SEO Starter Guide and Search Central documentation

This is documentation rather than a course, included because it is the primary source every vendor academy is ultimately paraphrasing. It is published by Google under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, is entirely free, requires no account, and carries a last updated date of 10 December 2025. Structure runs from foundational concepts through helping Google find content, organising a site, creating useful content, optimising images and video, promotion, things to avoid, and next steps. It does address AI, including a section on optimizing for generative AI search, guidance on using generative AI, and generative AI fundamentals within the wider documentation set. There is no certificate, no exam, no video and no instructor. Google Skillshop, Google's certification platform, covers Ads and Analytics rather than SEO, so there is no official Google SEO certification despite widespread claims otherwise. Treat this as reference material to check vendor claims against, not as structured training.

Depth is moderate as documentation is broad but deliberately non-tactical. Currency is high with an explicit December 2025 update date and generative AI sections present. Instructor authority is maximal because this is first-party material from Google itself. Practical application is mid since it explains what matters without walking through execution. Value for money is maximal as it is free and openly licensed. Support scores mid because the Search Central Community forum exists but there is no instruction or feedback on learning.