One of the most efficient ways to get into digital marketing is to follow an online marketing course. A good course will help you quickly build the skills to become a successful digital marketer and boost your career.
In this post, you’ll find the top digital marketing courses for 2024. The list includes free and paid courses suitable for all levels. Here are the key learnings:
- The average online digital marketing course cost is between $99 and $199.
- The average course duration is 2 weeks. Some courses can be completed in a few hours, while others can take months.
- Our top picks for free courses are Google Fundamentals and Meta Digital Marketing Associate.
- For paid courses, we recommend the Google Digital Marketing Certificate and Digital Marketing Full Course.
Free Digital Marketing Courses To Study In 2024
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing By Google
- Digital Marketing Certification Course By HubSpot
- Digital Marketing Foundations By LinkedIn Learning
- Digital Marketing Associate Certificate By Meta Blueprint
- Digital Marketing Course For Beginners By Reliablesoft
1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing By Google
- Best For: Beginners in digital marketing
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 40 hours
- Certificate: Yes
The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a free course that will help you learn the basics of digital marketing. It is offered by Google Digital Garage (through Google Skillshop Platform).
The course includes 24 modules and 40 hours of videos, check-in questions, and quizzes. The modules are broken up into 7 main sections covering the following topics:
- Take a Business Online
- Make It Easy for People to Find a Business on the Web
- Reach More People Locally, on Social Media, or Mobile
- Reach More People With Advertising
- Track and Measure Web Traffic
- Sell Products or Services Online
- Take a Business Global
After completing all 24 modules and passing a final assessment (40 multiple-choice questions), you will earn an award from Google Skillshop to share on LinkedIn or your resume.
Why Enroll In This Course?
If you are new to digital marketing and want a good idea of how its different components work together, this is a good course to follow. For many, it's the best free course because it's delivered by Google Trainers and accredited by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Completing all modules takes around 40 hours. You must complete the quizzes at the end of each module to move on to the next one.
The video portion takes 14 hours; additional time is needed for the exercises and quizzes.
Read our comprehensive review to get a detailed analysis of the course content, including examples of the final assessment questions.
For more free training options by Google, read our Google Courses guide.
2. Digital Marketing Certification Course By HubSpot
- Best For: Anyone looking to get a holistic view of how Internet marketing works
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 6 hours
- Certificate: Yes
The Digital Marketing Certification Course by Hubspot will help you create a strategy to succeed in online marketing. The course covers essential digital marketing skills like SEO, social media, PPC advertising, and email marketing.
Hubspot is a leading company in the digital marketing industry. It offers various tools, including CRM, SEO, content marketing, and sales.
Hubspot’s Online Digital Marketing Course covers the following topics:
- Digital Marketing Fundamentals
- Content Marketing
- SEO Strategy
- Website Performance
- Video Marketing Strategy
- Social Media Strategy
- Paid Advertising
- Email Marketing
Registration is free, and you will receive a recognized certification upon course completion.
Why Enroll In This Course?
All courses are taught by digital marketing experts with years of experience in the industry. The learning environment is easy to use, and the courses are short and actionable.
To get the certification, you must complete all the courses. If you don't want to get certified, you can allocate time to the ones that interest you.
For example, Matthew Barby's How to Find the SEO Strategy that Fits Your Business lesson provides great insights into SEO for your business. It's a great lesson and highly recommended.
The whole course takes 6 hours to complete, and you need to create a free Hubspot account to gain access to the platform.
Visit your digital marketing certifications guide for more certificate options.
3. Digital Marketing Foundations By LinkedIn Learning
- Best For: Deciding if you want to get into marketing
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Certificate: Certificate of Completion
The Digital Marketing Foundations course will teach you how to promote your brand online with a targeted marketing strategy.
This short course by LinkedIn Learning is part of the learning path to becoming a digital marketer. It includes 9 lessons covering the following topics:
- The Digital Marketing Framework
- Digital Marketing Basics
- Digital Marketing Key Concepts
- Digital Marketing Hub and Spokes
- Digital Marketing with Your Website
- Digital Marketing with Paid Channels
- Digital Marketing with Social Media
- Digital Marketing with Email
- Marketing Analytics Skills
Why Enroll In This Course?
