- What Is a Digital Marketing Certificate?
- 12 Industry-Recognized Digital Marketing Certificate Programs
- Compare Digital Marketing Certificates
- Is a Digital Marketing Certificate Worth It?
- What Jobs Can You Get with a Digital Marketing Certificate?
- How To Choose A Digital Marketing Certificate
- Related Courses And Certifications
Digital marketing certificate programs are a good way to learn digital marketing and increase your chances of getting hired or starting your own business. They won't make you an expert, but they will help you understand digital marketing and build the necessary skills.
In this comprehensive review, you'll find credible certifications worth the time and effort. The list is regularly updated and includes online marketing certificates from reputable training institutions, marketing organizations, and Universities.
What Is a Digital Marketing Certificate?
A digital marketing certification is awarded to individuals who complete the requirements of an online digital marketing course. It verifies the holder's skills and education about digital marketing techniques and strategies.
Certified marketers can use the certification to distinguish themselves from other marketers and increase their chances of getting hired.
With a digital marketing certificate, you can apply for various roles in digital marketing, such as SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and PPC.
The average salary of a digital marketing specialist is $77K annually in the US.
12 Industry-Recognized Digital Marketing Certificate Programs
- Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Certificate
- Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Certificate
- Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate
- Duke University Digital Media and Marketing Certificate
- Digital Marketing Institute DMI Pro Certification
- LinkedIn Advance as a Digital Marketing Specialist
- American Marketing Association PCM Digital Marketing
- Brainstation Digital Marketing Certification
- HubSpot Digital Marketing Certification Course (Free)
- Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Free)
- Google Ads Certification (Free)
- Google Analytics Certification (Free)
1. Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Certificate
- Best For: Getting a digital marketing certificate from Google
- Duration: 6 Months (10 hours per week)
- Cost: $294
- Certificate: Yes
Google Digital Marketing & Ecommerce is a marketing certification offered by Google through Coursera. It includes 7 courses covering topics related to digital marketing and eCommerce.
Course Description
Through a period of 6 months, it prepares students with no prior experience in marketing for getting an entry-level digital marketing job. It is accredited by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).
The courses include practical lessons related to digital and e-commerce marketing (such as creating an online shop with Shopify). In addition, they provide students with resources to help them find a job after completing the course.
This is a great option if you want a Google Digital Marketing and a Google eCommerce Certification but have no prior experience or a related digital marketing degree.
In particular, it covers the following topics:
- Foundations of Digital Marketing and E-commerce
- Attract and Engage Customers with Digital Marketing
- From Likes to Leads: Interact with Customers Online
- Think Outside the Inbox: Email Marketing
- Assess for Success: Marketing Analytics and Measurement
- Make the Sale: Build, Launch, and Manage E-commerce Stores
- Satisfaction Guaranteed: Develop Customer Loyalty Online
The certificate was recently updated to include a series of new videos on AI. You'll learn how to use generative AI tools (like Gemini and ChatGPT) to carry out several digital marketing tasks.
How Do You Get Certified?
To get the Google Digital Marketing certificate, you must finish all courses and pass all graded exams. Exams are in the form of multiple-choice quizzes and are available at the end of each course.
You can get sample exam questions and tips on passing the exam in our comprehensive Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Certificate Review.
Cost And Duration
This certificate includes 7 courses, totaling 152 hours. It can be completed in 6 months (allocating 10 hours per week). Students can complete the courses at their own pace and time, and it's 100% online.
The course is offered through a Coursera Plus subscription that costs $49 monthly. For six months, the total cost is $294. Coursera offers a 7-day free trial to help you review the course material and decide if this is the right course for your needs.
2. Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Certificate
- Best For: Beginners in digital marketing
- Duration: 2 Weeks (Self-Paced)
- Cost: $149
- Certificate: Yes
The Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Certification is affordable, covers everything you need to know to become a successful digital marketer, and has a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Course Description
The training program is prepared and taught by experienced digital marketers with 20+ years of hands-on experience in the industry.
The course material includes techniques and practices you can use to optimize your digital marketing campaigns. The fact that the lessons are prepared by experts currently working in the industry gives you the added advantage of learning what is actually working in real-life scenarios and not what is good to know in theory.
The courses are updated frequently to consider the latest techniques and practices. At the end of this training, you’ll know exactly what steps to follow to run successful digital marketing campaigns.
