Digital marketing, also called online marketing, refers to all efforts that occur on the internet to gather excitement around a business or brand. It refers to advertising through (yep, you guessed it) digital channels, such as search engines, websites, social media, emails and mobile applications. Common methods include Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, Content Marketing, Email Marketing and Display Advertising.
In the modern climate, digital marketing is a must-have skill for all marketing professionals. It allows brands to reach globally, can be relatively low cost, has a measurable return on investment (thanks to analytics tools), allows for an immediate connection with the consumer and can enhance relationship building. As a result, many marketing professionals are taking online courses to get to grips with digital marketing.
If you want to join them, below is a list of the very best digital marketing courses that are available online. We’ve included both free and paid courses, suitable for a range of abilities so that you can find the course best suited to you.
1. The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1 (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 22h 42m
- Cost: $79.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 680,763
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 149,730 ratings)
As a Udemy bestseller, anyone who completes this course can join over 50o,000 other student in becoming a digital marketing genius.
Taking nearly a full day to complete, this course covers 12 courses in 1. You will take a look at how to best carry out market research, how to use WordPress (including how to build a world-class website), email marketing, copywriting and SEO. Furthermore, you’ll look at YouTube marketing, Social Media Marketing, LinkedIn Marketing, App Marketing, Facebook and Google ads and Google Analytics.
If you’re ready to take your marketing skills to a whole new level, then this course is for you!
2. Digital Marketing Strategy: Profitable Sales Funnel Fundamentals (Skillshare)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 3h 19m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 8,032
- Course rating: N/A
Digital marketing is incredibly helpful for growing a business, it will increase the number of customers that come to a site, increase the average transaction value per customer and increase the number of transactions per customer… and in this course you’ll learn how to use digital marketing to do all these things!
In just 3 hours you will learn how to identify who your target audience is, why sales funnels are the key to business growth, what strategies should be at the top of any sales funnel, how to cater your strategy at the bottom, how to use metrics to optimize your profitability, and how to map out profitable sales funnels and execute a digital marketing strategy!
3. Master Digital Marketing (LinkedIn Learning)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: 24h
- Cost: 1 month free trial
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
Offered by LinkedIn Learning, this digital marketing course will dramatically change how you connect with customers.
As a learning path, it is comprised of a number of different courses, each designed to get you up to speed with digital marketing. You will take a look at SEO Link Building, Social Media Marketing Strategies, Keyword Strategies, Google Ads, how to market on twitter and Facebook, how to get a good ROI on SEO marketing, and so much more. Not only will you cover just the content of these topics, but you will also learn to use the right tools and techniques to apply these theories to everyday learning.
4. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Google Digital Garage)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 40h
- Cost: Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
For completely free, you can complete this 26 module Google Garage course. With self-paced learning options, video tutorials, unlimited access to all course materials, you can really master digital marketing.
Taught by some of Google’s best trainers, you will cover analytics and data insights, business strategy, content marketing, display advertising, E-commerce and local marketing. To top it off, you will also receive a recognized certificate from Google that you can share with all future employers.
5. Digital Marketing Specialization (Coursera)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: Approx. 8 months a 5 hours/week
- Cost: Enroll for Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: 15,615
- Course rating: 4.6/5 (out of 15,921 ratings)
Offered by the University of Illinois, this course will cover everything you need to know about digital marketing. From pricing strategies to data visualization, you will leave this course with a richer understanding of the foundations of the digital marketing landscape.
You will cover the digital marketing revolution, marketing in a digital world, digital marketing analytics in theory, marketing principles and practices and marketing capstone. Once you’ve gone over all this content, you will then complete an applied learning project. In this project you will have the opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learn to a real life example of setting up a partnership with a brand.
6. How to Develop and Effective SEO & Digital Marketing Strategy (Skillshare)
- Level: Intermediate
- Completion time: 51m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 3,128
- Course rating: N/A
Offered by Skillshare, this short course is best suited for marketers, developers, writers and other people who make decisions about how a company spends its money. If this sounds like you, then take this course to develop an effective digital marketing strategy.
You will use a competitive SEO analysis to explore what your site’s strengths and weakness are in contrast to competitors. As part of this process you will learn who your search competitor are, how to evaluate your search competitors and how to assess whether you measure up to the competition.
