Wading into SEO for the first time can feel terribly overwhelming. Who do you listen to? Where should you go for insight and information? Certainly not those who claim SEO is dead or irrelevant. To make your transition into SEO easy and to give you the clear, actionable advice you need to start moving, we've compiled over 50 of the best SEO tools and resources on a variety of topics across SEO. SEO Strategy Google's SEO Guide - Google's guide to SEO is a bit simplistic, but it makes a fantastic primer for businesses, marketers, and webmasters who are new to SEO and need to know the rules of engagement. The Beginner's Guide to SEO - Moz's guide to SEO has quickly become the definitive guide - and for good reason. Beautifully illustrated and remarkable in depth, this is the ideal starting point for anyone new to SEO who wants to know what's involved and how to go about optimizing for the Internet. Advanced Guide to SEO - QuickSprout's guide is a little more technical but is still easily approachable for beginners. Covering a broad swath of topics, this is a handy guide to spread among your internal teams to get everyone on board. The 5 Pillar Approach to Building an SEO Strategy - Chris Luttjohann of Digital Current shares our "5 Pillar Approach" to successful SEO strategy building. 21 Techniques You Can Use Today to Get More Search Engine Traffic - Brian Dean of Backlinko has some interesting insights into techniques that generate Web traffic the right way. How to Rank: 25 Step SEO Master Blueprint - Moz's Cyrus Shepard lays out an easy-to-follow guide to ranking well in Google, with clever strategies for businesses at all stages of SEO. SEO for E-commerce: A Comprehensive Guide - This slideshare by Adam Audette offers a deep dive into the unique challenges of SEO for e-commerce websites and is an essential resource for anyone planning to sell products online. 5 SEO Strategies That Will Still Work in 2015 - Staying current in SEO is essential. Search Engine Watch's 2015 guide dishes on tactics and approaches that are still relevant in 2015 and mentions some tactics to avoid. Keyword Research 6 Untapped Keyword Sources That Will Boost Organic Traffic - Your SEO campaign is only as effective as your keyword targeting. Neil Patel reveals some unexpected places you can go to learn what your customers are looking for and how to improve your campaigns. The Definitive Guide to Keyword Research - Another great resource from Backlinko's Brian Dean, this guide walks you step-by-step through the process of keyword research, from finding long-tail keywords to analyzing your competition. How to Do Keyword Research for SEO - Nick Eubanks knows keyword research far better than most. His guide tackles what he calls the "most important part of SEO": delving into searcher intent and how to evaluate prospective targets. 6 Smart Ways to Find Niche Keywords to Earn High Search Rankings - Barry Feldman shows you how to strategically implement long-tail keywords to attract the audience you desire to bring to your website. How to Create Smarter Content Using Semantic Keyword Research - Neil Patel's second resource on this list dives into semantic keyword research, arming you with the tips you need to choose core and supporting keywords for a modern, up-to-date approach to keyword research. On-Page SEO More Than Keywords: 7 Concepts of Advanced On-Page SEO - Moz's Cyrus Shepard pulls back the curtain on the elements of your on-page SEO that really matter, going beyond mere keywords and into actionable strategies. Visual Guide to Keyword Targeting and On-Page SEO - Rand Fishkin of Moz offers up a visual guide to keyword targeting that makes it easy for beginners to understand how they ought to be approaching on-page SEO, from keyword targeting to user experience and beyond. On-Page Optimization for Multilingual Sites - If you're targeting multiple languages or countries, this piece from Christian Arno on Search Engine Watch will show you the best way to go about it. 6 On-Page SEO Strategies That'll Boost Your Rankings - QuickSprout's Neil Patel reveals the power of searching for synonyms, linking to high-authority sites, creating fresh content, and more. 9 On-Page SEO Elements You Need in 2014 - Jayson DeMers' article on Forbes is a fantastic and current look at the on-page factors businesses need to be aware of - not only in 2014, but for the foreseeable future, too. Link Building The 5-Step Link-Building Strategy - Raven Tools outlines a complete, step-by-step process to building links that marketers of all experience levels can learn and apply. 