Best Digital Marketing Courses: Paid and Free

Which digital marketing course is best? It depends on your goals, prior experience, and budget. Some of the most widely recognized and respected digital marketing certifications and courses include:

Best Paid Digital Marketing Courses

You can pay for digital marketing courses, which range from super cheap to premium priced. Of course, you can expect more from the higher priced digital marketing courses, such as more comprehensive and updated syllabus, industry validation, international recognition, better student support, and continuing education.

1. Digital Marketing Institute

The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) is a professional body that provides training and certifications in digital marketing. They offer a range of courses and certifications that are designed to help professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the digital marketing industry.

DMI offers both online and classroom-based courses, which cover a wide range of digital marketing topics, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and analytics.

They offer certifications such as:

1. Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing: Also known as the Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) or DMI Pro, this is DMI’s flagship course, which covers all aspects of digital marketing, including SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing, and analytics.
2. Professional Diploma in Social Media Marketing: This certification program is a specialized course for social media marketers, covering Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and more.
3. Professional Diploma in Search Marketing: DMI collaborated with renowned Internet guru Neil Patel in offering this specialized course in search marketing, which includes SEO, PPC, and Google Analytics.
4. Professional Diploma in Digital Strategy and Planning: Designed for digital marketing planners and directors, this course provides high-level lessons on strategic planning, resource allocation, and more.

The courses are designed for both beginners and advanced marketers, and they are updated regularly to reflect the latest industry trends and best practices. The course also includes interactive quizzes, hands-on exercises, and final exams to test your knowledge.

DMI also offers a variety of other certifications on digital strategy, social media marketing, and search marketing. These certifications are globally recognized, and they are recognized by industry professionals and employers as a mark of excellence in digital marketing education.

Overall, the Digital Marketing Institute is a reputable and well-established institution that provides a comprehensive education in digital marketing. The courses and certifications offered by DMI are designed to give students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the digital marketing industry, and the certifications are widely recognized by industry professionals and employers.

DMI works with a global network of education partners. In the Philippines, you can take DMI’s digital marketing courses through DMHQ.

2. Simplilearn

Simplilearn is an online education provider that offers a wide range of professional certification courses in various fields, including digital marketing, data science, project management, cybersecurity, and more. The courses are designed to help professionals advance their careers and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and best practices.

In terms of digital marketing, Simplilearn offers a variety of courses and certifications that cover various aspects of digital marketing such as SEO, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, and analytics. Some of the popular digital marketing courses offered by Simplilearn include:

1. Digital Marketing Certified Associate (DMCA): This course covers the basics of digital marketing, including SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and email marketing.
2. Advanced Digital Marketing course: This course covers more advanced topics in digital marketing, including analytics, mobile marketing, and content marketing
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) course: This course covers how to optimize websites for search engines and how to use SEO to drive traffic to a website.
4. Social Media Marketing course: This course covers how to use social media platforms to reach and engage with customers, including how to create a content strategy and how to use social media analytics.
5. Email Marketing course: This course covers how to create and execute effective email marketing campaigns, including how to segment audiences and how to use email analytics.

The course content is updated regularly to keep pace with the latest industry trends and best practices. The course also includes interactive quizzes, hands-on exercises, and final exams to test your knowledge.

Overall, Simplilearn is a great resource for professionals looking to improve their digital marketing skills. The courses and certifications offered by Simplilearn are designed to give students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the digital marketing industry and are recognized globally.

3. Udacity

Udacity is an online education platform that offers a wide range of professional certification courses, known as “Nanodegrees,” in various fields such as data science, artificial intelligence, web development, and digital marketing. The courses are designed to help professionals advance their careers and stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and best practices.

In terms of digital marketing, Udacity offers a variety of Nanodegrees that cover various aspects of digital marketing, such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, email marketing, and digital analytics. Some popular digital marketing nanodegrees offered by Udacity include:

1. Digital Marketing Nanodegree: This program covers the basics of digital marketing, including SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and email marketing. Students will also learn how to use analytics to measure the success of digital marketing campaigns.
2. Growth Marketing Nanodegree: This program is focused on growth hacking and marketing techniques to help businesses grow quickly. The curriculum includes courses in SEO, PPC, analytics, and email marketing.
3. Google Analytics Nanodegree: This program focuses on how to use Google Analytics to track and analyze website traffic, user behavior and conversion data to make data-driven decisions for a business.
4. Social Media Marketing Nanodegree: This program is focused on how to use social media platforms to reach and engage with customers, including how to create a content strategy and how to use social media analytics.
5. Email Marketing Nanodegree: This program covers the basics of creating and executing effective email marketing campaigns, including how to segment audiences and how to use email analytics.

All of the nanodegrees include hands-on projects, quizzes, and interactive content, as well as access to a community of peers and mentors. Some of the nanodegrees also offer a certificate of completion after finishing the program.

Overall, Udacity is a great resource for professionals looking to improve their digital marketing skills. The nanodegrees offered by Udacity are designed to give students the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the digital marketing industry and are taught by industry experts.

Best Free Digital Marketing Courses

There are also great digital marketing courses provided by some of the biggest Internet players, such as Google, Meta, and HubSpot. These are online, self-paced courses that you have study on your own.

1. Google Digital Garage

Google Digital Marketing courses are a set of online courses provided by Google through the Google Digital Garage platform. These courses cover various aspects of digital marketing, including search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, and analytics.

