Digital marketing is very detailed. It is much more than using social media to promote products.
Instead, digital marketing utilizes many different strategies for getting a business’s products and services in front of customers.
Like traditional marketing methods, digital marketing is all about results. The goal is to get your message to the right people. That message has to be delivered at the right time. It has to be delivered in the right place too.
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Disclaimer: Some courses may include an affiliate link. Courses were chosen first based on the methodology with affiliate links only added after the ranking was complete.
But how do you know how to do that?
With the rising importance of digital marketing, there has been a rapid expansion of digital marketing courses.
These courses range from beginner to advanced. There are courses in social media marketing. You can take a class on email marketing. You can even brush up on the latest search marketing tactics.
But, the best digital marketing courses offer something that others don’t. In addition to great value for the money, the best online digital marketing courses offer you the ability to learn when it’s easiest for you.
The best marketing courses online also have something else – high ratings by prior students.
Below, we’ve listed the best online digital marketing courses available. Each course was selected based on a methodology we devised. This ranking takes several factors into account.
Let’s explore the methodology we used to rank the best internet marketing courses.
Methodology to Determine the Best Online Courses for Digital Marketing
In these uncertain economic times, finding ways to learn new skills while on a budget is a top priority for many people.
Since college courses can be very expensive, learning new skills online is what many people decide to do. There are a lot of free and low-cost online courses for digital marketing. Not all of these courses are worth your time, though.
While cost is the most important factor, it can’t be the only factor you consider.
For example, a free online course for digital marketing might look great on the surface, but what if the course follows a strict week-by-week schedule? If you have other responsibilities at work or home, it might be difficult to meet the demands of a class like this.
That’s why we’ve also emphasized the importance of the flexibility of a course. Can you learn at your own pace? Do you get lifetime access to course materials? Are there downloadable assets to help you learn? These are just a few questions we’ve considered when scoring a course on flexibility.
Course ratings are important to think about too.
A course with thousands of positive ratings is likely going to offer you a positive experience. Likewise, a course with thousands of poor ratings is likely going to disappoint you.
But course ratings aren’t that clearcut. A course with very few ratings might have an inflated or deflated score because of one or two very positive or very bad reviews.
So, it’s best to look at course ratings in the context of a methodology that also includes other factors, like cost and flexibility, as we’ve done here.
Let’s explore each of these criteria in a little more detail.
Affordability
As mentioned above, the current economic climate makes finding affordable courses to take extremely important.
You want to maximize the value you get from a class. This is often done by taking free courses. Many of the courses in our rankings are free. However, there are paid courses that offer great value too.
We’ve placed more emphasis on free courses. As you can see below, free courses get the most points:
- Free: 6 points
- Under $10: 5 points
- $11-20: 4 points
- $21-30: 3 points
- $31-40: 2 points
- $41 and above: 1 point
Additionally, this factor is awarded more points than the other two factors combined. This reflects the importance of a course being affordable for all students.
Flexibility
The flexibility of a course is always an important factor. But with the downturn in the economy, having flexible opportunities to learn is even more crucial.
Perhaps you’re caring for an ill family member. Maybe you’re homeschooling your children. You might have had to take on a second job to help pay the bills.
Whatever the case, the best internet marketing courses are those that give you the ability to learn when it works for you.
Here’s how we ranked each course in terms of flexibility:
- Highly flexible: 2 points
- Moderate flexibility: 1 point
- Low flexibility: 0 points
Flexibility ratings take many different things into account.
We look at the length of a course. We also consider whether or not the course is self-paced. Other variables include the availability of learning materials and the length of time you have access to them.
Course Ratings
The third and final criterion used in our rankings is course ratings.
Course ratings are the most subjective of the three criteria, but they can still be very informative.
As mentioned earlier, a course with thousands of positive ratings is usually a good bet. But one with many poor ratings should throw up red flags.
When looking at course ratings, we chose courses with a good number of ratings to avoid false positive or negative ratings for the course.
This criterion is scored as follows:
- 5 stars: 5 points
- 4.5+ stars: 4 points
- 4+ stars: 3 points
- 3.5+ stars: 2 points
- 3.4 stars and below: 1 point
- No ratings: 0 points
By using this factor and the other two factors discussed above, we’re able to create a course profile that gives you a good idea of the potential value of a course.
Below, please find detailed descriptions of the best online digital marketing courses.