43 Experts Share Their Most Actionable Link-Building Tip - This enormous roundup by Venchito offers tons of tips and takeaways from experts across the Web. There's no business this post can't help! How to Analyze a Link - Understanding whether or not a link is good or toxic is critical for long-term SEO success. This helpful guide shows you the important things to watch out for, including link types, authority, location, and more. The 2014 Local Link-Building Guide - This roundup by Ahrefs is a fantastic look at what's current and effective for link builders in 2014 and beyond. Link-Building Methods That Work in 2014 - Matthew Barby digs into today's most effective tactics, debunking myths and dispelling misconceptions along the way. Content-Based Outreach for Link Building - This helpful guide from Justin Briggs teaches you how to conduct effective outreach and earn quality links at the same time. (For a huge list of link building resources, check out 60+ Link-Building Resources for 2015 on our blog!) Technical SEO Technical SEO for Nontechnical People - This piece from Erin Everheart on Search Engine Watch is a wonderful introduction to the technical elements of SEO, written in a way that even those who aren't tech-savvy can understand. A Technical SEO Guide to Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking - Paddy Moogan goes a little more in depth in this post on State of Digital, delving into the way search engines crawl, index, and rank websites while giving clear advice as he goes along. Technical SEO Checklist - WordTracker's Technical SEO Checklist is perfect for both those who are optimizing their own websites and those who just want a better understanding of how technical SEO works and what is involved. Local SEO 40 Important Local-Search Questions Answered - Mike Ramsey tackles 40 of the most common and toughest questions in local SEO. Top 20 Local-Search Ranking Factors: An Illustrated Guide - Miriam Ellis' illustrated guide to local-search factors illuminates the things businesses must be addressing when considering a local SEO campaign. Anatomy of a Perfect Local Landing Page - Another gem from Mike Ramsey, this post lays out every element and factor you need to consider when crafting a local landing page for your website. Local SEO for the Small-Business Owner Short on Time - WhiteSpark's Mikel Zaremba knows that business owners are short on time, so he put together this quick and easy post on the crucial factors and approaches for local SEO. Local SEO Checklist - Synup has assembled a huge checklist for local SEO that ensures businesses don't overlook anything important while undertaking SEO for their locations. Mobile SEO How to Create a Mobile-First Content Marketing Strategy - Devika Girish of the Content Marketing Institute knows exactly what it takes to build a winning mobile content marketing strategy and shares all of her insights in this post. Mobile SEO: How to Rank in Mobile Search - Terence Mace of Web Marketing Group lays out how to rank in mobile search in a post that's both current and actionable. 7 UX Fails That Ruin Mobile Conversion Rates - Sharon Hurley Hall of CrazyEgg has seen a lot of terrible mobile experiences, and she warns against some of the most common pitfalls. Step-by-Step Mobile SEO Audit - Aleyda Solis' post on State of Digital shows you how to assess your site's performance in mobile and reveals the factors you need to be paying attention to in order to avoid rankings disaster. Definitive Guide to Technical Mobile SEO - Vanessa Fox's post on Search Engine Land is clear, comprehensive, and critical for anyone undertaking a mobile SEO campaign (which should be everyone). Content Marketing Content Marketing Fundamentals to Always Remember - Gregory Ciotti has spent several years doing content marketing, sharing the basics that should always be top-of-mind when undertaking a campaign. How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy - Jay Baer of Convince and Convert has written entire books on content marketing. This post is a must read for those planning a content marketing strategy. Advanced Guide to Content Marketing - QuickSprout's Neil Patel offers up another intensive guide, this time about content marketing. Everything you need to know to get started is here. 8 Lies About Content Marketing You Probably Believe - Joel Klettke tackles some of the common misconceptions and myths about content marketing, helping you cut through the clutter and do what works. How to Create a Deep Connection With Your Prospects and Customers - Sonia Simone at Copyblogger shares how businesses can create more meaningful connections with their customers, an essential for effective