The courses are designed for both beginners and advanced marketers, and they are free to access. They are interactive and self-paced, so you can learn at your own speed. Some of the popular courses offered by Google include:

1. Digital Marketing Fundamentals: This course provides an overview of the digital marketing landscape and covers the key principles of online marketing.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): This course covers the best practices for optimizing a website for search engines, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building.
3. Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): This course covers the basics of PPC advertising, including how to set up and manage campaigns on platforms such as Google Ads and Bing Ads.
4. Social Media Marketing: This course covers the best practices for using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to reach and engage with customers.
5. Analytics: This course covers how to use tools such as Google Analytics to measure the success of digital marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Each course includes a mix of video lessons, quizzes, and hands-on exercises to help you apply what you learn. Once you complete a course, you will receive a certificate of completion, which can be added to your resume or LinkedIn profile.

Overall, Google Digital Marketing courses are a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about digital marketing. They are free to access, easy to follow, and provide a solid foundation for anyone looking to start or advance their digital marketing career.

2. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy is the educational arm of HubSpot, a leading provider of inbound marketing and sales software. HubSpot Academy offers a wide range of free online courses, certifications, and training programs for digital marketing, sales, and customer service professionals.

The courses offered by HubSpot Academy cover a wide range of topics, including inbound marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), email marketing, and analytics. They are designed to help you learn the best practices and strategies for growing your business online.

One of the key features of HubSpot Academy is its inbound marketing certification. This certification is widely recognized in the industry and is designed to help you understand the concepts, strategies, and tactics that go into creating an effective inbound marketing campaign. The certification is available free of cost.

In addition to the inbound marketing certification, HubSpot Academy also offers several other certifications, including HubSpot Content Marketing Certification, HubSpot Email Marketing Certification, and HubSpot Inbound Sales Certification. Each certification requires you to complete a set of courses and pass a final exam.

The course content is updated regularly to keep pace with the latest industry trends and best practices. The course also includes interactive quizzes, hands-on exercises, and final exams to test your knowledge.

Overall, HubSpot Academy is a valuable resource for anyone looking to learn more about digital marketing, sales, and customer service. The courses are free to access, and the certifications are widely recognized in the industry.

3. Meta Blueprint

Meta Blueprint, formerly Facebook Blueprint, is the online learning platform of Meta, providing free e-learning courses and certifications on Facebook and Instagram marketing. It covers a wide range of topics, including how to create and manage Facebook ads, how to use Facebook’s tools and features to reach and engage with customers, and how to measure the success of your campaigns.

The courses offered by Meta Blueprint are designed for both beginners and advanced marketers, and they are self-paced, so you can learn at your own speed. Some of the popular courses offered by Meta Blueprint include:

1. Advertising Core Competencies: This course covers the basics of creating and managing Facebook ads, including how to set up an ad campaign, target specific audiences, and measure the performance of your ads.
2. Marketing Science: This course covers how to use Facebook’s tools and features to reach and engage with customers, including how to create a content strategy, how to use Facebook Insights, and how to measure the success of your campaigns.
3. Marketing Advanced: This course covers advanced techniques for creating and managing Facebook ads, including how to use dynamic ads, custom audiences, and retargeting.
4. Instagram Marketing: This course covers how to use Instagram to reach and engage with customers, including how to create a content strategy, how to use Instagram Insights, and how to measure the success of your campaigns.
5. Meta Blueprint Certification: This certification is available to all those who have completed the course and pass the final exam and it is recognized globally.

The course content is updated regularly to keep pace with the latest industry trends and best practices. The course also includes interactive quizzes, hands-on exercises, and final exams to test your knowledge.

Overall, Meta Blueprint is a valuable resource for anyone looking to learn more about Facebook and Instagram marketing and advertising. The courses are free to access and the certification is globally recognized in the industry.

Which Digital Marketing Course is Best for Beginners?

The free courses offered by Google, HubSpot, and Meta are great, but it can be overwhelming. Deciding where to start can be confusing for beginners. The best digital marketing course for beginners must be comprehensive and well-structured, with separate modules covering the fundamentals of each area of digital marketing, such as social media marketing and SEO.

The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) offers its Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing, which can help beginners with no digital marketing background and experience to learn. It assumes you are starting from scratch, so the curriculum covers basic concepts and step-by-step video walkthroughs. But it also builds on those foundations with strategies, best practices, and practical applications. This provides beginners and those with more knowledge and experience job-ready skills after they complete the course.

Which is the Best Digital Marketing Online Course?

All the digital marketing course providers listed above all offer online courses. Most use an online, on-demand format, with videos that you watch at your own pace. They are all excellent options if you have the discipline and determination to finish each course.

However, it can be challenging to stick to a schedule, especially if you’re busy at work. And completion rates for online courses are usually low. That’s why it’s better if there is a live, instructor-led class, even if it’s online. Learning live from a lecturer together with other students or learners provide a richer learning experience. It also helps to learn from other participants through collaboration and group work.

DMHQ, the education provider of DMI in the Philippines, runs the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (Certified Digital Marketing Professional) program as a hybrid course, with live, online sessions and on-demand videos. You get the best of both worlds!

Ultimately, the best course for you will depend on your specific goals and the level of expertise you currently have. It’s important to do some research and compare different options before making a decision. We recommend you choose one paid digital marketing course, and DMI is the best of them, and augment it with all the free digital marketing courses you can take once you have a solid foundation in digital marketing.