It's a free course that comes with a certificate of completion. It's a good option if you want to understand digital marketing and how it works. It's mainly a theoretical course that covers the basics and is suitable for deciding whether a digital marketing career suits you.
The course has a high rating by LinkedIn Learning students.
You can enroll in the course for free (for one month) and register for a paid subscription if you decide to continue your learning. The course lasts less than 2 hours, giving you plenty of time to complete without subscribing.
4. Digital Marketing Associate Certificate By Meta Blueprint
- Best For: Getting started with Facebook and Instagram advertising
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Certificate: Yes
The Digital Marketing Associate Certificate by Meta Blueprint is an excellent option for learning to advertise on Meta platforms.
Although the certificate does not cover other marketing channels, all digital marketers must know how to market on Facebook and Instagram.
You can use the free courses Meta Blueprint offers to prepare for the exam.
The courses cover topics related to Facebook Marketing and Meta Ads Manager. You'll learn how to create a Facebook business page and run campaigns on Facebook and Instagram.
Each course takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and they are very easy to consume with short demos and quizzes.
Why Enroll In This Course?
It is a good first step for anyone looking to build a foundational understanding of digital marketing, especially across Meta platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
It's best suited for small business owners or marketing professionals looking to enhance their careers with entry-level digital marketing skills.
After completing this course, you can pursue the Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate (number 9 on our list), the most advanced Meta Certification, which can open new career and job opportunities.
5. Digital Marketing Course For Beginners By Reliablesoft
- Best For: Getting actionable advice from experienced professionals
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 2 hours
- Certificate: No
The Free Digital Marketing Course For Beginners by Reliablesoft Academy is ideal for beginners and anyone interested in digital marketing without prior experience.
It's a highly actionable course that focuses on using digital marketing best practices to attract traffic to your website and convert it to sales.
The course includes 9 lessons covering the following topics:
- Digital Marketing Basics
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Content Marketing Fundamentals
- Social Media Strategy
- Paid Search Advertising (Google and Facebook Ads)
- Video Marketing, especially YouTube
- AI in Digital Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
Why Enroll In This Course?
This course will teach you how digital marketing is used in practice. It is structured to be beginner-friendly yet comprehensive enough to cover both theory and practical application, helping learners understand digital marketing concepts and how to implement them in real-life scenarios.
It is taught by professionals with years of hands-on experience in Internet Marketing and it is updated frequently to include new techniques and practices.
By enrolling in this course, you’ll gain practical skills that can enhance your digital presence or help you launch a career in digital marketing.
Paid Digital Marketing Courses With Certificates
- Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate By Google
- Digital Marketing Full Course By Reliablesoft
- The Complete Digital Marketing Course By Udemy
- Social Media Marketing Certificate By Meta
- Digital Marketing Specialization By Coursera
- Post Graduate Program in Digital Marketing By Simplilearn
- Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing By DMI
6. Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate By Google
- Best For: Getting the Google Digital Marketing Certificate
- Cost: $294
- Duration: 6 months (10 hours per week)
- Certificate: Yes
The Certificate in Digital Marketing & E-commerce is a paid course offered by Google through Coursera. It's one of the Google career certificates in the Grow with Google program.
Google marketing professionals prepare the course material, which can be accessed through a subsidized Coursera Plus subscription.
The Google Digital Marketing certificate includes 7 online courses, each taking around 24 hours to complete. The courses cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing and e-commerce
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Social Media Marketing (including strategy, planning, and analytics)
- Email Marketing
- Marketing Analytics
- eCommerce (including building an online store)
- eCommerce Marketing
- Retargeting
When you finish all courses, you get the Google Digital Marketing and eCommerce certification accredited by the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the American Advertising Federation.
Why Enroll In This Course?
The courses are intended for people who want to build job-ready skills and enter the digital marketing industry as junior digital marketing professionals. The lessons are easy to follow and suited for beginners without online marketing experience.
Coursera offers the course through the Coursera Plus subscription, which costs $49 monthly. You can enroll for free to test the course material before committing to a paid plan.
On average, it takes students 6 months (allocating 10 hours per week) to complete the course and become certified.
