blogger.”
I occasionally got lucky on Google, but I mainly relied on Pinterest to drive traffic to my blog.
Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Pinterest is an awesome platform that can help bring lots of visitors to your site and let you rank high quickly.
This is especially true if you consistently upload beautiful images and cool graphics people like.
But the problem is Pinterest is still a social media platform. So your account can get suspended at any time for any reason.
Plus, what I didn’t realize before was that the traffic results you get from Google can be miles ahead of Pinterest in terms of volume and long-term consistency.
Google has many more users compared to Pinterest, after all.
More users equate to more clicks, leading to more ads, more subscribers, and more opportunities for growth.
So after taking the SSSEO course, I redirected some of the energy I’d been putting into scaling my content for Pinterest toward Google SEO and helping increase my Google traffic.
This was a major game-changer for me.
By applying some of the strategies and techniques I learned from the course, I saw the clicks and impressions on my site climb up!
I’ve used them to grow many sites over the years consistently, gain more subscribers, improve my domain rating, and increase my affiliate sales.
Here’s a graph of my recent SEO stats to give you an idea of how well SEO can work:
Note: This is not all because of SSSEO, and these results came about after a decade of blogging with lots of hard work.
Results will vary based on your niche and plenty of other factors.
But SSSEO definitely gave me the foundational knowledge I needed about Google SEO to achieve results like this!
An Overview of the Stupid Simple SEO Course
Stupid Simple SEO is a comprehensive SEO course created by Mike Futia (who also goes by Mike Pearson).
He’s an SEO expert who’s helped thousands of bloggers optimize their blogs to increase their site traffic and grow their income tenfold.
Personally, Mike helped me understand that SEO wasn’t all a confusing jumble of tech terms and jargon.
He broke the basics down for me in a way that I could easily understand and implement.
And I honestly think he can do the same for you too!
Below is a quick overview of what the course involves, who it’s for, and what results you can expect when you get it.
What It Involves
SSSEO covers practically all the basics of search engine optimization.
Now there are over 70 lessons in the course, which amount to around 11 hours’ worth of videos.
These lessons are divided into ten main modules. But there’s also a lot of bonus content about using different SEO tools, creating niche sites, and more.
Take a look at a few of the topics covered by SSSEO:
- Making your blog user-friendly to improve user experience
- Doing keyword and competitor research
- Choosing the right keywords to increase your chances of ranking high
- Creating epic, high-quality content that Google loves
- Satisfying user intent, meaning your readers get exactly what they came for
- Building backlinks from major players in your niche
- Getting into SEO affiliate marketing
- Learning about domain authority (DA) and how to boost your own
- Creating different types of posts for different goals, including reviews, “best of” posts, and expert roundup articles
Here are the complete contents of the course (as of the time of writing):
Module 0 — Foundations
- Course Walkthrough (Welcome!)
