Courses, Certifications, and Resources That Will Make You Better at Digital Marketing
Let's face it. Digital marketing can be downright difficult. It's not always easy to learn, and it can frustrate newcomers. But there's good news: most online digital tools offer easy-to-understand tutorials and courses. Some even provide formal certifications. And almost all of them are low-cost or even free.
Skillshop: Google and YouTube
Google is one of the leaders in instruction and education. They've rebranded their education program as Skillshop (previously Academy for Ads). It's a training center for anyone using Google solutions, including YouTube. It offers courses and certifications in Google ads, Google Analytics, Google My Business, Google Display ads, Video ads, Shopping ads, Ad measurement, Performance Max, and Google Insights. Once you pass enough courses (and they are not easy), you can take paid exams to become Google-certified or work your way through more challenging professional-level certifications.
Meta Blueprint: Facebook and Instagram
Want to become a pro at creating Facebook and Instagram pages, community management, and placing Facebook and Instagram ads? Becoming an expert takes time and practice, but Meta Blueprint offers a range of free classes targeted at everyone from beginners to experts. They even offer special tracks for small businesses, agencies, developers, job seekers, educators, nonprofits, and community leaders. Pick the courses that are most relevant to you. You can even get paid to take Meta exams to get certified in a range of areas.
LinkedIn has a deep library that explains everything from how to prepare for your first LinkedIn campaign to dynamic ad tips to using Matched Audiences for targeting. The tutorials are easy to understand, fairly comprehensive, and free.
Want to learn more about how to make a splash on Twitter? Twitter offers a broad set of free resources to help advertisers and businesses make the most of their Twitter presence. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll also find tips and parameters for developers.
If you're interested in reaching Pinterest fans, Pinterest Business has a set of free resources that are written to help creators, influencers, and businesses make the platform work for them. It also spends a lot of time helping creators develop interesting and effective content.
Canva
You've probably heard a lot about Canva lately, but if you're unsure what it is or how to use it, don't sweat it. Canva has a set of guides for creating content, including technical advice and design suggestions.
Semrush Academy
Want to get better at SEO? Wish your website ranked higher in relevant searches? Semrush is a paid service that offers many amazing tools to help...at a price. But if you're just getting started, they also offer Semrush Academy. It's a free introduction to topics that exist alongside SEO, such as how to leverage GA4, how to hire a digital marketer, and content-led SEO. They also feature a video series with similar topics. And there are many courses and videos focused on the nuts and bolts of SEO.
Hootsuite Academy
Hootsuite also offers certification. Hootsuite Academy allows users to learn more about social media strategy, content marketing, inclusivity and accessibility, and more. Hootsuite’s courses are not free, but you can learn a lot, and you get a badge you can feature on your website, blog, or resume.
Keep Learning
If you're interested in digital marketing, you know that the landscape is always changing, so incorporating online courses into your weekly routine is a smart way to stay current, improve, and, most importantly, avoid falling behind. Once you finish your courses, you may even have a certificate or online badge to add to your profile or resume.
While we've listed a few education resources here, almost every online tool, program, or platform offers videos, tutorials, courses, or certification. But they're not always easy to find, so keep looking and keep learning.
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