Top 5 Online Digital Marketing Certification Courses in 2020

In today’s fast-moving world the need for online presence is a must to market your brand. Traditional marketing is passé’ and Digital Marketing is the in thing. With about 35% of marketing spend going to Digital Marketing in 2019, the demand for Digital Marketers has grown extensively.

Interesting Statistics for aspiring Digital Marketers:

• Global spending on Digital Marketing nears $100 billion -Reuters
• Top 5 most sought after marketing jobs among employers in 2020 – Business 2 Community
• Digital marketing jobs offer, on average, $7000 more a year than other types of marketing jobs – Digital Marketing Institute

What is Digital Marketing?

According to Wikipedia, Digital Marketing is a component of marketing that utilizes the internet and online-based technologies to promote products or services.

Why is Digital Marketing important?

Around 4.54 billion people have access to the internet and actively use it in their daily lives. So, the best platform to market a product or brand would undoubtedly go to any web-related platform.

With around 1.7 billion websites available online, it is not very easy to promote your brand as everybody is spoilt with choices. Hence, understanding the nitty-gritty of digital marketing is the key to be ahead of your competitors in this marketing game.

While it may not be easy to rank on the top of Google’s search engine page results but, it is not impossible. With the right digital marketing strategy, you can definitely be the leader in your domain.

But, how do you plan your Digital Marketing strategy? The below 5 courses specially designed for beginners can help you build a solid foundation in Digital Marketing which can transition you from a novice to a Digital Marketing expert!

So, what are you waiting for? Upskill with these best Digital Marketing Online Courses and land yourself a satisfying yet high paying job!

1. Google Digital Marketing Courses- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Free)

This free course by Google helps any beginner understand the basics of Digital Marketing. With around 26 modules which includes a step by step guide to build your online presence to how to get discovered online. This is one of the best courses which also provides a certificate at the end of the course for free.

Curriculum:

• Your first steps in Online success
• Build your web presence
• Plan your business strategy
• Get started with Search (Organic vs paid searches)
• Get discovered with Search(SEO)
• Make search work for you
• Be noticed with Search ads(SEM)
• Improve your search campaigns
• Get Noticed locally Advertise locally
• Social Media
• Discover the possibilities of mobile
• Content Marketing
• Email Marketing 
• Display Advertising
• Web Analytics

Pros: Free Certification on Completion by Google

Cons : Nothing as such

Duration : Self Paced

2. Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree (Paid)

I have taken this course and I vouch for it. This program is built in collaboration with Facebook Blueprint, Google, Hootsuite, HubSpot, Mailchimp and Moz. What makes this course stand out is the opportunity to get hands on experience running live campaigns on Facebook Business and Google Adwords. The projects are well structured, and they give you all the required skills to land yourself a job I the Digital Marketing industry.

Curriculum:

• Marketing Fundamentals
• Content Strategy
• Social Media Marketing
• Social Media Advertising with Facebook Blueprint
• Search Engine Optimization(SEO)
• Search Engine Marketing with Google Ads(SEM)
• Display Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Measure and Optimise with Google analytics

Pros :  Real world projects with industry experts, Project reviews, technical mentor support, flexible learning program, personal career coach and career services

Cons: Cost ( USD 1017 for 3 months or USD 399 per month)

Duration : 3 months

3. Hubspot Digital Marketing  (Free)

Hubspot is one of the best companies in the digital marketing industry with varied tools including CRM, SEO , Sales and Marketing.

The course is absolutely free and helps a beginner grasp concepts on digital marketing very easily.

Curriculum:

• Inbound Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Email Marketing
• SEO
• Social Media Marketing

      Pros: Free , Certification on completion

      Cons : None

      Duration : Self Paced

4. Simplilearn Digital Marketing Specialist (Paid)

According to the website, this digital marketing course will equip you with all skills required to be a digital marketer. The course is Online Marketing Certified Professional(OMCP) accredited.

For those of you who don’t know what OMCP is:

OMCP Certification is the premier industry certification for digital marketing professionals who have verified experience, extensive training, and have demonstrated knowledge of online marketing concepts and best practices across multiple digital marketing disciplines.

Curriculum:

• Mastering SEO, Content Marketing, PPC and Digital Analytics
• Mastering Social Media, Mobile Marketing and Digital Strategy
• Advanced Web Analytics
• Advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC) Certification Program
• Advanced Social Media(With OMCP Voucher)

Pros: 45+ projects, 365 days course access, OMCP exam voucher worth USD395 on completion , 75+ live instructor-led online classes over the span of a year, batch recorded sessions

Cons : USD 1499

Duration : 1 year

5. Alison Digital Marketing Courses (Free)

Alison is one of the best platforms to learn professional courses for free and get certified after completion. Best part of these courses is that it is self paced and students can get into the smallest of details of a  module or get a broad overview of the skill they want to pursue.

Curriculum :

• Copywriting for conversions : How to write persuasive content
• Youtube Marketing
• Facebook Advertising for beginners
• Diploma in Google Ads
• Fundamentals of marketing your business online
• Diploma in web business development and marketing
• Google Analytics
• Preparing for Google Analytics IQ Test

Pros: Self paced, Detailed, Free Certification/Diploma

Cons : Nothing

Duration : Self Paced

So, these are my top 5 picks, both free and paid.

Choosing a program again really depends on what type of individual you are?

Are you looking to learn Digital Marketing as a package with guidance or are you someone who likes doing his/her own research and learn at his/her own pace.

The above courses can give you a broad picture about your needs and can be helpful in picking the right course!

Let me know, what are your favorite Digital Marketing courses in the comments below!