We've completed the course and received the Google certification. Our Google Digital Marketing and eCommerce Course Review includes information about our experience, sample exam questions, and more to help you decide if this course suits your needs.
7. Digital Marketing Full Course By Reliablesoft
- Best For: Anyone wishing to start a career in digital marketing and get certified
- Cost: $149 (currently offered with an 80% discount)
- Duration: 2 Weeks
- Certificate: Yes
The Digital Marketing Full Course is suitable for beginners who want actionable tips on using digital marketing to increase traffic and sales.
Reliablesoft is a full-service digital marketing agency and training academy providing SEO and digital marketing services since 2002.
The digital marketing course bundle has 14 courses covering all major aspects of digital marketing. In particular, it includes the following courses:
- Digital marketing basics
- Facebook / Instagram Ads
- AI Digital Marketing Course
- Google Ads
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Keyword research
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Google Analytics 4
- Social media marketing
- eCommerce SEO
- Affiliate Marketing
- YouTube Marketing
- Retargeting
Upon completing the course and required exams, you get a digital marketing certification to showcase on your CV and open new career opportunities.
Why Enroll In This Course?
We designed this digital marketing course based on our experience working with clients in various industries and on the feedback we received from our students.
What differentiates this course from the rest is that it will not only teach you the theory but will show you step-by-step how to use digital marketing to boost your online presence.
As an active digital marketing agency, we continually optimize our processes by testing different theories and techniques, and our findings are transferred to our online courses.
This means that you can focus on digital marketing practices and procedures that are proven to work and are not only useful in theory.
Each course covers a digital marketing channel in detail, with checklists and actionable tips you can apply to your digital marketing campaigns.
It is suitable for beginners and anyone wanting to learn digital marketing the fastest way.
Among many other things, by registering for this course, you'll learn the following:
- How to fully optimize your website for SEO
- How to run profitable Google Ads campaigns
- How to make money with Facebook Ads
- How to accelerate content creation and use AI tools strategically
- How to write content that ranks high in search engines
- How to perform keyword research like a pro
- How to configure Google Analytics 4 correctly
- How to use social media marketing to boost your online presence
- How to consistently drive traffic to your website from search engines (regardless of Google Algorithm updates)
The course content is updated regularly to consider the latest digital marketing techniques and practices.
The Digital Marketing Full Course costs $149. Compared to other premium courses in this list, it's affordable for everyone who wishes to learn digital marketing. It also comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, the best you can find in the industry.
The course has 4.9/5 stars in reviews.
On average, it takes students 2 weeks to finish the course material and final exams.
8. The Complete Digital Marketing Course By Udemy
- Best For: Beginners looking for a low-cost course
- Cost: $99
- Duration: 22.5 hours
- Certificate: Yes
The Complete Digital Marketing Course is ideal for those who want a low-cost training program to learn the basics of digital marketing.
Udemy is one of the biggest online learning platforms. They offer courses on many subjects covering all areas of marketing, from SEO to Google Ads and Sales.
One course that covers Digital Marketing in detail is the Complete Digital Marketing Course Bundle, which includes 12 courses. Topics include:
- Market Research
- SEO
- SEO Writing
- YouTube Marketing
- Google Ads
- LinkedIn Marketing
- App Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Google Analytics
- Social Media Marketing
- Facebook Ads
The course offers a digital marketing certification. The price is $99, but you can get it at a lower price if you are patient enough. Sign up with Udemy, add the course to your wish list, and wait for the discount period.
Why Enroll In This Course?
I’m not a big fan of Udemy courses. I have tried many courses in the past, and it seems that the courses are made for the masses without giving attention to detail.
Also, sometimes, the course description promises more than what is actually delivered in the course.
Nevertheless, if you can get this course for a reasonable price and not $99, it’s worth the money. As a beginner, you can get a very good idea of how the different marketing components work since it covers everything from website marketing to social media promotion.
The course includes 22.5 hours of video time, approximately the time needed to complete it.
This course's listed price is $99.99, but with Udemy Offers, you can get it for as low as $19.99.
For more details, read our review of this course.