Ranking the Best Online Courses for Digital Marketing
#10: Become a Digital Marketer
Rather than being one course, this is a nanodegree from Udacity. This top digital marketing course is lengthy with a three-month timeline for completion. However, it offers a wide range of topics for you to learn.
The degree program starts with a study of marketing fundamentals. This module helps you organize and plan your marketing approach.
You will also explore modules related to content strategy and social media marketing. This includes:
- Social media advertising
- SEO
- Google ads
- Display advertising
There is also a unit on email marketing. This unit includes instruction on email marketing. You will also learn how to evaluate email campaigns for success.
This is by far the most expensive course on this list. But it is also the most comprehensive. You get access to real-world projects. You learn from experts in the field. There are many support systems too. This includes mentor support, a student community, and career services.
Points: 7
Affordability: $537
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This course is extremely short and can be completed in about an hour. It’s self-paced, giving you more time to finish if needed.
Course Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (based on 1,004 ratings)
#9: Social Media Marketing for Small Business
This beginner course is offered by LinkedIn. It is geared toward small business owners who wish to improve their social media presence.
The online digital marekting course is quite short at just over one hour in length. However, many different topics are covered, including:
- Proven SEO strategies
- Basing SEO usage on customer behavior
- Preparing a social media plan
These topics are presented in a way that helps you learn how to establish a solid relationship with your customers. This is also done through A/B testing. A/B testing allows you to analyze what social media strategies work the best for you.
With nearly 220,000 views at the time of writing, this course is extremely popular. Its short length and detailed instruction have helped its popularity.
Points: 8
Affordability: Try Linkedin Learning for free. A fee ($29.99 per month at the time of this writing) is required after the trial is over. This is scored as a free course.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This course is extremely short and can be completed in about an hour. It’s self-paced, giving you more time to finish if needed.
Course Rating: None
#8: Digital Branding and Engagement
Digital Branding and Engagement is a free intermediate course from edX. The primary focus of the class is on brand awareness and increasing engagement with your brand.
Improving brand engagement requires the development of a two-way conversation between businesses and potential customers. This can be done by:
- Understanding the shift to digital communication
- Overcoming challenges in communicating online
- Learning how to create compelling content
This top online digital marketing course also teaches you how to maximize digital distribution. In other words, you’ll learn how to effectively spread your message online. This is done by harnessing the power of email, social media, and other tools.
This class is part of the CurtinX MicroMasters Credential. There are five courses, and you must take each course and pay for a verified certificate from each course to qualify for the credential.
Points: 8
Affordability: Free. Verified credentials require a fee, usually $99 each.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. All learning takes place online. You can learn as quickly or as slowly as you want.
Course Rating: None
#7: Search Engine Optimization
This free course from Springboard is designed to help beginners understand SEO.
You begin by learning the basics of SEO and how it works. From there, you acquire the skills needed to optimize SEO. This will help your site gain organic traffic.
Additionally, this free SEO course discusses how to track SEO performance. You’ll learn how to identify mistakes and correct them as well.
Other topics in this online digital marketing course include:
- On-page optimization
- Link building
- Keyword research
This top digital marketing course is backed with more than 50 resources to help you learn. This includes in-depth lessons on SEO. Many case studies demonstrate how SEO can be leveraged effectively as well.
Points: 8
Affordability: Free.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Though this class requires over 40 hours of work, you can work at your own pace. There are many resources at your disposal to further your learning. All learning is done completely online.
Course Rating: None
#6: Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
This is a free course from Google’s Digital Garage. It is accredited by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe. It’s also accredited by The Open University.
This is one of the best online marketing courses because it offers so much learning. There are 26 separate digital marketing modules. Each module was developed by Google trainers.
Some of the modules you can explore include:
- Building a web presence
- Planning your online business strategy
- The basics of search marketing
You will also learn about targeted searches and how to make SEO work for you.
This is a long course. It takes approximately 40 hours to complete. But since it’s free and self-paced, you can take your time and get in-depth training.
Additionally, this course comes with a free certification. Having a certification is a huge bonus. Employers look for potential employees with certified abilities.
Points: 8
Affordability: Free
Flexibility: Highly flexible. You can learn at your own pace and the course offers unlimited access. There are many resources for assisting your learning as well.
Course Rating: None
#5: Advanced Google Analytics
Offered by Google’s Analytics Academy, this free advanced course is all about collecting and processing data. You’ll learn how online data is collected. You’ll also learn how to convert it into readable reports.
