Getting started with Digital Marketing doesn’t have to be difficult – nor expensive. Today, I will show you the best free Digital Marketing Courses for beginners to get you up and going with one of the most trending topics on the market.
In fact, making your first steps with Digital Marketing can be quite confusing. There are hundreds of courses out there, and not all of them are actually worth their price. Luckily, you don’t have to start with the paid ones to gain some initial experience in Marketing.
So, let’s go!
Top 12 Free Digital Marketing Courses
1. Google Analytics Qualification
- Company: Google
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 3.5 hours
- Certification: Yes
Google Analytics Individual Qualification is a Digital Marketing course which became part of Google’s online training program Academy for Ads in January 2018.
It covers the basic concepts and principles of Google Analytics, a powerful tool that a lot of companies use on a daily basis. It allows you to track user activity on your website, including:
- Session duration – how much time users spend on your website;
- The number of pages viewed per session;
- Percentage of users who leave your website without interaction (bounce rate);
- How many people performed a specific action, such as downloading an ebook;
- The demographic profile of your audience, such as age and gender;
- Even the electronic device from which people are viewing your website;
…and much more!
This course is an absolute must if you want to understand and work with Digital Marketing. In fact, a lot of companies require Marketing hires to have this certification. This way, they know that you have at least a basic understanding of Google Analytics.
So, before you jump into any random and expensive course, make sure to pass this one first.
The Google Analytics course is divided into 2 separate segments: Beginners and Intermediate. You can take it by joining Academy for Ads for free here.
Note: If you are not familiar with the tool, make sure to check out my post on Google Analytics.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #1: Google Analytics Certification
2. Google Ads Display Certification
- Company: Google
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 2.5 hours + 3 hours*
- Certification: Yes
Another course on top of my free Digital Marketing courses list is the Google Ads Display Certification.
Google Ads is an online advertising platform that lets you manage different types of ads in Google:
With this platform, you can manage a variety of ads across Google and its partners:
- Display – banner ads that appear on websites that partner with Google.
- Search – text ads that appear among your search engine results;
- Gmail – promotion emails that arrive straight to your gmail inbox.
This specific course is focused on Display Campaigns. It will help you understand the benefits and best practices of display ads, as well as the most efficient optimization techniques.
Google Display Ad example
This course is also extremely important if you want to work as a Digital Marketer. Just as with Google Analytics, companies might require one or all Google Ads courses for certain job positions.
So, it is definitely a must before you sign up for any paid course!
* To get the Google Ads Display Certification, you will need to take two separate courses:
- Google Ads Fundamentals – this one is obligatory for all individual Google Ads certifications, because it’s the basic course for the platform.
- Google Ads Display course. – this one focuses exclusively on Display ads.
You will receive your individual qualification once you’ve completed both courses.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #2: Google Ads Display Certification
Tip: Be careful with online academies that try to sell you Google courses. All Google courses are completely free and there is no reason why you should pay for them.
3. Google Ads Search Certification
- Company: Google
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 2.5 hours + 3 hours*
- Certification: Yes
The Google Ads Search Certification goes hand by hand with the Display one. In fact, I highly recommend that you do both in order to get the full perspective of Google Ads.
And with this course, we already have our top 3 free Digital Marketing courses for beginners. In other words, the three most important ones to get you started!
The Google Ads Search Certification focuses exclusively on Search campaigns. You are probably quite familiar with them without even realizing it. These are the text ads that appear on your Google search results page:
You know, these results that have the word Ad next to the website URL. They are different from the rest of the search results that appear on Google because companies are paying for them. If you want to learn more about the differences, I recommend the following articles:
Furthemore, this course is great because it takes you through the whole process behind Search ads. This includes keywords, search engine optimization techniques, best practices, and much more.
It is absolutely fundamental if you want to get started with Digital Marketing. And again, be careful – all Google courses are completely free, so don’t let online academies tell you otherwise.
* To get the Google Ads Search Certification, you will need to take two separate courses:
- Google Ads Fundamentals – the same one that you need to complete for the Display certification. So, if you already did it for Display or another certification, you will not have to do it twice.
- Google Ads Search course – the one that focuses exclusively on search ads.
Once you’ve completed both assessments, you will receive your certificate.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #3: Google Ads Search Certification
4. AMA Professional Certified Marketer in Digital Marketing
- Company: LinkedIn
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 44 hours
- Certification: Yes
The course Become an AMA Professional Certified Marketer in Digital Marketing is a collection of 20 videos with a total duration of 44 hours. It is a part of the platform LinkedIn Learning.
This certification is provided in collaboration with the American Marketing Association. In fact, it covers pretty much all the basics of Digital Marketing, including:
- Mobile and Online Foundations;
- Search Engine Marketing;
- Search Engine Optimization;
- Content Marketing;
- E-mail Marketing & Social Media.
If you are a member of the professional social channel, LinkedIn Learning probably sounds familiar to you. It is a learning platform that comes with the Premium plans. And LinkedIn always offers a free trial to all its members!
In theory, the course is paid because the cheapest LinkedIn Premium plan is about 30 EUR per month. However, you get a 30-day free trial to try it, which gives you enough time to pass it without paying for it.
I explain the course in details in my post LinkedIn Learning: How to Get Started With Digital Marketing.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #4: AMA Professional Certified Marketer
5. Inbound Marketing Certification
- Company: HubSpot
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 4.5 hours
- Certification: Yes
The Inbound Certification is a course developed by Hubspot, one of the leading companies in B2B Marketing and Sales Automation software.
