Brian Dean’s SEO That Works 3.0 Review: SEO Course, Content Marketing Explained, & Alternatives

What are the Pros & Cons of SEO That Works 3.0?

Pros

• Brian is a solid communicator/orator, his lessons are easy to understand & he throws in cool tidbits like a lot of the different studies that show his claims to be true.
• The Course teaches you backlink building but will also make you a better writer and copywriter.
• His SEO method of content marketing is the safest and most future proof
• His methods will work in conjunction with SEO methods that you may be using currently.

Cons

• His course strictly teaches about 1 SEO Method, nothing else. (aka he doesn’t teach about how to get clients or scaling your agency)
• Brian doesn’t teach about building a personal blog network (PBN), which is sufficient to rank a lot SEO projects with significantly less effort imo.
• Using Brian’s Method it’s very difficult to scale.

What’s Inside SEO That Works 3.0?

Module 0: What’s Working Right Now in SEO

In this section, Brian goes over bad SEO practices that used to work 5+ years ago are no longer viable.

Like falsely believing writing a good piece of content is enough.

Nowadays you need a systematic link building strategy.

Brian confirms that backlinks are still the #1 Ranking factor in Google.

Module 1: Linkreators

How to research & find the influential bloggers within your niche that may be willing to link to your articles.

Identifying what kind of subjects do they like linking to.

Common mistake a lot of people make is that they go ahead and write a huge article before they do research to see if anyone really likes to link to that kind of subject.

Brian uses tools like ahrefs.com to quickly find where a competitor or similar article may be getting their links from, this is one of the ways to find your linkreator, its a technique I like using also.

with ahrefs you can find some relevant places that people are getting links from.

Module 2: Power Page

all about how to write that viral piece of content that’s got tons of share triggers.

Top Share Triggers

• Buzzsumo did a study of 100 million articles & the longer piece of content (3000 words or more) got more shares – contrarily to what some believe… longer piece of content elicit a feeling of “awe”, a similar feeling to when one views the expansive grand canyon
• content with high utility – write content that’s insanely useful & practical, the extreme version is a recipe article… gets tons of shares.
• memorable content, a trademark techniques that elicit strong visual or memorable that people can latch on to. For example 4 Hour Work Week is catching & memorable. Brian Dean came up with the Skyscraper Technique which is about writing a bigger more authoritative content than the competition on the first page, very good visual.
• articles that elicit positive emotions. we all know bad news travel fast, but the good news is studies found that articles that elicit positive emotions like inspiration or surprises get more shares than the negative: sad or depressing stories.
• Stories are more shared than pure information. its more memorable & elicit more emotions

Awesome things to remember when writing our content on any of our monthly-money sites.

Brian also shares content framework that elicit more shares, my favorite being the Ultimate Guidebook & The Hero Formula.

His tips in the Ultimate Guidebook are super high utility, teaching you about tactics that have extremely high practicality.

His Hero Formula is telling a story of you overcoming something & sharing your experience of trials & tribulations, of growth & evolution, elicits strong emotions of awe, inspiration & motivation. Very strong way to connect to your readers.

Module 3: Content Promotion & Link Building

This is all about how to reach out to your Linkreators & promote your power pages to them.

Brian has various email pitches that you can use.

He recommends quality of pitches over quantity.

Building a relationship first, reaching out to them on social media, sharing their pages & commenting on how awesome their content is beforehand to significantly increase the likelihood that they will be willing to hear you out.

Module 4: Optimize Content for UX Signals

gets pretty technical here, apparently new factor in ranking, although I haven’t personally had any issues ranking my sites without doing any of this stuff. It can’t hurt.

Who is Brian Dean?

Brian Dean is an SEO expert, content strategist, and the founder of Backlinko, one of the most influential SEO education sites online. Known as “the SEO genius” by Entrepreneur and widely respected across the digital marketing industry, he built his reputation by sharing practical, research-backed strategies that helped shape modern SEO practices. Brian’s techniques, such as the Skyscraper Technique, Power Pages, and Content Roadshow, have been adopted globally by brands, agencies, and marketers looking to rank higher in Google.

He later co-founded Exploding Topics, a trend-discovery platform backed by investors like Peter Thiel, where he helps companies identify rising market opportunities. Today, Brian is recognized as one of the top voices in SEO, digital growth, and content marketing.

Parting Thoughts on SEO That Works 3.0

Content marketing is indeed powerful but it also requires a lot of effort & some writing talent.

Yes Brian says that using his content conceptual framework & share triggers that anyone can write power page contents.

But I know some  SEO business  owners that absolutely despise writing alone.

Some of those will really struggle with this course, because for example take a look at one of Brian’s own Power Page:  https://backlinko.com/link-building

Super high quality…Its split up into chapters & shit! Almost like a small book!

But look…

This one page’s got 876 sites linking to it.

This method clearly works, but it heavily relies on your ability to write really awesome content like Brian.

It’s probably impossible to try & outsource. you’d end up paying a lot of money & you’d only get like 25% quality of Brian’s writing at best.

So building power pages is something you might need to handle on your own. Its difficult to scale.

Using this method for 1-2 projects is one thing but when you got like 45 clients like I do, I don’t think content marketing is the best way to go.

What is the Average Cost of SEO Per Month?