Using Google Analytics is a great way to measure the success of digital marketing. You’ll be able to measure your marketing activities via:
- Custom dimensions
- Custom metrics
- Event tracking
You’ll also have a chance to explore more advanced metrics. This includes:
- Segmentation
- Audience reports
- Channel reports
Additionally, you’ll learn about Dynamic Remarketing. This type of digital marketing shows ads to customers that have already visited your website. They’re used to draw potential customers back into the fold.
Points: 8
Affordability: Free
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This course includes 18 lessons, each of which is self-paced.
Course Rating: None
#4: The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1
This comprehensive course is offered by Udemy. It offers 12 individual lessons on many different digital marketing topics.
One of the first topics you learn about is how to build a WordPress website. This course walks you through the basics of WordPress. It shows you how to build a simple site without any coding experience.
Other topics of study in this online digital marketing course include:
- Email marketing
- Social media marketing
- Google AdWords
- Copywriting
Since this is a comprehensive course, you explore many different topics. All told, there are nearly 24 hours of on-demand video instruction. You also get access to 36 articles and multiple downloadable resources.
Points: 10
Affordability: $13.99 (at the time of writing)
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This is a self-paced course. You can take advantage of many online and offline resources to help you learn too.
Course Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 77,781 ratings)
#3: Digital Media and Marketing Strategy
This is a comprehensive course from the University of Illinois and Coursera. It is a mixed-level class. There are beginner to advanced topics. It is one of seven individual classes that is part of Coursera’s Digital Marketing Specialization.
The focus of this course is on creating a digital marketing campaign. You look at the role of different digital marketing channels. You also explore how different marketing methods are integrated into an effective communication strategy.
Specific topics you’ll learn about include:
- Video marketing
- Email marketing
- Social media strategy
This top digital marketing course concludes with a lesson on mobile marketing. This lesson teaches you how to track mobile activity. You’ll also learn how to optimize your digital marketing plan. This is done by using best practices.
Points: 11
Affordability: Free to enroll. A small fee (usually around $50) may be required. Other costs may be incurred if you pursue a specialization. Learn more about Coursera pricing.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. This self-paced course is offered 100 percent online. You can complete the 15-hour course in as little or as much time as you need. To assist you, deadlines are flexible and can be rescheduled.
Course Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars (based on 1,408 ratings)
#2: The Strategy of Content Marketing
The University of California Davis developed this top online digital marketing course. It is offered by Coursera. It focuses on the central strategies needed to attract customers online.
Furthermore, you’ll learn how to retain customers over the long-term. This is done through effective content marketing. To that end, you’ll develop skills related to:
- Developing creative content
- Organizing effective content marketing strategies
- Building a professional brand
This five-week course begins with an examination of the content marketing ecosystem. From there, you learn about strategic content and developing a content strategy. You get instruction on managing content as well.
This best digital marketing class requires about 17 hours of work to complete. You can do so at your own pace.
Points: 12
Affordability: Free to enroll. A small fee (usually around $50) may be required. Other costs may be incurred if you pursue a specialization. Learn more about Coursera pricing.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Learn at your own pace. Access all materials online, even on your mobile device. Reschedule deadlines as needed to accommodate your schedule.
Course Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (based on 439 ratings)
#1: Copywriting for Conversions: How to Write Persuasive Content
This best free course in digital marketing from Alison teaches you the basics of writing compelling content. The class is aimed at small business owners that sell products and services online. However, its teachings apply to all kinds of digital marketing.
Copywriting is what is used to create interest in products and services. To do so, you’ll learn how to:
- Capture the attention of readers
- Create desire for a product or service
- Get tangible results, such as increased sales
Learning effective copywriting is a valuable skill to have. Even if you don’t own your own business, understanding the fundamentals of writing well can help you get side gigs and freelance work.
This best course for digital marketing concludes with an assessment that helps you gauge your learning. You can also earn a certificate for completing the class. You must pass the assessment with an 80 percent to qualify. Certificates require a fee.
Points: 13
Affordability: Free. A certificate might require a fee. Learn more about Alison certificates.
Flexibility: Highly flexible. Learn at your own pace. The course is short too. It requires just 2-3 hours to complete. Alison offers mobile learning, so you can learn on the go as well.
Course Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of digital marketing?
In today’s online world, digital marketing is extremely important. It is the lifeblood of a successful business.