They suit anyone wishing to learn digital marketing and become an expert. All techniques taught in the courses apply to all types of websites, platforms, and languages.
It includes 14 courses covering the following topics:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Facebook / Instagram Ads
- AI Digital Marketing Course
- Google Ads
- eCommerce Marketing
- Google Analytics 4
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Keyword Research
- Digital Marketing basics
- YouTube Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Retargeting
The course has 4.9/5 stars in student reviews.
How Do You Get Certified?
You need to complete all courses and pass two exams. The SEO exam (you’ll also get an SEO certification) and the Digital Marketing exam. Both exams are multiple-choice.
Cost And Duration
The program costs $149. On average, it takes students 2 weeks to complete all lessons and get certified.
3. Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate
- Best For: Learning social media marketing.
- Duration: 5 Months (10 hours per week)
- Cost: $295
- Certificate: Yes
The Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate is the most popular and recognized Meta Certification. It combines two certifications in one.
Course Description
The Meta Social Media Marketing Certification is recommended by the American Council of Education (ACE) and provides up to 2 college credits if you want to pursue further studies. What you should know about this certification is the following:
As part of the lessons, you'll also prepare to take a second exam and get the Meta Digital Marketing Associate Certification. So, by taking this program, you'll get two certifications.
Following this course, you can pursue career opportunities in social media marketing, Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising, and digital marketing in general. Meta helps graduates find jobs through a dedicated job board exclusively for Meta Certificate holders.
The certificate includes 6 courses covering the following areas:
- 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
How Do You Get Certified?
To get your certification, you must complete all 6 courses, the capstone project, and all included quizzes and assignments at the end of each module.
Cost And Duration
The course and exams can be completed 100% online. The suggested time to complete is 5 months, studying 10 hours weekly. Allocating more study hours can help you complete the certification faster.
We got this certificate in 2 months. Read our Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate Review to learn more.
The cost is $59 monthly. If it takes 5 months, the total cost will be $295.
4. Duke University Digital Media and Marketing Certificate
- Best For: Students who want live interactive sessions
- Duration: 6 Months (10 hours per week)
- Cost: $3,195
- Certificate: Yes
The Digital Media and Marketing Certificate is an online program offered by Duke University through the Duke Continuing Studies division. It will help you build the skills to become a digital marketing specialist.
Course Description
This certification is for students new to the digital marketing industry and more experienced online marketers. Students must complete all the beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses and select one optional course.
The beginner courses include topics related to digital marketing foundations and marketing funnels. The intermediate courses cover SEO and social media marketing. The advanced courses include email marketing, mobile marketing, AI, and automation. For the optional course, you can choose between affiliate marketing, blogging, and ecommerce marketing.
You should know that this online certificate program will give you access to the course material for only 6 months. The estimated learning time is about 350 hours, so if you want to go through all courses before the end of your subscription, you should allocate at least 10 hours per week.
You will not receive a refund. Unlike other academies, you cannot request a refund if you are unhappy with the course material.
How Do You Get Certified?
You must complete all courses and attain a minimum score of 80% on one of the assessment exams of each course.
Cost And Duration
This certificate can be completed in 6 months (allocating 10 hours per week), and the total cost is $3,195.
5. Digital Marketing Institute DMI Pro Certification
- Best For: Small business owners and startups.
- Duration: 2 months
- Cost: $1442
- Certificate: Yes
The Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (DMI Pro) is a certificate program from the Digital Marketing Institute. DMI was founded in 2009 and is one of the leaders in digital marketing training.
Course Description
What you should know about the Digital Marketing Insitute DMI Pro certificate is the following: It is a practical course designed to help you improve your online marketing campaigns. It covers the most important digital marketing channels and includes an AI course to teach you how to use AI in digital marketing.
The program comes with a 14-day money-back (provided the program has not been accessed), and the classes are taught by instructors with extensive digital marketing backgrounds.
It is a globally recognized digital marketing certificate that includes 30 hours of online training covering the following digital marketing disciplines:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Paid Search (PPC) using Google Ads
- Display and Video Advertising
- Email Marketing
- Website Optimization
- Analytics with Google Analytics
- Digital Marketing Strategy
How Do You Get Certified?