7. Digital Marketing Masterclass – 23 Marketing Courses in 1 (Udemy)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 35h 45m
- Cost: $79.99
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 223,675
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 19,157 ratings)
No prior marketing knowledge is required to complete this course, all you need is to be ready to take action and see some real results!
Through expert instruction, you will cover 23 topics. Topics include branding, websites, content marketing, email marketing, facebook ads, google ads, podcasting, YouTube and so much more. By the end of all this content, you should have the skills to grow your own business, land a job in the marketing industry and help a client increase their business.
8. Become a Digital Marketer (Udacity)
- Level: Beginner
- Completion time: 3 months a 10hrs/week
- Cost: $329/month
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: 4.7/5 (out of 2,392 ratings)
Designed to bring complete marketing newbies up to scratch, this course is not one to be missed! To start, you will take a look at basic marketing fundamentals, so that you can organize and plan your marketing approach. After, you will look at content strategies and social media marketing and advertising. You will also look at SEO, display advertising, eMail marketing and how to measure and optimize with Google Analytics.
To make this course truly exceptional, you will also have access to real-world projects, get a technical support mentor and receive career advice. So, if you want personalized feedback, practical tips and resources to become the best at marketing, this course is for you!
9. Digital Marketing Strategy: Promote Online Events with Confidence (Skillshare)
- Level: Intermediate
- Completion time: 1h 36m
- Cost: 14 day free trial
- Certification: No
- Number of people who have completed the course: 1,254
- Course rating: N/A
Offered by Skillshare, this course will give you all the knowledge, skills and tools to plan a successful promotion strategy for any online event. Not only this, these skills can be transferred to most other things in the marketing world.
In this course, you will learn how to create a profitable promotion strategy based on objectives, audience needs, budget and competitor research. You will also look at both organic and paid promotion efforts, how to determine the best retargeting strategies for your audience, how to construct an effective sales pitch, how to identify areas to monitor for possible obstacles, and how to assess and adjust strategies for future events.
This class is perfect for you if you have a good basic knowledge of digital marketing, but want to take your skills that little bit further.
10. Advance and inspire your marketing career (Semrush Academy)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: Various
- Cost: Free
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: N/A
Semrush Academy offer a whole range of marketing courses, some taking on 30 minutes to complete, whereas others taking around 2 hours to complete.
Each course is 100% free, and gives you a valuable certificate upon completion which is designed to enhance your career. You take cover courses in digital public relations, content-led SEO, how to sell on Amazon and how to write knock-out content.
11. Digital Marketing Specialist (SimpliLearn)
- Level: All levels
- Completion time: N/A
- Cost: $1605
- Certification: Yes
- Number of people who have completed the course: N/A
- Course rating: 4.5/5 (out of 11,179 ratings)
This online digital marketing course will give you an in-depth understanding of the 8 most important digital marketing domains, and will give you real-world projects to complete.
The first course you will look at how to master SEO, content marketing and digital analytics. The second course will teach you how to master social media and mobile marketing. Later courses cover web analytics, advanced SEO, pay per click programs and digital marketing capstone.
Conclusion
So, there you have it… the 11 best digital marketing courses that are available online. These classes are suited to anyone who is wanting to develop their skills and land a role in the marketing industry.
Having excellent digital marketing skills will aid you in landing hundreds of exciting careers careers. Specific careers where digital marketing skills are particularly helpful include:
- Beauty Therapist
- Copywriter
- Content Creator
- IT Manager
- Marketing Manager
- Marketing Assistant
- Personal Trainer
- Sales Manager
To gather the digital marketing skills that will make you progress in lots of careers, there are lots of online courses available for you. There are free courses that take only a few hours to complete. And, there are more expensive courses that take over 10 hours to complete! Some courses are suitable for those with no previous experience in digital marketing. Whereas other courses are better suited for those with lots of experience in marketing, but are looking to increase their knowledge and understanding.
The online classes in this list are the best of the best. Each is taught by an experienced and dedicated teacher, and they all have lots of satisfied and happy customers.
So, which course you decide take depends on your experience, funds and spare time. Are you someone who has lots of email marketing experience? Or, are you completely new to marketing? Do you have a huge amount of money to spend on your skill development? Do you have a lot of spare time, or are you just looking for a quick, but effective, skill top up?