It consists of 12 class lectures that take you through the four stages of the inbound methodology. In this course, you will learn:
- How to optimize your website to increase traffic;
- Build efficient and high-converting landing pages;
- Enhance your Inbound sales skills;
- How to set business goals and create buyer personas;
…and of course, a lot more!
The exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions, and you have 90 minutes to complete them.
To obtain your certification for Inbound Marketing, hop over to HubSpot Academy.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #5: Inbound Marketing Certification
6. Content Marketing Certification
- Company: HubSpot
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 6 hours
- Certification: Yes
One of the best free Digital Marketing courses for Beginners is undoubtedly the Content Marketing Certification provided by HubSpot in their Hubspot Academy.
The course consists of 44 videos divided into 4 sections. It teaches you how to efficiently develop your content strategy as a part of your Inbound Marketing efforts. Some of the main topics include:
- The Power of Storytelling;
- Building a Content Creation Framework;
- Blogging as a Ranking Factor in Google;
- How to do Effective Content Promotion;
- Measuring and Analyzing your Content.
To obtain the certification, you will need to pass an exam and/or 15 optional quizzes. The exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions for a 90-minute time limit.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #6: Content Marketing Certification
7. SEO Training Course
- Company: Moz
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 3.5 hours
- Certification: Yes
Our list of free Digital Marketing courses continues with the SEO Training Course was developed by Moz, one of the leading companies in Inbound Marketing & Analytics software globally. It has an exclusive focus on Search Engine Optimization, and it is perfect for beginners.
Some of the core topics covered by Moz in this course include:
- The Fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO);
- How to perform proper Keyword Research;
- Optimizing your website for traffic and visibility;
- Reporting and analysis on SEO;
- The essentials for Link Building.
After you’ve completed the course, you will be able to improve the internal and external aspects of your website. And of course, you will master some great techniques for increasing traffic to your website.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #7: SEO Training Course
8. Social Media Analytics
- Company: Quintly
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 1+ hours*
- Certification: Yes
The Social Media Analytics Course by Quintly aims to introduce beginners to the basic principles of social media analytics. And of course, the most important metrics that each Marketer should know how to measure.
By taking this course, you will learn concepts such as:
- Approaching situation analysis;
- Identification of your data-based goals;
- Measuring Key Performance Metrics for your business;
- Generating and understanding automated reports.
In fact, this certification can be a great addition to your curriculum. Especially if you are leaning more towards specializing in Social Media.
It is important to keep in mind that this course consists of both text and video. So, the time it takes to complete will depend on the individual dedication of each person.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #8: Social Media Analytics
9. E-mail Marketing Certification
- Company: HubSpot
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 3.5 hours
- Certification: Yes
Another one on my list of free Digital Marketing Courses for beginners is the E-mail Marketing Certification by HubSpot Academy.
If you are interested in mastering the art of e-mail marketing, this course is for you. In fact, even if you aren’t particularly interested, I still recommend you to do it. Why? Because the majority of highly successful companies use e-mail marketing to keep their current and potential customers engaged.
The core topics of this course include:
- The fundamentals of e-mail marketing;
- How to create a contact management strategy;
- Creating a high-performing e-mail;
- Analyzing and testing your e-mail communication.
This course is video-based, and it consists of 9 classes with a total duration of 3.5 hours.
To obtain your certification, you will have to answer 60 multiple choice questions. So, you better pay attention to the videos! 🙂
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #9: Email Marketing certification
10. Social Media Monitoring
- Company: Udemy
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: 7.5 hours
- Certification: Yes
Next on our list of best free Digital Marketing courses is the Social Media Monitoring course published on Udemy.
In this Social Media Monitoring course, you will learn:
- How to perform keyword phrase filtering;
- Researching and validating keyword phrases;
- What are the best ways to curate content;
- How to build lists of online influencers, among others;
- Using Google Alerts for social media monitoring.
Moreover, you will have the opportunity to discover the best LinkedIn and Facebook strategies for improving brand visibility on the Internet.
Furthermore, the course consists of 3.5 hours on-demand video and 4.0 hours on-demand audio, with unlimited access from desktop and mobile. Consequently, after finishing all of the content, you will get a certificate of completion.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #10: Social Media monitoring
11. Facebook Blueprint Certification
- Company: Facebook
- Modality: Online
- Course duration: Depending on the course
- Certification: Yes
Last on our list of free Digital Marketing courses is the official Facebook course that helps you understand how their advertising platform works, and how to make the most out of it.
The Facebook Blueprint Certification is a recognition given by the popular social media platform. It was created with the purpose of certifying proficiency with Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
Facebook offers a wide variety of free online courses aimed at educating people on the powerful features of the advertising platform. Because some of the courses are relatively short, not all come with a certification.
For more information, you can consult the whole collection in the Facebook Catalogue.
Furthermore, you can consult all the available certifications and what specific courses will help you prepare for them in the section Blueprint Certification.
Best Free Digital Marketing Courses #12: Facebook Blueprint Certification
Free Digital Marketing Courses: Conclusion
There are a couple of reasons why I decided to create this article.
First, I have a lot of friends that want to get started with Digital Marketing, but don’t know how. So, this one is for you guys!
Second, many people worry that they will have to pay for courses to get the basics. So, if you are one of them, don’t get stressed about it! There are plenty of free Digital Marketing courses to take before moving to paid ones.
Third, I wanted to make a compilation of the courses that are a must for beginners. Because the Internet is full of educational resources, sometimes it’s hard to select the right ones.
I really hope that you liked my list! Have you already taken any of these free Digital Marketing courses? Which one would you like to start with first? Let me know in the comments below! And of course, thank you for taking the time to read my article.