content marketing. The Prepared Writer's Process for Creating Excellent Content Every Day - Creating enough meaningful, relevant content can be a challenge. Copyblogger shares a clever way to keep on producing and avoid burning out. 25 Ways to Create Shareable Content - Content is only effective if it is consumed and shared. Gini Dietrich's post on Convince and Convert will give you some seriously helpful ideas for creating content people can't wait to share with others. Conversion Rate Optimization Beginner's Guide to CRO - It's not enough to just get people to your website - you need them to convert when they arrive. This guide from Qualaroo is an immensely helpful resource for those trying to capture more conversions. Beginner's Guide to Website Speed Optimization - Slow-loading pages convert (and rank) worse than those that load in a snap. This beginner's guide from Kinsta will walk you through optimizing your site for maximum speed. The ABCs of Landing Pages That Work - Copyblogger's Steven Lowe has some essentials you need to be aware of when creating landing pages if you want to turn more of your traffic into paying customers. Penalties and Penalty Removal Ultimate Guide to Google Penalty Removal - Whether you've already been hit with a penalty or you just want some perspective on how to get rid of one, Lewis Sellers' post on Moz is both informative and actionable. How to Recover From Any Google Penalty - This post on KISSMetrics shares an effective and efficient approach for coming back from a Google Penalty, no matter what you've been hit with. How Can I Make Sure My SEO Agency Doesn't Earn My Website a Penalty? - Joel Kletkke presents a comprehensive guide that helps you understand and assess whether or not you've got a penalty, and also equips you with the questions you need to ask in order to avoid your SEO agency earning your website a Google penalty. DOWNLOAD: 17 SEO Myths You Should Leave Behind In 2015[Free Guide] Algorithm Updates and Patents SEO by the Sea - Bill Slawski has made a career of analyzing Google's patents to better understand how their search engine works - and where the future of SEO lies. Though more technical, his website is a must-read resource for those interested in staying ahead of the curve. Google Algorithm Change History - Moz's Google Algorithm Change History tracks every major update to search engines, giving you an up-to-date understanding of how the SEO landscape has changed. Penguin, Panda, & Hummingbird - Search Engine Journal's guide to these three major algorithm updates puts algorithmic changes in a language everyone can understand. Google's 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List - Backlinko's Brian Dean has compiled 200 different search ranking factors - some proven, some speculated. This list will give you a full perspective of just how much is going on behind the scenes of the Web's most popular search engine. Google Webmaster YouTube Channel - Get new information straight from Google itself! This resource for webmasters is irreplaceable, and spending even an hour or two watching videos will leave you better equipped to rank well (and on Google's good side). Tools 55 SEO Experts Reveal 3 Favorite Link-Building Tools - This roundup by Richard Marriott gives a better look into the tools the pros are using, from free tools to paid solutions. Best SEO & Marketing Tools Ever - Saijo's round up of SEO and marketing tools is enormous and informative, giving you a breakdown of several of the different options available for measurement, tracking, and more. The Best Content Marketing Tools for Efficient Marketers - Buffer's Kevan Lee has rounded up all of the best content marketing tools available and organized them in a way that's easy to follow. Get the scoop on the tools that will help make your life as a content marketer much, much easier. Microsoft Excel for SEOs - One of the most powerful and readily available tools to SEOs is Excel. This guide from Distilled shows you how to mash up data and find meaningful insights in an ocean of numbers - without overwhelming you in the process. Take Action! Even the best list of resources won't be helpful to you unless you choose to take action with what you've learned. We hope what we've shared here will give you a confident starting point - but never stop learning, growing, and applying the things you learn along the way. If you're not sure what tools and resources are right for your SEO strategy or you just don't know where to start, we can help. Digital Current has over a decade of experience helping businesses construct content strategies that produce real results.