If you’re wondering how to learn online marketing for free, you’re on the right page. This is the ultimate list of the best free online marketing courses.
We’ve been in the online marketing training business for over a decade, and we curated this list to help you access the best training courses to improve your digital marketing skills. Some courses also offer an online marketing certification.
We’ve hand-picked and reviewed each course to include the best training classes covering all major online marketing channels. Topics include SEO, social media marketing, PPC marketing, email marketing, analytics, affiliate marketing, and online marketing strategy.
20 Best Free Marketing Courses
- Free SEO Course for Beginners
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
- Keyword Research Course with Greg Gifford
- The One-Hour Guide to SEO
- Google Ads Search Certification
- Internet Marketing Education
- Facebook Digital Marketing Associate Course
- PPC Marketing Free Resources
- Diploma in Social Media Strategy
- Content Marketing Free Course
- Google Analytics Free Course
- Marketing With Purpose
- Social Media Mastery
- Free SEO training: SEO for beginners
- Email Marketing Free Course
- How to Start an Online Business
- Social Media Marketing Foundations
- Build a Business On YouTube
- Free Affiliate Marketing Course for Beginners
- Email Marketing Masterclass for Beginners
1. Free SEO Course for Beginners
This free SEO course by Reliablesoft Academy will teach you the basics of Search engine optimization. It is an excellent course for beginners in SEO and a good choice for starting your online marketing learning journey.
What you’ll learn?
Through the course, you’ll learn how search engines work, what SEO is and why it’s important, and how to get started with technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO.
To access this free course, you must first register for Reliablesoft’s free newsletter.
After you finish the free course, you can continue learning by enrolling in the Digital Marketing Full Course and obtaining an SEO certification and an accredited Digital Marketing Certification.
Despite being a free course, it is regularly updated to include new SEO techniques and practices.
- Vendor: Reliablesoft Academy
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: SEO
While free SEO courses are great to start with, to expand your skills further and get certified, you can consider enrolling in a paid course. Our list of the best SEO certifications includes the top courses to consider to become SEO certified.
2. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
One of the best free online marketing courses is the “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” offered by Google Digital Garage through Google Skillshop.
The course comprises 26 modules covering all important aspects of digital marketing. The course duration is 40 hours, and upon completion, you can achieve the Google Digital Marketing Certification (after passing an exam).
What you’ll learn? This course teaches you how to create a marketing strategy to get your business online. The course is divided into seven sections covering all major areas of digital marketing.
The most important are: getting found on Google search, mobile marketing, online advertising, analytics, and expanding internationally.
To access this course, you need to create a free account with Google Skillshop.
- Vendor: Google
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Digital Marketing
Once you complete this course, you can continue your digital marketing learning with a paid course from a reliable academy. There are hundreds of courses to choose from, and to help you make an informed decision, we curated a list of the 10 best digital marketing courses that are highly rated by thousands of students.
3. Keyword Research Course with Greg Gifford
One of the most critical tasks for almost all online campaigns is keyword research. This free marketing course by Semrush will teach you how to conduct keyword research in just one hour.
What you’ll learn? The course comprises eight lessons covering the following areas: introduction to keyword research, understanding search intent, performing keyword research using SEMRush tools, and competitor analysis.
Although this course uses SEMRush to perform keyword research, the concepts explained can be used to do keyword research using any other tool.
To access this course, you must create a free account with Semrush.
- Vendor: Semrush
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Keyword Research
4. The One-Hour Guide to SEO
The one-hour guide to SEO is taught by Rand Fishkin (Moz Founder), and it consists of six free videos, a total duration of one hour.
What you’ll learn? In this free course, you’ll learn the SEO fundamentals. The first video explains how to incorporate all important SEO concepts into your SEO strategy.
The other videos show you how to approach keyword research, how to keep searchers happy, how to do on-page SEO, technical SEO, and link building.
You can access the course directly by visiting the link below. No registration is required.
- Vendor: MOZ
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: SEO
If you want to explore other free options for SEO training, take a look at our list of the best SEO courses available online.
5. Google Ads Search Certification
One important online marketing channel is PPC marketing, and Google Ads is the major platform in this area. Becoming a PPC specialist is essential if you plan to pursue a career in digital marketing.
What you’ll learn? In this free advertising certification by Google Skillshop, you’ll learn everything you need to know about Google Search ads.
To prepare for the certification, Google offers nine free courses (total duration 2.5 hours). Courses cover topics related to the design, setup, and optimization of Google Search Campaigns.
To access the course, you’ll have to create a free Google Skillshop account.
