In my experience, the best way to learn something is to practice. I can tell you a lot about graphic design and I suggest to start off by learning to do something you can sell right away (so that you will stay motivated): search torrents for lynda logo design courses and start from there. Set up an account on fiverr and start selling (don't worry about the quality - the main goal is to learn design, and fiverr is good, but just in the beginning). Once you get a hang of it, explore other design niches. Practice, practice, practice.
In terms of SEO, start reading the forum, learn the basics, set up a website and try to rank it locally.
Best of luck, mate!