- Scale With SEO Framework
- Stupid Simple SEO Community
- Tracking SEO Progress
- Becoming An Affiliate
- Ahrefs vs. UberSuggest
- Ahrefs Lessons To Complete
- Your UberSuggest Subscription
Module 1 — Undercover Keyword Method (Part I)
- M1L1 — Intro To Competitor Research
- M1L2 — Why Competitor Research Is Best
- M1L3 — Setting Up Your Competitor Analysis Spreadsheet
- M1L4 — Understanding Domain Rating
- M1L5 — Brainstorming Your Initial Competitors
- M1L6 — [Ahrefs] Finding Competitors With Ahrefs
- M1L6 — [UberSuggest] Finding Competitors With UberSuggest
- M1L7 — [Ahrefs] Finding Competitors Searching High-DR Sites
- M1L7 — [UberSuggest] Finding Competitors Searching High-DA Sites
- M1L8 — Finding Competitors Using Google
- M1L9 — [Ahrefs] Filtering Out High-DR Sites
- M1L9 — [UberSuggest] Filtering Out High-DA Sites
- M1L10 — Finalizing Your Competitors
Module 2 — Undercover Keyword Method (Part II)
- M2L1 — The Framework: Undercover Keyword Method (Part II)
- M2L2 — [Ahrefs] Finding Your Competitors Top Pages & Keywords
- M2L2 — [UberSuggest] Finding Your Competitors Top Pages & Keywords
- [Ahrefs: Merge CSV Tool]
- M2L3 — [Ahrefs] Merging Your Keyword Spreadsheets
- M2L3 — [UberSuggest] Merging Your Keyword Spreadsheets
- M2L4 — [Ahrefs] Organizing & Sorting Your Spreadsheets
- M2L4 — [UberSuggest] Organizing & Sorting Your Spreadsheets
- M2L5 — Analyzing Your Keyword Data
- M2L6 — Developing A Content Strategy
- M2L7 — [Ahrefs] Finding Content Ideas With Ahrefs Content Explorer
Module 3 — Strategic Content Formula (Part I)
- M3L1 — The Framework: Strategic Content Formula (Part I)
- M3L2 — Satisfying User Intent
- M3L3 — Primary Intent vs. Secondary Intent
- M3L4 — Understanding User Experience
- M3L5 — Pop-Ups, Aggressive Ads, & Bad User Experience
Module 4 — Strategic Content Formula (Part II)
- M4L1 — The Framework: Strategic Content Formula (Part II)
- M4L2 — Your Goal: “Epic” Content
- M4L3 — Determining Keyword Competitiveness
- M4L4 — Researching & Outlining Content
- M4L5 — Finding Long Tail & Related Keywords
- M4L6 — Determining Word Count
- M4L7 — Creating Content That Ranks
- M4L8 — How To Add Internal Links
- M4L9 — Intro To On-Page SEO
- M4L10 — Setting Up Your On-Page SEO
- M4L11 — Setting Up The Yoast SEO Plugin
- M4L12 — Moving On To The Next Post
Module 5 — The Content Audit
- M5L1 — Intro To Content Audits
- M5L2 — Exporting Google Analytics Data
- M5L3 — What About “Pinterest Content”?
- M5L3 — Deleting Dead Weight Content
- M5L4 — Updating Under-Performing Content
- M5L5 — Redirecting Similar Content
Module 6 — Expertise, Authority, and Trust
- M6L1 — E-A-T: The Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines
- M6L2 — Content Quality & The QEGs
- M6L3 — E-A-T & YMYL Pages
- M6L4 — Why Your “About” Page Matters
- M6L5 — Tips For Optimizing Your Blog For E-A-T
Module 7 — Introduction To Backlinks
- M7L1 — Backlinks 101
- M7L2 — Characteristics Of A Good Backlink
- M7L3 — Avoiding “Spammy” Links
- M7L4 — Link Building Expectations
- M7L5 — “DA” Is Not The Goal!
Module 8 — Building Links With Guest Posting
- M8L1 — The Guest Posting Framework
- M8L2 — Introduction To Guest Posting
- M8L3 — Guest Posting On “Business” Websites
- M8L4 — Getting Organized For Guest Post Campaigns
- M8L5 — Finding Guest Post Opportunities
- M8L6 — Sending Your Guest Post Pitches
- M8L7 — Writing Your Guest Post
Module 9 — Help A Reporter Out Link Building
- M9L1 — Introduction To HARO
- M9L2 — Getting Set Up With HARO
- M9L3 — Responding To HARO Requests
Bonus 1 — Six-Figure Affiliate Marketing Formula
- B1L1 — SEO + Affiliate Marketing
- B1L2 — Affiliate Marketing & User Intent
- B1L3 — Finding Affiliate Keywords
- B1L4 — Tips For Creating “Best” Affiliate Content
- B1L5 — Tips For Creating “Review” Affiliate Content
- B1L6 — Formatting Affiliate Content For Conversions
- B1L7 — AAWP Plugin Walkthrough
Bonus 2 — Mastering Mediavine Ads
Bonus 3 — Site Speed For Bloggers
Bonus 4 — Scale With Sponsored Posts
Bonus 5 — Credit Takeoff Niche Site Explosion
Bonus 6 — Site Structure Mini-Class
Bonus 7 — Low-Cost Keyword Tool (KeySearch)
- B7L1 — Introduction To KeySearch
- B7L2 — Finding Competitors With Keysearch