You need to pass one exam (3 hours) administered by Pearson Vue via its global network of test centers. The cost of the exam is included in the course price.
Cost And Duration
The average time to complete the course and all practical assignments is 2 months. The total cost, including exams, is $1442.
6. LinkedIn Advance as a Digital Marketing Specialist
- Best For: Intermediate learners
- Duration: 10 hours
- Cost: $29/month
- Certificate: Yes
The Advance as a Digital Marketing Specialist certificate will help you learn the fundamentals of online marketing, SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, and analytics.
Course Description
LinkedIn Learning was created after Microsoft acquired Lynda. The platform is subscription-based (similar to Coursera and Udemy). You pay a monthly fee and can access online courses in their library.
Unlike Reliablesoft Academy and Digital Marketing Institute, they do not provide only digital marketing training; they offer training in several areas. They combine several courses to form a learning path.
The nice thing about LinkedIn digital marketing training is that some courses are taught by reputable and experienced digital marketers. Learning from experts who work in the industry is much more valuable than learning from instructors with no real hands-on experience.
The downside is that their learning paths are made of courses that have no relation between them. In other words, you lose the advantage of structured learning offered by a dedicated digital marketing bundle created by the same academy or instructors.
The Become a Digital Marketer learning path includes the following courses:
- Digital Marketing Foundations
- Marketing Foundations
- SEO Foundations
- Social Media Marketing Foundations
- Content Marketing Foundations
- Email and Newsletter Marketing Foundations
- Marketing Foundations: Analytics
- Marketing Foundations: eCommerce
- Marketing Foundations: Customer Decision Journey
How Do You Get Certified?
You get a certificate of completion for each course. There are no exams.
Cost And Duration
You must pay a monthly subscription to maintain access to the course material. The cost is $29 monthly, and it takes 10 hours to complete all 9 courses.
7. American Marketing Association PCM Digital Marketing
- Best For: Anyone wishing to become a digital marketing expert
- Duration: 2 months
- Cost: $1442
- Certificate: Yes
The AMA is offering the PCM Digital Marketing Certification. Established in 1953, the American Marketing Association (AMA) is a membership-based community for marketing professionals across North America.
Course Description
The AMA offers two marketing certifications in cooperation with the Digital Marketing Institute: the PCM Digital Marketing Certification and the Certified Digital Marketing Professional (DMI Pro).
It covers digital marketing foundations, content marketing, SEO, paid search ads, website optimization, digital marketing strategy, and Google Analytics. It also includes a course on using AI tools for data analysis, content creation, and customer engagement.
How Do You Get Certified?
The AMA does not provide training or an exam; to achieve both certifications, you must pass the DMI Pro certification exam offered by the Digital Marketing Institute.
Cost And Duration
The cost to get both certificates is $1442, and the time needed is 2 months.
8. Brainstation Digital Marketing Certification
- Best For: Those looking for instructor-led, live online courses
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Cost: $3250
- Certificate: Yes
The BrainStation Digital Marketing Certificate is an online digital marketing boot camp for those who want to build job-ready marketing skills.
Course Description
The program runs on pre-defined dates during the year, and you can attend online or in person at any of BrainStation’s campuses. Upon completing the course, you'll receive an industry-recognized professional certificate to share with your network and showcase on your CV.
This certificate program includes the following topics: Digital Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Marketing, Marketing Analytics, Social Media Marketing (including Influencer Marketing), and Email Marketing.
The course material covers all the latest digital marketing techniques, and the instructors are experienced marketing professionals working in the field. It's a beginner-friendly course that starts from the basics and covers intermediate and advanced concepts.
How Do You Get Certified?
To have to complete all courses and marked assessments.
Cost And Duration
The course duration is 6 weeks, and the cost is $3250.
9. HubSpot Digital Marketing Certification Course
- Best For: Getting a quick overview of digital marketing
- Duration: 6 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Yes
The HubSpot Digital Marketing Certificate is a free certification course with 9 lessons and 6 hours of video.
Course Description
The courses include topics related to digital marketing fundamentals, content marketing, SEO strategy, blogging, video marketing, email marketing, and paid search advertising. Despite being free, the lessons are regularly updated to include the latest information and best practices.
How Do You Get Certified?
You'll get your digital marketing certificate upon completion of all the lessons.