- Vendor: Google Skillshop
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner / Intermediate
- Topics Covered: Google Ads, PPC Marketing
To expand your skills beyond Google Ads, you can pursue a digital marketing certification. It will increase your chances of getting a job in other areas of digital marketing besides PPC marketing.
6. Internet Marketing Education
Although this course was initially released a few years ago it is still valid today. The Internet Marketing Education in 16 Ebooks and 20 Emails free course will teach you clever ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO for lead generation.
What you’ll learn? The course will help you understand and implement effective online marketing. It is broken down into four sections covering: relationship building, copywriting, creating great content, and selling (through content).
To access the course, you’ll need to register for Copyblogger’s newsletter. All material will be sent to your email account.
- Vendor: Copyblogger
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Social media, content marketing, SEO
7. Facebook Digital Marketing Associate Course
One of the trending free marketing courses these days is the Digital Marketing Associate Course offered by Meta Blueprint.
Meta Blueprint is the online training academy of Facebook offering free courses on Facebook and Digital marketing topics.
What you’ll learn? This course will help you prepare for the FB 100-101 exam. Upon completing the course and passing an exam, you can achieve the Facebook Digital Marketing Associate Certification.
The topics covered in the course are all related to Facebook marketing. It includes lessons on how to create a Facebook Business Page, how to get more likes on Facebook and Instagram, how to design and execute a Facebook ad campaign, and other topics to run successful Facebook campaigns.
It’s the first step to take to become a Facebook Ads expert.
To enroll in this free course, you’ll need a Facebook account. To take the exam and get certified, you’ll have to pay the fee ($150 per exam).
- Vendor: Facebook
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Facebook Marketing
8. PPC Marketing Free Resources
Another free course worth exploring is the PPC University, offered by WordStream.
The course will teach you both basic and advanced strategies related to search engines and social media. Its main focus is Pay-Per-Click advertising.
What you’ll learn? The course is broken down into six sections covering: PPC basics, advanced PPC concepts, social media, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads.
No registration is needed to access the course contents.
- Vendor: Wordstream
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: PPC Marketing
9. Diploma in Social Media Strategy
If you want to learn social media marketing, this free course by Alison Academy is a good starting point.
What you’ll learn? In this course, you’ll learn how to set social media goals and create a social media strategy. The course includes 12 modules with demos and quizzes to help you understand the different concepts.
Enrolling in this course is free, all you need is an Alison Academy account. To get a diploma, you must pass an exam and pay a fee (the cost varies per certification).
- Vendor: Alison Academy
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Social Media Marketing
10. Content Marketing Free Course
One of the marketing classes to learn content marketing for free is the Content Marketing course offered by Hubspot Academy.
It’s a comprehensive and quality course made up of 12 lessons that include videos and quizzes. The total duration of the course is 6.5 hours.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you’ll learn how to become a better content marketer. In particular, you’ll be introduced to a framework for creating good content consistently and a process to follow to repurpose your existing content.
To register for this course, you’ll have to create a free Hubspot Academy account.
- Vendor: Hubspot Academy
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Content Marketing
11. Google Analytics Free Course
One of the digital marketing disciplines that are always in demand is reporting and analytics. If you’re starting out now, this is one of the areas to tackle first. Analytics will give you valuable information about your users and help you make informed decisions for all your marketing campaigns.
This free Google certification course will teach you the basics and advanced concepts of Google Analytics.
What you’ll learn? By the end of these two video courses (Google Analytics for Beginners and Advanced Google Analytics), you’ll get a deep understanding of how to do reporting and analysis using Google Analytics.
Upon completing the courses, you can pass the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam and become Google Analytics certified.
Registration for these courses is free with a Google Skillshop account.
- Vendor: Google Skillshop
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Google Analytics
12. Marketing With Purpose
This free course by Microsoft will teach you how to use marketing to accelerate growth and build a trusted brand.
The course has 5 modules, and the total duration is 1:10 minutes. Upon completing the course, you’ll get a badge to add to your CV.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you'll have a deep understanding of how to promote brand awareness through different online marketing techniques.
To enroll in this course, you need a free Microsoft Account.
- Vendor: Microsoft
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Online Marketing
13. Social Media Mastery
The Social Media Mastery is a free course by Canva Design Academy. The course is made up of 12 short video lessons. The total course duration is 30 minutes.
What you’ll learn? This course will help you understand how the different social media channels work and how to choose which channel you should focus on.
The material is easy to follow and it's a good free course for beginners.
You can access all Canva courses for free. No registration is required.
- Vendor: Canva Design School
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Social Media Marketing
14. Free SEO training: SEO for beginners
Another free training class to learn SEO is the SEO for Beginners course delivered by Yoast Academy.