- B7L3 — Finding Competitor Top Pages
- B7L4 — Finding Keyword “Gap” Opportunities
- B7L5 — Finding Guest Posting Opportunities
- B7L6 — Tracking Your Keyword Rankings
Bonus 8 — Google Search Console
- B8L1 — Identifying Keyword Opportunities With GSC
- B8L2 — Finding New Keyword Ideas With GSC
- B8L3 — Troubleshooting Traffic Decline With GSC
Bonus 9 — Using a VA & Freelance Writer to Grow Your SEO
Bonus 10 — Advanced Ahrefs Lessons
- B10L1 — Introduction To The Bonus Ahrefs Lessons
- B10L2 — Finding “Content Gaps” With Ahrefs
- B10L3 — Finding Competitor Affiliate Networks
- B10L4 — Finding Popular Pinterest Content
- B10L5 — Finding Keyword Ideas With Forums
- B10L6 — Finding Long Tail Keywords
Bonus 11 — Advanced Link Building [Competitor Backlink Analysis]
- B11L1 — Introduction To Competitor Backlinks
- B11L2 — Spying On Your Competitors’ Links
- B11L3 — Merging Your Backlink Spreadsheets
- B11L4 — Analyzing Competitor Backlinks
Bonus 12—How To Sell Your Site (For Life-Changing Money)
Besides the lessons, you’ll also get a lot of cool perks when you buy the course! These include the following:
- Worksheets and templates (like email outreach templates)
- Downloadable and customizable spreadsheets
- Initial access to the private SSSEO Facebook group
- Access to Mike’s live Q&A calls every month
Who It’s For
Any blogger — whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro — can really benefit from the Stupid Simple SEO course.
For newbies, the course will help you avoid the many mistakes beginners make, ensuring you get started on the right foot.
Of course, you’ll still need to do your own research and discover different techniques that work for you with time and experience.
But the lessons in SSSEO will really streamline your learning process.
So instead of losing yourself in a ton of tutorials and videos from all over the web, you’ll get all your SEO fundamentals from one place.
As for blogging aficionados, the course can help you get out of a rut.
If your blog traffic or revenue is steady but stagnant, you can discover how to increase it by refining your strategies or trying new things.
Here are just a few of the new skills and techniques even experienced bloggers learn from the SSSEO course:
- Create infographics and guides that other sites can link to, increasing your domain authority through backlinks
- Get more views to qualify for monetization through ad networks like Mediavine
- Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) for link-building
- Write sponsored posts from big brands or companies in your niche
- Collaborate with other bloggers for guest posting opportunities
- Go from getting traffic solely from Pinterest and Facebook to getting organic traffic from Google
What To Expect
How long does it take to see results after putting the SSSEO lessons into practice?
The results vary from case to case.
But truthfully, you won’t see results overnight.
Many bloggers begin seeing significant improvements in their stats just a couple of months in. Others may take longer.
So it’s important to be patient and consistent, and you’ll begin seeing results like these:
- Increase in organic traffic
- Increase in backlinks
- Increase in revenue
- Features in websites with higher DAs
And I’m not the only one Stupid Simple SEO helped.
A lot of established bloggers in different niches have only good things to say about its effectiveness.
Some have seen their views go from thousands to hundreds of thousands, while others say their income has increased by over 100%!
Pros and Cons of the Stupid Simple SEO Course
In a nutshell, my experience with SSSEO has been wonderful. I’ve shown you the incredible results I’ve gotten from it and the many perks it offers.
But if you’re considering trying it for yourself, there are also a few drawbacks to consider.
So I’ve created a quick list of the course’s pros and cons to give you clearer and more comprehensive insights into whether it’s right for you.
Pros
1. Helpful and Comprehensive
I found every lesson included in the course extremely helpful. It’s clear that Mike knows SEO inside and out, and he’s very generous with his knowledge.