Cost And Duration
The HubSpot certification is free, and the total completion time is 6 hours.
10. Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
- Best For: Learning the fundamentals of online marketing.
- Duration: 40 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Yes
The Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a free digital marketing certificate offered by Google. The Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University recognize it as a valid digital marketing credential.
Course Description
Google Digital Garage (now part of Google Skillshop) is a learning platform owned by Google. They offer various online courses and certifications covering various topics, from digital marketing to machine learning and self-improvement.
One of their most popular certificates is the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate. This certificate is a video course consisting of 26 modules, with a total learning time of 40 hours.
This Google digital marketing certification will help you develop skills in content marketing, email marketing, display advertising, SEO, social media marketing, and video marketing.
It’s a good certificate for beginners, and it’s free. The online learning platform is easy to navigate, and the module structure is well-organized. This course is a good starting point if you know nothing about digital marketing.
You’ll learn the fundamentals and the high-level theory, but it won’t make you an expert. Other programs taught by industry experts in this list include real examples and provide more actionable advice beyond the theory.
So, the bottom line is that you can follow this online marketing certificate and get certified (it’s good for your CV), but this is not a course you can use as a reference when you start working with advanced digital marketing strategies.
To learn more, read our honest review.
How Do You Get Certified?
To get the Google Digital Marketing Certificate, complete all 26 modules and pass the final exam (40 multiple-choice questions).
Cost And Duration
This Google certificate is free, and it takes 40 hours to complete.
11. Google Ads Certification
- Best For: Learning Google Ads and PPC Marketing.
- Duration: Depends on the certification
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Yes
Google Ads Certifications are among the most popular certifications for digital marketing professionals. Required for digital marketing agencies that want to become Google Partners.
Course Description
Google offers several certifications for Google Ads through Google Skillshop. All certificate programs are free, and you can use Skillshop online courses and other resources to prepare for the exams.
The most highly demanded certifications are Google Ads Search Certification, AI-Powered Performance Ads Certification, and Google Ads—Measurement Certification.
It's undoubtedly one of the certifications that should not be missing from your CV. Besides helping you improve your marketing skills, being certified is part of the Google Partners Program for agencies.
If you own a digital marketing agency, you need this to become a Google Partner. If you are an employee looking for a job, it will make you attractive to future employers.
How Do You Get Certified?
To become Google Ads certified, you need to pass one free online exam per certification. The exams are available through the Skillshop platform. All exams use the multiple-choice format and include around 50 questions.
Cost And Duration
All Google Ads certifications are free; the total time to complete them is 2 to 4 hours.
12. Google Analytics Certification
- Best For: Beginners in Google Analytics
- Duration: 4 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Yes
The Google Analytics Certification is a free marketing certificate offered by Google. It covers basic and advanced Google Analytics 4 concepts, such as reporting, conversion tracking, and audiences.
Course Description
This certificate will teach you how to set up a Google Analytics 4 property and collect data for your website or app. You'll also learn how to use the reporting tools to gather data and measure the effectiveness of your digital marketing campaigns.
Obtaining the Google Analytics Certification is certainly worth it. The biggest advantage of being certified is the analytics skills you will develop while preparing for the certification exam.
You will become an expert in Google Analytics, which will help you become a better digital marketer, whether you are working with SEO, PPC, or content marketing.
How Do You Get Certified?
To get a Google Analytics 4 certification, you must sign up for a Google Skillshop account and prepare using the courses provided by Analytics Academy. The exam is free and can be taken online. It includes 70 questions, and you have 90 minutes to complete them. The exam features a mixture of multiple-choice and true-and-false questions. The passing score is 80%.
You can prepare for the exam using Google resources or third-party Google Analytics courses.
Cost And Duration
The GA certification is free, and the completion time is 4 hours.