The course has three modules that cover the SEO basics, content SEO, and technical SEO.
What you’ll learn? By the end of you this course you'll know how search engines work, what keywords are, and what SEO copywriting is. In addition, you'll get an introduction to proper site structure, website crawlability, and Google-rich results.
To access this course, you’ll have to create a free account with Yoast Academy.
- Vendor: Yoast
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: SEO
15. Email Marketing Free Course
This Email Marketing course is delivered by Shopify. It includes 38 lessons broken down into six lessons. The total course duration is 2 hours and 7 mins.
It’s a course for beginners, intermediates, and students who need to learn advanced email marketing concepts.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you’ll have a good understanding of the process to follow to build an email list for your business. You’ll also learn how to utilize email automation to improve the performance of your email campaigns.
You can access the course for free. No registration is needed.
- Vendor: Shopify
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced.
- Topics Covered: Email Marketing
16. How to Start an Online Business
This Skillshare course is different than the rest of the marketing courses on this list. It will not teach you how to use the various marketing channels but how to approach the process of starting an online business.
It includes nine lessons, and the total duration is 1 hour.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you’ll know how to choose which products to sell online, how to identify your competition and do a competitive analysis, how to find the best eCommerce platform and how to come up with a content marketing strategy.
You can access this course for free. No registration is required.
- Vendor: Skillshare
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Online Marketing
17. Social Media Marketing Foundations
Another free digital marketing course you can follow from a reputable learning academy is the Social Media Foundations course from LinkedIn Learning.
The course includes seven lessons and covers ALL aspects of social media marketing. It is highly recommended for beginners and those who want to improve their social media marketing skills.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you’ll have a deep understanding of social media marketing. You’ll know how to define your audience and design a social media marketing strategy to satisfy your business goals.
You can access this course without having to create a LinkedIn account.
- Vendor: LinkedIn Learning
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Social Media Marketing
18. Build a Business On YouTube
One of the marketing courses to follow if you plan to work with Video content is the Build a Business on YouTube delivered by the YouTube academy.
As you might have guessed, this is a video course that explains the steps of creating and promoting your online business on YouTube.
What you’ll learn? Unlike other video courses, this course is interactive, with quizzes and questions at the end of each lesson. This makes it easier to comprehend the material and also it helps in creating your own strategy for getting your business on Youtube.
I strongly recommend watching this course if you are considering expanding into Video marketing.
By the end of the course, you also can take an exam and get a certification of completion.
To signup for this course, you’ll need a YouTube account.
- Vendor: YouTube Academy
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Video Marketing
19. Free Affiliate Marketing Course for Beginners
Affiliate marketing is one of the ways to make money with digital marketing, either by selling other people’s products and getting a commission or by giving a commission to others to sell your products.
This free affiliate marketing course by Udemy is a good starting point for beginners in affiliate marketing. The total course duration is 2 hours and 18 minutes.
What you’ll learn? By the end of this course, you’ll have a good understanding of what affiliate marketing is and how it works. You’ll also know how to build a website for affiliate marketing and how to choose which affiliate networks to join.
To enroll in this course, you’ll need to create a free account with Udemy.
- Vendor: Udemy
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Affiliate Marketing
20. Email Marketing Masterclass for Beginners
One of the online marketing classes to join if you want to learn more about email marketing is the Email Marketing Masterclass delivered by Wishpond.
The course is in video format, and it consists of seven lessons.
What you’ll learn? In this course, besides the email marketing basics, you'll also learn how to create an email marketing funnel and how to carry out successful testing of your A/B campaigns.
Enrolling in this course is free, but you need to create an account with Wishpond Academy.
- Vendor: Wishpond
- Cost: Free
- Level: Beginner
- Topics Covered: Email Marketing
Do Free Digital Marketing Courses Worth Your Time?
When you search Google for “free online marketing courses”, you may be disappointed by the results.
Most of the lists on the top positions contain links to outdated courses, and it’s natural to make you think that free courses are useless and not worth your time.
This is not the case with the courses we have included in our list. All courses have been selected manually AFTER enrolling in the particular course and viewing the material.
Our main goal was to create a list of up-to-date courses to help you learn something and build your digital marketing skills.
Once you try a few courses, you may agree that free courses can be helpful and high-quality if a good vendor provides them.
They might not be enough for you to become an expert in digital marketing, but they are a great starting point.
You can also view our best online courses with certificates guide to getting a list of high-quality online courses with free certificates covering a range of industries.
Do you know of any quality marketing courses that are 100% free? Let us know in the comments below.