My Favorite Blogging Courses in 2023

Since I started blogging in 2010, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on classes, courses, coaching, and training. That’s not an exaggeration. Some of them weren’t worth the time and money, but a few stand out as game changers in helping me grow my business.

I thought it would be helpful to share some of the courses and classes that were worth the investment, as well as a few that I’d skip.

The Best Blogging Courses in 2023

Pretty Focused Photography

My favorite course I’ve ever taken is Pretty Focused. This photography course is aimed at food and craft creators who want to take beautiful photos for their own site or who want to run a business selling recipes and crafts to other bloggers. (I’d say the majority is focused on food but it would transfer to crafts as well.) Here’s my affiliate link if you want to check it out! This really helped me level up my food photography. I’m planning to take their video course next!

Food Blogger Entrepreneurs

I signed up for Food Blogger Entrepreneurs back in 2019, and it has been a great resource to connect with other bloggers in my industry and learn from each other. (I should mention the price was cheaper when I joined.) I found this coaching style to be most beneficial since it’s specifically focused on content creators/bloggers/influencers.

Stupid Simple SEO

The Stupid Simple SEO course has a specific strategy for keyword research, and I like the way the instructor walks you through it step by step. It was a time-consuming process, but it really worked well. I’ve re-done the course every 6 months or so to refresh my keywords, and it’s been really helpful. He has a lot of other SEO courses, but I haven’t taken the others.

Foodtography

While I definitely learned a lot more from Pretty Focused, I wanted to mention Foodtography because they have an iPhone-specific photography course that is great if you’re not ready to use your DSLR yet. Sarah is a great teacher and I’ve really enjoyed her photography courses!

Two Loves Studio

If you want to sharpen your photography skills in certain areas like editing or composition, Two Loves Studio has a lot of great one-off classes. I enjoyed her Lightroom Magic course as well as Composition Essentials. While most of this is covered in Pretty Focused, if you’re looking for cheaper classes to learn a specific skill, this can be a great budget-friendly option.

Hashtag Jeff

I received access to Jeff’s SEO course for free since I hired him for a site audit. (The site audit isn’t cheap but it was a great investment!) I’d say his course and resources are geared more toward beginners, but it’s great for an affordable place to start. You can even sign up for monthly access to try it out for a little while.

Courses I Wouldn’t Buy Again

I’ve taken many courses that were not worth the money, which is why it’s good to ask around for recommendations before you pay up. I won’t mention names, but I spent thousands of dollars on a business coach and didn’t get much out of it. We had weekly group calls, but most of the other people were in different industries so the takeaways weren’t great.

I recently bought a course to learn G4, and it was okay, but I think I could have learned just as much by playing around on my own. I’ve also taken an email strategy course with smart strategies for people who sell through their email lists, but it was not very relevant for me as a food blogger. These courses and coaches would probably be great for others, but they weren’t right for me.

How to Know What Courses to Take

Now that there are so many courses available, I think it’s worth digging to find a course specifically targeted to your niche. Don’t sign up for sales training if you don’t have a product to sell. Don’t sign up for an SEO course if you’re not creating long-form content. These days, you can find a course for anything so look for something specifically in your business niche.

Ask around! This is how I’ve found the best courses. Ask for feedback from friends or other people in your niche before signing up. And be wary of online reviews, as many of these programs have generous affiliate programs.

Free Resources

If you’re not ready to spend money on courses, there are so many excellent free resources available. It’s a great way to sharpen your skills and help you decide where to invest next. Here are a few of my favorites:

Choosing the right courses can significantly impact your blogging journey. Remember to get recommendations from your network, consider your niche, and explore free resources before spending money.