9. Social Media Marketing Certificate By Meta
- Best For: Getting a digital marketing certificate from Meta
- Cost: $147
- Duration: 3 months (10 hours per week)
- Certificate: Yes
The Social Media Marketing Certificate is the official marketing certification by Meta and one of the most popular social media certifications. The lessons are designed by Meta employees and the certificate is ACE accredited.
The certificate includes 6 courses covering the following topics:
- Introduction to Social Media Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Fundamentals of Social Media Advertising
- Advertising with Meta
- Measure and Optimize Social Media Marketing Campaigns
- Meta Social Media Marketing Capstone
Despite being a Meta course, the lessons cover tactics suitable for any social media platform.
Why Enroll In This Course?
The advantage of enrolling in this course is getting the Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate.
In addition, you get access to the Meta Career Programs job board, where you can find and apply for entry-level marketing jobs.
Meta's suggested time to complete this course is 3 months, but you can do it in less time. We did the whole course in 2 weeks by spending a few hours per day (see our review below for the details).
The cost is $49 monthly, offered through a Coursera Plus subscription, which gives you access to 7,000 more courses!
To discover what each course includes and how to pass the exams, read our Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Review.
10. Digital Marketing Specialization By Coursera
- Best For: Getting credits for a University degree
- Cost: $316
- Duration: 4 months (10 hours per week)
- Certificate: Yes
The Digital Marketing Specialization is a course by the University of Illinois, delivered through Coursera. It will help you build in-demand skills from university and industry experts.
The specialization includes six courses, each taking around 20 hours to complete. The courses cover the following areas:
- Differences between analog and digital marketing
- Introduction to Digital tools and digital media
- Digital marketing analytics theory
- Digital marketing analytics practice
- Online marketing strategies
- Video Marketing
- Social and email marketing
When you finish all courses and pass all graded assignments, you can get the Coursera Digital Marketing Specialization certification and use the credits towards obtaining the MBA degree awarded by the University of Illinois.
Why Enroll In This Course?
This is a good course for people who have experience with traditional marketing and want to transition to digital marketing. It's not the best course if you're looking for actionable digital marketing techniques to increase your traffic and sales.
On average, students take 4 months to complete the six courses and the capstone project. The monthly subscription cost is $79.
It is possible to finish the course in less than four months (allocating more than 10 hours per week) and pay less for monthly subscriptions.
To get a closer look at the learning environment, read our review (which includes many details and tips for each lesson).
Click here to learn more about Coursera Courses and Certifications.
11. Post Graduate Program in Digital Marketing By Simplilearn
- Best For: Getting a postgraduate diploma in digital marketing
- Cost: $3000
- Duration: 8 months
- Certificate: Yes
The Post Graduate Program in Digital Marketing is a comprehensive online digital marketing boot camp.
Purdue University offers the program via SimpliLearn, covering several Digital Marketing disciplines and tools.
It’s a course for beginners and includes the following:
- SEO
- Social Media
- Pay-Per-Click (Facebook and Google Ads)
- Conversion Optimization
- Affiliate Marketing
- Blogging
- Web Analytics
- Content Marketing
- Email Marketing and Mobile Marketing
Why Enroll In This Course?
The nice thing about this course is that it includes walkthroughs of more than 35 digital marketing tools, so by the time you complete this course, you’ll have a very good idea of what tools to use in your digital marketing campaigns.
Also, besides getting certified for this course, it prepares you to pass and get certified for Google Ads, Facebook, Google Analytics, and YouTube.
If you work for a company and want to convince your boss to invest in a Digital Marketing Course, this is a very good option from a trusted company.
To be admitted to the course, you need a minimum of 2 years of experience and a bachelor's degree.
The current price of the SimpliLearn Digital Marketing course is $3000.
The program lasts 8 months, assuming you can allocate 10 hours per week for study.
12. Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing By DMI
- Best For: Getting a globally recognized certification
- Cost: $1442
- Duration: 2 months
- Certificate: Yes
The Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is offered by Digital Marketing Institute, a renowned digital marketing academy.
The course equips learners with the skills to develop comprehensive digital strategies using the latest tools and AI technologies.
It includes 10 lessons taught by industry professionals. The lessons cover SEO, content marketing, PPC, email marketing, social media, website optimization, digital marketing strategy, and Google Analytics.