Each video gives you thorough information about each relevant topic. There’s no fluff — just a lot of examples and step-by-step walkthroughs.
I really like the video format of the course because it lets you see how different techniques are implemented in real-time.
It’s also great to have a video to refer to when you’re testing out something new and learning how the process should unfold.
2. Engaging and Easy To Understand
There are a lot of videos to go through in the course, and many involve tech terms that the average blogger may not be familiar with.
But Mike’s way of teaching makes even complex concepts and processes compelling and easy to understand.
So I never felt bored watching a single video, even some of the longer ones that go over 10 minutes.
3. Constantly Updated
The world of SEO is constantly changing.
Mike knows this, which is why the lessons in the course constantly get updated in line with changes to Google’s algorithm.
This means you get fresh, up-to-date information and steer clear of obsolete techniques that only yield disappointing results.
4. Always Accessible Upon Purchase
Once you purchase the course, you get lifetime access to all the lessons — and all the updates.
So if you’re taking your SEO journey slow, you can always pause the lessons and get back to them when you have the time, energy, and willingness.
And after getting results with a few practices you learned from the course, you can pause the lessons and focus on honing your newly acquired skills for a while.
Then you can come back to the course once you’re ready to master other strategies!
Lastly, you can keep up with the newest SEO trends whenever the course gets updated.
5. Self-Paced
Because the lessons are always accessible, you can go through them at your own pace.
You can get through all the videos in one weekend if you prefer. Or you can space them out over a week to give yourself time to really absorb the lessons.
In short, you can tailor the lessons to your unique learning style.
Cons
1. Costly
Stupid Simple SEO costs $497 for a one-time payment. This is a pretty steep price, especially for those who are just starting out with blogging.
However, you do have the option to make four monthly payments of $147.
Also, the course does include access to the SSSEO community on Facebook.
But after a while, you’ll need to sign up for Mike’s SEO Next Level membership for continued community access, which charges an additional fee.
All that said, I do think the price is well worth it for the wealth of information the course gives you.
Expanding your SEO knowledge directly leads to a significant increase in your earnings through blogging. So it’s wise to invest in this course for long-term success.
Now if you’re not sure whether you should take the plunge and invest hundreds of dollars in the course, don’t worry.
You can start by signing up for Mike’s Stupid Simple SEO Masterclass, which is completely free of charge!
This class will cover SEO basics like using basic SEO optimization techniques, avoiding SEO pitfalls, and creating content that Google’s search algorithm will find relevant and rank higher as a result.
2. Time-Consuming
I’ll warn you right now: going through all the lessons will take up a huge chunk of your time.
They’re mostly videos, which makes them beneficial for people like me who prefer learning through visuals.
However, this also means they’re more time-consuming than text-based lessons that you can skim through.
So you may have to set aside time for the course in your schedule.
But again, the time you devote to the course is worth the knowledge you’ll get from it.
You might think that all those hours are better spent creating content.
But producing more and more posts without optimizing them can waste more of your time.
If you don’t use tried-and-proven SEO methods to improve your content, you’ll essentially be throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks.
So it’s much better to devote some time to honing your SEO skills and get consistent rewards afterward.
3. Not Always Open
Because of the high demand for the course, Stupid Simple SEO is not always open. It only opens a few times a year.
So you can’t always get into the course, even if you’ve got your payments ready to go.
In that case, you’ll have to get on a waitlist and wait a certain amount of time before gaining access.
That can be a bummer. But the wait time is also there because Mike constantly updates the course.
So once you get into it, you can be sure that you’ll get high-quality information that guarantees success.
Ready To Give Stupid Simple SEO a Shot?
Did this post convince you to try Stupid Simple SEO?
I’m glad!
With this course, you’ll be taking a huge step toward growing your audience and getting more opportunities to actually make money from your blogging passion.
So go ahead and sign up for the free Stupid Simple SEO masterclass through the link I’ve provided above.
Take note that it’s currently closed, so hop on the waitlist now to make sure you get in when it opens!