In simple terms, digital marketing is the process of promoting products and services online. This is done through social media. Blogging is also part of digital marketing. Email marketing is an important part of digital marketing as well.
Digital marketing is used to get a marketing message out to potential customers. This is done by using the methods above.
So, a company might promote a sale on its social media channels. They might also develop an email campaign to promote the sale. They could partner with other online companies to bring the sale to a broader audience, too. All of these activities would be overseen by the digital marketing staff.
Most companies get new customers through these means. Sites like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs are the most productive for most companies.
These sites produce new leads because digital marketing campaigns are targeted. Companies target specific age groups and geographic locations. Messages are sent at specific times of day to maximize exposure. Certain days of the week produce better results than others as well.
Digital marketing seeks to make sense of all this. By conducting thorough research, marketers can drill down to a very specific audience and get a company’s advertising message to them very effectively. This is the role of digital marketing!
What is Google Digital Marketing Certification?
The Google Digital Marketing Certification shows that you have completed the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course. This course comes in at number six in our rankings
This authentic certification comes directly from Google. You can be certified only after you finish each module in The Digital Garage. You must also pass the final exam.
There are many benefits of getting the certification.
First, this certification demonstrates that you are familiar with digital marketing. Employers often seek out employees with hard skills. This certificate proves that you have the skills they want.
Second, having this certification shows that you are motivated to learn. It’s a lot of work to complete all the modules. Taking the initiative to expand your learning is sure to impress employers.
Third, being certified can help you find a job. It can also help you advance in your current career. Expanding your knowledge never hurts when you’re seeking to improve your employability!
The certificate is sent to you digitally in PDF form. You can upload it to your LinkedIn page, online resume, or portfolio. This allows you to share your credentials with potential employers quickly and easily.
Is it worth doing a course on digital marketing?
A course in digital marketing is definitely worth pursuing.
This is a field that has seen rapid growth in recent years. It shows no signs of slowing down as online communication becomes a larger part of everyday life.
More importantly, being trained in digital marketing opens up many opportunities for you.
For example, you can use what you learn to improve your resume and make it more likely that you’ll get a job. What’s more, there are many different kinds of digital marketing. This allows you to learn skills related to a wide range of potential jobs.
Let’s say you already have a job at a firm, but want to move up the pay scale. Taking a few digital marketing courses could help you do that. You can develop specific skills related to digital marketing, like SEO. Or you could take a variety of courses on many different digital marketing topics, like user design, Google AdWords, and copywriting.
Taking digital marketing courses is helpful if you want to transition into being self-employed too. For example, using what you learn in courses on website design, social media marketing, and email marketing, you can develop a marketing strategy for your own business.
Another avenue you could take is to become a freelancer. Doing so would enable you to use your skills in many different settings. Freelancing gives you the freedom to work when and where you want. It can also be a lucrative paying job.
Whatever the case, expanding your skill set and knowledge base with a digital marketing course can prepare you to attain future goals.
What is a digital marketing course all about?
The content of a digital marketing course depends on the topic. And since digital marketing has so many different aspects, coursework varies widely.
A general digital marketing course usually explores many different subjects. These courses don’t usually have much depth. Instead, they quickly hit on important knowledge or skills in different areas.
For example, the fourth entry in our rankings, The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1, explores a dozen topics. You’ll learn about market research and WordPress. You’ll also explore email marketing and copywriting. Other topics include SEO, YouTube marketing, and social media marketing.
Other digital marketing courses have a much narrower focus. These courses are also more in-depth. This is because they cover a single digital marketing topic.
For example, the highest-ranked course on our list, Copywriting for Conversions: How to Write Persuasive Content, dives deep into the art of copywriting. Rather than surveying many different topics, you focus your attention on improving your copywriting skills. This includes learning specific strategies for creating interest in the products and services you market online.
As another example, the fifth-ranked course on our list, Advanced Google Analytics, teaches you how to harness the power of Google Analytics to improve the effectiveness of your digital marketing. Though this course has a much different topic than the copywriting course discussed above, they share the common trait of giving you detailed instruction in a single digital marketing topic.
This isn’t to say that courses with a narrow subject focus are better than broad-based classes. Both serve their purposes well.
Digital marketing courses don’t just differ in terms of subject matter. They also differ in difficulty. This means that you can expect a much different set of learning outcomes in a beginner course than you can expect in an advanced course.
Like broad-based courses, many beginner digital marketing classes tend to cover many topics. This is not a given all the time, but just a general rule of thumb. Likewise, advanced courses usually drill down deep into a topic rather than surveying many different ones.
