[hagbardgroup]

This has always been excellent: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo

It even has pictures. After that, I would suggest that you search for specific issues that crop up as you work on projects.

reddit.com/r/bigseo is one of the better free communities that I know of. Most open-entry communities related to SEO become toxic cesspools almost immediately, especially at scale.

[tomwhita]

Thanks. This is great.

[dwd]

QuickSprout is also a good resource, but their advice like Moz is mostly anecdotal (we tried this and it appears to work) mixed with what Google says. http://www.quicksprout.com/university/

But the best resource is Google and Matt Cutts in particular: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com.au/

http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/www.google.com/en/...

[hagbardgroup]

I was thinking more from the perspective of how to train hires who are unaware of SEO to a serviceable level as quickly and efficiently as possible. Throwing the beginner's guide at them is efficient. Same goes with clients.

Cutts speaks directly to professionals who have marinated in SEO, often for years. Newbs will not understand most of it, and they have to get the basics first before they can make use of the issues that he helps to trouble shoot.