Why Enroll In This Course?
This is a good course to follow if you want to gain a globally recognized certification and boost your career with practical digital marketing skills.
On the negative side, it's more expensive than other good courses on our list that also provide certification and high-quality content. If the company or organization you're working for can cover your fees, this is definitely one of the options to consider.
FAQs
We know from experience that choosing a digital marketing course can be a taunting experience. Review the frequently asked questions below to get the insight you need to make the correct decision.
1. How Much Do Digital Marketing Courses Cost?
In 2024, the average cost of online marketing courses will be between $99 and $199. For courses offering Diplomas, the cost can be a couple of thousand.
Some courses have a one-off fee (like the Reliablesoft course), and some have monthly subscriptions (like Coursera's courses).
Here is a comparison table showing the cost of each digital marketing course to help you choose the one that fits your budget.
2. How To Choose A Digital Marketing Course?
The best digital marketing course is the one that fits your budget, learning style, and purpose. Before choosing a course, check the syllabus, reviews from past students, and money-back policies. Look for courses that are updated frequently and review the instructor's profile and experience.
Good courses have up-to-date information and are taught by experts with hands-on experience in digital marketing campaigns.
If you are confused as to which digital marketing course to follow, our recommendation is the following:
- If you want a good free course on digital marketing, follow Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing.
- Register with the Digital Marketing Full Course if you want to learn actionable advice on how digital marketing can help you get more traffic and make more sales.
- If you want to become Google Digital Marketing Certified, go with the Google Digital Marketing and eCommerce Course.
3. Can I Learn Digital Marketing For Free?
Learning digital marketing for free is possible by registering for a free course (like the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing and Hubspot Certification Course) and using online digital marketing guides.
The advantage of registering for a premium course is that it provides support during your learning and access to updated material teaching the latest digital marketing techniques and practices.
4. Is a Digital Marketing Course Worth It?
Learning digital marketing through a course is the most efficient way to build digital marketing skills. The learning approach followed by most online courses will help you understand the different components of digital marketing without looking for this information individually on Google or Chat GPT. In addition, a digital marketing course is useful for building practical skills and gaining experience through projects and assignments.
Furthermore, it demonstrates your dedication to ongoing professional growth and learning to prospective employers and clients.
5. How Long Does It Take to Learn Digital Marketing?
The average time needed to learn digital marketing is between 3 and 5 months. During this period, you'll go through the course material and do practical work. The actual time depends on your experience, background, and how much time you'll allocate daily to studying and working on digital marketing projects.
Remember that learning the theory is the easy part; the challenging part is to put theory into practice, and for this, you'll need to spend many months (and even years) experimenting and testing digital marketing techniques.
Nevertheless, the sooner you start, the better it will be for your digital marketing career.
6. How to Start a Career In Digital Marketing?
To become a successful digital marketing professional, you must acquire various skills. Digital marketing is not a single discipline; it includes many principles that cover all online marketing channels.
At the end of the day, when you apply for a digital marketing job, you need to prove that you know at least the following:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Paid Search Advertising (Google Ads and Facebook)
- Email Marketing
- Web Analytics
- Content Marketing
- Conversion Optimization
You can then concentrate on building your real-world experience by working on your own websites, becoming a digital marketing freelancer, or working in an established digital marketing agency.
Our Course Review Process
Many online courses focus on specific digital marketing disciplines. For example, some courses focus only on SEO or social media marketing but don't give you a complete picture of all digital marketing channels.
This guide showcases complete digital marketing courses that cover a wide range of concepts rather than just one area. The list includes different types and levels of courses suitable for beginners, intermediate users, and advanced users.
Why Trust Our Reviews?
As part of the process of creating our own courses, we actively enroll in and complete other digital marketing courses to evaluate the quality of their content. This hands-on approach allows us to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each course, ensuring that our reviews are based on real experience and thorough analysis.
View the comments below to see how many people we've helped find the perfect course for their needs.
What To Do Next?
After completing one or more courses, it's time to put your knowledge to work by getting a job, starting a digital marketing agency, or learning other methods to make money with digital marketing.
