Exciting plans include new SEC Certification Pathways, advanced level courses, new website and global accreditation.

I remember the hot summer days where my favorite excuse to sit out by my swimming pool and “work” was gathering my notes and research to write a self-study website usability course for a new online school called The Search Engine College. I was part of an esteemed list of tutors invited by Australian-based, Kalena and Jerry Jordan, founders of the school.

Not only did we need to develop our courses, we also needed to learn how to instruct online via software from Moodle. This software application connects tutors, courses and students by providing a virtual environment in which everything is a click away, from no matter where you happen to be in the world.

Two years ago, website usability and user centered web design were not part of mainstream search engine marketing discussions. I knew only a few top-level SEO industry experts who were interested in the relationship between marketing to search engines and the follow through to humans who find optimized websites that rank well. Kalena was not simply interested. She wanted it taught to her SEO students. We thought we’d start with a basics course and see how it did. This year it is more popular as companies insist on usability standards for their websites (and after the Target lawsuit, there is more of a push for accessibility standards).

The Search Engine College promotes holistic marketing, and it shows in the Jordan’s implementation of new plans for their school. As I became aware of some of the changes in store for the coming months, I thought it was time to get the story. If you haven’t explored what the Search Engine College has to offer, now is a good time to squeeze a course or two into your education budget or plan on a fresh start for next year.

The dialog below is based on an email interview with both Kalena and Jerry Jordan. Answers are presented in a unified voice for easier reading.

Please continue reading Search Engine College Students Favor Search Engine Marketing Self-Study Courses, where the interview is presented in full detail.