Regardless of whether a digital marketing course is broad or narrowly defined, beginner or advanced, they all have the same basic purpose. That purpose is to prepare you for promoting a business effectively online. The difference is that what you should expect in the class depends heavily on the level of learning and the content of the course.
What digital marketing skills are in-demand?
There are many different digital marketing skills you can have. Fortunately, many of these skills are in high demand. Below is a list of the most sought-after skills you should consider developing.
Social media strategy – Social media is king in marketing. Employers looking for social media gurus want someone that can effectively use the power of social media to engage potential customers and drive them into a company’s sales funnel. To do so, you must be able to create interesting content and curate content across platforms. You should have top-notch copywriting skills. You need to be able to use analytics to measure the success of your campaigns too. The best digital marketing courses, like those outlined above, will help you learn these skills.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – SEO is all about improving the visibility of websites in search rankings. There are many different ways of doing so. This includes developing SEO-friendly content. It also involves using paid content to boost rankings. The reason why SEO skills are in high demand is because they can make or break the success of digital marketing. If your message is buried in the search results, no one will see it! In many ways, this is the most in-demand digital marketing skill for just that reason. Without it, your marketing plan can fall flat.
Content creation – Everyone is engaging in digital marketing. With all that information out there, it can be hard for businesses to cut through all the noise. They need to be able to get their branding message front and center. That’s where content creation skills come in. This involves the ability to create high-quality content. You have to be able to manage that content too. Additionally, the content must grab and hold the attention of the intended audience. This is measured by high click-through rates. The more people are clicking on ads, the more potential customers there will be looking at the products and services you’re marketing.
UX design – User experience design is a critical part of digital marketing. This skill revolves around how websites, apps, and other tools look. UX design examines how these tools function too. If a website doesn’t look good, it gives the wrong impression about a business. Also, if a website is difficult to navigate, customers will eventually give up and leave the site. The same problems can occur with apps if the user experience is not right. This means that UX design skills are what keep customers engaged in the process of buying a product or service online.
Data science and analytics – This skill goes well beyond having analytical skills. Instead, it’s the ability to look at data from multiple sources, examine it, interpret it, and act upon it. All of this is done with one goal in mind – to improve how you engage online audiences. Furthermore, data science examines when you engage audiences. You explore their likes and dislikes. Their browsing behavior too. By taking their likes and dislikes into account, you can better target online marketing to appeal to the buyers’ specific profiles.
Facebook marketing – For many digital marketers, Facebook is king. With billions of users, the possibilities for reaching online audiences are endless. Understanding how to create compelling content is a must. So too is having an understanding of how to boost posts and target them to the appropriate demographic groups. Perhaps more than any other social media platform, Facebook can connect businesses and customers in a very real way. This being the case, having high-level Facebook marketing skills will generate a lot of interest in you by potential employers.
What is the salary in the digital marketing field?
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for digital marketers is $57,473 per year. This number takes into account all types of digital marketing careers. It also accounts for varying educational and experience levels.
The range of average pay for this job is quite wide. On the low end, digital marketers make around $37,000 per year. On the high end, yearly salaries are nearly $90,000 per year.
How much money you earn in digital marketing is influenced by many factors.
First, if you only work part-time, you won’t make as much money as someone working full-time.
Second, your experience level has a lot to do with salary. For example, PayScale notes that the average salary for this career for someone with less than a year of experience is $44,000. But someone with more than 20 years of experience makes an average of $86,000.
Third, the specific skills you have might influence your income. As an example, content managers are expected to be in high demand in the coming years. This means that digital marketers with an SEO background and management skills could earn a higher income.
As another example, UX design is a hot career area with lots of demand. This means that having end-to-end web development skills might translate into a higher-paying job.
A fourth factor that affects salary is the location of work. Large companies can often pay higher salaries for the same work than smaller companies. This isn’t the case one hundred percent of the time, though. Furthermore, the geographic location where you work can influence your income.
By this, we mean that jobs in urban areas tend to pay higher because of the higher cost of living. A prime example of this is San Francisco. Digital marketers in that city earn 33 percent more than the average, but the cost of living is also far above the national average.
Of course, your education and training will directly impact your income. As noted above, having the right skills will put you in a position to get a higher-paying job. Getting those skills is a matter of taking courses like those listed in our ranking.
OCR Staff
March 2020
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