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The Best Digital Marketing Courses Online (Time to Upskill)

With the rise of social networks and the expansion of online businesses, the digital world has become densely populated, leading to a development of sprawling online markets.

These advancements have produced an ever-growing need for new marketing techniques. And as such, digital marketing professionals continue to be in high demand as the competition grows.

If you’re looking for ways to advance your career in this field, you might be hunting for the right digital marketing courses.

This article features some of the best courses for you to add to your upskilling list.

What to Expect From a Digital Marketing Course

When looking for the best online digital marketing courses, there are several aspects that require your attention. Of course, this includes cost, but it shouldn’t necessarily be the most important aspect.

The quality of the course should be your top consideration. The best courses for digital marketing should teach you about the latest marketing tactics, methods, and techniques.

You should ideally also opt for courses that offer practical tasks and assignments that allow you to practice your skills.

Another important factor is whether the course offers any kind of certification. If they do, bear in mind that even certificates, which aren’t universally recognized, can improve your resume and provide you with a better chance of landing your dream job.

If you are unsure which digital marketing skills you want to specialize in, the below video featuring Neil Patel should help.

8 of the Best Digital Marketing Courses Online

The following digital marketing courses include programs of different proficiency levels. Some have a broader scope, covering most aspects of digital marketing, while others focus on niche subjects, such as social media marketing or SEO.

You’ll find digital marketing courses that can be finished in a matter of hours, as well as those that last several months.

1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing – Google

  • Cost: Free
  • Duration: 40 Hours
  • Qualification: Beginner-level, Google Digital Marketing accredited certificate

Google’s Digital Garage course platform has a plethora of quality courses that can improve your skills and knowledge on various subjects. The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course teaches the essential digital marketing skills throughout 26 modules.

Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Course

During this course, you’ll learn about user data collection and analysis, business strategies, content marketing, and many other digital marketing strategies and skills. Lessons will also cover eCommerce, mobile SEO campaigns, marketing on social networks, and video advertising.

This course is provided as a series of video tutorials, exercises, and practical examples of the digital marketing techniques covered. At the end of the course, you’ll need to pass an exam consisting of 40 questions. Once you’ve done that, you’ll receive a recognized certificate.

2. University of Illinois – Digital Marketing Specialization – Coursera

  • Cost: Free enrollment
  • Duration: 8 Months
  • Qualification: Beginner-level, shareable certificate

This specialization teaches crucial digital marketing aspects, including analytics, SEO, and social network marketing.

Digital Marketing Specialization Course

It consists of seven modules: Marketing in a Digital World, Digital Marketing Analytics in Theory, Digital Marketing Analytics in Practice, Digital Media and Marketing Principles, Digital Media and Marketing Strategies, The Digital Marketing Revolution, and Digital Marketing Capstone.

The lecturers are all university professors and experienced digital marketing experts, including Aric Rindfleisch, Kevin Hartman, Mike Yao, and Vishal Sachdev.

3. Become a Digital Marketer Nanodegree Program – Udacity

  • Cost: $399 per month or $1,017 single payment for three months
  • Duration: 3 Months
  • Qualification: Udacity Nanodegree certificate

This program covers a broad scope of subjects, from the fundamentals of marketing to SEO, Google Ads campaigns, and display advertising. You’ll learn about marketing frameworks and approaches, content strategies, organic and paid social media campaigns, and other techniques.

Digital Marketing Nanodegree

The lecturers for this program are Anke Audenaert from UCLA Anderson, Daniel Kob, entrepreneur and digital media expert, and Julia Aspinal, an experienced marketer and front-end engineer.

4. Online Digital Marketing Courses – Semrush Academy

  • Cost: Free
  • Duration: 1 – 5 Hours
  • Qualification: Semrush Academy certificate

As one of the most successful digital marketing companies on the market, Semrush has all of the knowledge and expertise as well as a vast experience in this field. This company has started to teach courses on digital marketing, sharing its expert points of view with learners worldwide.

Semrush Digital Marketing Courses

Rather than a single course or program, Semrush offers numerous courses that cover every aspect of digital marketing. By enrolling, you’ll get the opportunity to learn about content, social media, and affiliate marketing, among many other subjects.

5. Social Media Marketing for Small Business – LinkedIn Learning

  • Cost: Free with LinkedIn Learning subscription
  • Duration: 1 Hour
  • Qualification: LinkedIn Learning Certificate of Completion

This is one of the digital marketing courses from LinkedIn Learning that’s brief but very effective. It covers vital topics like SEO strategies, social media campaign planning, and A/B testing. The course focuses on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and methods of marketing in those online environments.

Social Media Marketing for Business Course

The lecturer on this course is Martin Waxman, who is an experienced marketing strategist for social and digital media. Besides the best practice strategies, Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses will also cover marketing aspects such as content placement and different metrics.

6. University of California Davis – The Strategy of Content Marketing – Coursera

  • Cost: Free enrollment
  • Duration: +- 19 Hours
  • Qualification: Shareable certificate

This digital marketing course has a strong focus on customer attraction and retention in the online marketplace. Some of the main subjects in The Strategy of Content Marketing include content creation, marketing strategy organization, and brand building.

The Strategy of Content Marketing Course

The instructor for this course is Sonia Simone, Chief Content Officer at Rainmaker Digital. The course features five lectures, each consisting of several videos, quizzes, and reading material: The Content Marketing Ecosystem, The Strategic Context (The 7A Framework), Mapping the Journey: Crafting a Content Marketing Strategy, The Strategic Types of Content, and Managing Your Content.

7. Digital Marketing Specialist Masters Program – Simplilearn

  • Cost: €1,499 ($1,745)
  • Duration: 1 Hour
  • Qualification: Simplilearn Digital Marketing Specialist Masters certificate

Partnered with Harvard Business Publishing Education, Simplilearn provides this digital marketing program with the intention of teaching learners how to use the leading marketing methods and tools.

Digital Marketing Specialist Course

The Digital Marketing Specialist Masters Program focuses on the crucial aspects of digital marketing. The subjects include SEO optimization, email and mobile marketing, analytics, pay-per-click, and other vital areas.

This program features seven modules: Mastering SEO, Content Marketing, PPC, and Digital Analytics, Mastering Social Media, Mobile Marketing, and Digital Strategy, Advanced Web Analytics, Advanced Search Engine Optimization, Advanced Pay-Per-Click Program, Advanced Social Media (With Facebook Blueprint Voucher), and Digital Marketing Capstone.

8. Curtin University – Digital Branding and Engagement – edX

  • Cost: Free with Audit Track, $99 with Verified Track
  • Duration: 4 Weeks
  • Qualification: Shareable certificate with Verified Track

Apparent from its title, this course emphasizes the branding aspect of digital marketing. In Digital Branding and Engagement, learners can get a better understanding of brand management and its challenges.

Digital Branding and Engagement Course

The course explores the subjects of owned, earned, and paid media, consumer charge, and content marketing. The lecturer is Sonia Dickinson, Associate Professor of the School of Marketing at Curtin University. While brief and inexpensive, this program is among the most comprehensive online marketing courses out there.

Conclusion

Finding the best online digital marketing courses among the plethora of offers can be challenging. There are many excellent platforms and renowned institutions to choose from.

It’s worth mentioning that higher-priced online marketing courses from respectable universities and companies can carry more weight when it comes to career opportunities. However, the free courses for digital marketing presented in this article are by no means without value. They’ll provide you with the crucial digital marketing skills that could become a firm foundation for your professional advancement.

If you want to explore more digital marketing course options, browse the Coursary site.