Compare Digital Marketing Certificates
Here is a comparison table showing the cost and duration of paid digital marketing certificates to help you find one that meets your needs.
| Certification | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Certification | $149 | 2 weeks |
| Google Digital Marketing & eCommerce Certificate | $294 | 6 months |
| Meta Social Media Marketing Certificate | $295 | 5 months |
| Duke University Digital Media and Marketing Certificate | $3,195 | 6 months |
| Digital Marketing Institute DMI Pro Certification | $1,442 | 2 months |
| LinkedIn Advance as a Digital Marketing Specialist | $29/mo | 10 hours |
| American Marketing Association PCM Digital Marketing | $1,442 | 2 months |
| Brainstation Digital Marketing Certification | $3,250 | 6 weeks |
Here is a list of free digital marketing certifications.
| Certification | Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Digital Marketing Certification Course | Free | 6 hours |
| Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing | Free | 40 hours |
| Google Ads Certification | Free | Self-paced |
| Google Analytics 4 Certification | Free | 4 hours |
Is a Digital Marketing Certificate Worth It?
Pursuing a digital marketing certification is worth it. You'll gain valuable skills and knowledge to stand out from the crowd. It's a great way to boost your digital marketing career and earn money.
The benefits and value of becoming a certified digital marketer are:
It's the best way to learn digital marketing on your own.
Digital marketing certifications are a great way to learn digital marketing on your own. Instead of spending your time looking for clues on how the different pieces that make up digital marketing work together, you can enroll in an online marketing course and get a structured education.
Get a plan to follow.
Good courses come with a learning plan and step-by-step instructions, making learning faster and more effective than reading random blog posts or watching unrelated YouTube videos.
Learn from the experts.
When you enroll in an online marketing certificate program taught by experienced digital marketers, you’ll learn the theory of digital marketing and how it can be applied to practice.
Digital marketing is a highly practical discipline, and trainers with years of experience in the industry can teach what you need to know and not what you should know.
Prove your professional skills.
Getting a digital marketing certification does not automatically make you an expert, but it’s a step in the right direction. To become an expert, you must have years of experience with digital marketing campaigns and success stories to share.
If you’re starting now and have no working experience, a certificate shows potential employers and clients that you have the necessary skills and determination to become a successful digital marketing specialist. It’s a great asset to your CV and your career.
Stay on top of new developments.
Popular certification programs are updated regularly to include the latest digital marketing trends and practices. When you enroll in a program, ensure the material has been updated recently.
What Jobs Can You Get with a Digital Marketing Certificate?
Becoming a certified digital marketing professional is the first step toward starting a career in digital marketing. But, as mentioned above, a certificate alone does not make you an expert.
You need both certification and experience to become a digital marketing expert, pursue top-level jobs, and earn a higher salary.
So, with a marketing certification, you can get an entry-level job and work as:
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Digital Marketing Specialist
- Content Marketing Specialist
- SEO Specialist
- Social Media Manager
- Email Marketing Manager
- SEM Marketing Manager
- PPC Manager
- Conversion Optimization Specialist
The average salary for digital marketing specialists in the US (based on years of experience) is the following:
- 0-1 Years of Experience: $53K
- 1-3 Years of Experience: $57K
- 4-6 Years of Experience: $77K
Where can you find entry-level digital marketing jobs?
- You can apply to work for a Digital marketing agency (search for digital marketing agencies on Google and look for a Careers page).
- You can start a digital marketing agency and offer digital marketing services to clients.
- You can become a digital marketing freelancer and apply for digital marketing jobs through Upwork, Flex Jobs, Glassdoor, and Angel List.
Learn more here: What can you do with a Digital Marketing Certificate?
How To Choose A Digital Marketing Certificate
Here are some tips to consider when selecting which digital marketing certificate to pursue:
The price of a course/certificate does not always reflect the value you can get - Online academies price their courses based on several factors (size of a company, reputation, running expenses, etc.), and this can sometimes increase the price you’ll have to pay for a course but not the value you get.
Look for a decent refund option - There is the possibility that after you register for a certificate program, you will realize that this is not what you wanted. You need to be able to get your money back. Reliablesoft Academy (60-day money-back guarantee) and Coursera (7 days) are the only academies offering good refund options.
Register for a course you can use as a reference - Learning digital marketing is not a once-off process. Watching videos alone is not enough because, most probably, you’ll forget what you’ve learned in a lesson after a short period. You need a course with good structure, text, and video material to reference while working on your campaigns.
Related Courses And Certifications
- SEO Certifications - Highly- recommended certifications to become an SEO expert.
- Google Career Certificates - Recognized certifications offered by Google on various IT topics.
- Meta Certifications - a list of the best certifications by Meta
- Google Certifications - free and paid certifications by Google.