The average cost of SEO per month ranges from $500 to $5,000+, depending on the scope of work, the agency’s experience, and the competitiveness of your industry. Most small to mid-sized businesses pay:

• $500–$1,500 per month for basic local SEO
• $1,500–$5,000 per month for mid-level SEO with content + backlinks
• $5,000–$20,000 per month for aggressive, high-competition national SEO

Hourly SEO consulting usually costs $75–$200 per hour, while one-time SEO projects range from $2,500–$10,000+.

Is an SEO Business Profitable?

Yes, an SEO business can be very profitable . Companies are willing to pay substantial monthly retainers, often anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 or more, for effective SEO, which creates steady, predictable recurring revenue. Because SEO is primarily a skill-based service, overhead costs are relatively low. You don’t need a physical office, inventory, or large staff to get started, so profit margins can reach 80%–95%. Demand is also consistently high, since every business wants better visibility on Google. That said, running an SEO agency isn’t easy money. You’ll need to manage client relationships, provide regular reporting, and continually deliver results. The article also notes that while SEO is lucrative, models like local lead generation can be even more profitable and less dependent on hands-on client management.

What are the Best Alternatives to SEO That Works 3.0?

• SEO Mastery by Jaume Ros Salvador is a self-paced program of 86 videos in 20 modules covering keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, local SEO and link-building. It offers a broad and practical curriculum but notes that some videos are poorly labelled, there are no independent student reviews and the current SEO environment makes high rankings harder.
• Superstar SEO Academy by Chris M. Walker uses a 3-step blueprint: site optimization, brand building, and link creation, aimed at ranking websites and increasing organic leads for affiliates or agencies. The course has a structured process, monthly updates and low price but the approach won’t work for everyone and lacks depth in some areas.
• SEO Wizard Academy by Kristian D’an teaches business owners and digital marketers a 7-step ethical SEO process including keyword research, competitor analysis, on-page SEO, local SEO and link-building, with lifetime access and a 60-day guarantee. It’s a clear and well-structured course for agencies but ranking high in competitive niches remains challenging even with the training.

Final Verdict: Is SEO That Works 3.0 Worth the Investment?

SEO That Works 3.0 is worth the investment for marketers, bloggers, and SEO professionals who already enjoy writing, have the time to create in-depth content, and want a proven white-hat framework for earning high-authority backlinks. Brian Dean’s Power Page and “share trigger” methodology can be extremely effective for those targeting competitive informational keywords and building authority sites in tough niches.

If you’re already investing $3,000–$6,000 monthly (or the equivalent in time) into content creation, outreach tools, and link-building, and you’re comfortable doing long-form writing, research, and personalized outreach, then SEO That Works can absolutely help you build stronger assets and attract high-quality links that compound over time. However, for solo operators or those seeking a more passive income model, the reliance on writing mini-books, manual outreach, and long time-to-results makes this approach harder to scale and more labor-intensive than most people expect.

If you’re a beginner, or if you’re looking for a more straightforward, cash-flow-first model, consider something like local lead generation, where simple sites targeting local keywords can rank faster, generate direct phone calls for small businesses, and produce recurring income without needing to write epic 3,000+ word guides for every project.

Is Local Lead Generation Better Than Content Marketing SEO?

Local lead generation is better than content marketing SEO because it focuses on ranking simpler sites for easier local keywords, producing revenue faster and with far less content overhead like the stability of NASA’s Deep Space Network. Once the antennas and infrastructure are in place, missions reliably receive signals across vast distances without constantly rebuilding the system. Local lead gen sites, once ranked, keep sending “signals” (leads) to business owners with very little ongoing effort. Instead of needing a massive “Power Page” and hundreds of outreach emails to compete on global SEO terms, you can rank small local sites with modest link-building and start getting paid monthly for the leads they produce.

With content marketing SEO in Brian’s style, every serious keyword becomes a major project that demands research, expert-level writing, design, and outreach. It’s great for authority plays, but slow and hard to scale if your goal is income over portfolio prestige. Local lead generation flips that equation: you don’t need to be a world-class writer, you don’t need to create viral content, and you don’t need thousands of links. You just need targeted local sites, decent on-page SEO, a handful of good links, and a local business owner who’s happy to pay $500–$2,000 a month for a steady stream of calls. That’s why for most people who want money coming in sooner rather than later, local lead gen is the more practical and profitable path.

Why Local Lead Generation Outperforms Content-Heavy SEO for Income and Lifestyle

Local lead generation outperforms content-heavy SEO for income and lifestyle because it’s built around speed to revenue, simplicity, and long-term passivity. You’re not chasing massive global keywords or trying to build the next Backlinko, you’re solving a simple problem for local businesses, which is more customers. You’re getting paid every month for that solution. One ranked site can pay you for years without requiring constant content updates, redesigns, or outreach campaigns. I’ve been making lead gen sites for over 10 years. My site, Elgin Elite Roofing 649 Tollgate Road Elgin, Illinois 60123 847-925-7339 https://elgineliteroofing.com/, drove 18 high-quality leads worth $65,892. I got paid $3,294.60 for a 5% commission even without checking my site daily.

If you’d rather spend your time collecting checks than writing 5,000-word guides, start building local lead gen sites and turn simple SEO into predictable monthly income.