One of the major reasons why businesses and individuals go online is to sell their products, services and skills. It is therefore no surprise that digital marketing skills are in high demand. However, if you want to start or advance a career in digital marketing, you should be ready to demonstrate your credibility to current or prospective employers. Having the right digital marketing certifications can help you do that. The challenge may lie in finding the best with the lowest implications. This post will consider the top free digital marketing certifications to advance your career.
What are digital marketing certifications?
Digital marketing certifications are credentials that you earn by completing training programs or passing exams on relevant online marketing topics. After gaining the certification, you should be able to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in using digital marketing tools and implementing best practices in the field.
Organizations that offer digital marketing certifications include tech organizations, social media platforms, professional organizations, and online universities or institutions of higher learning.
Importance of digital marketing certifications
Here are some reasons why digital marketing certifications are beneficial.
- They grant more credibility to your resume. You can use them to demonstrate your competence to industry experts and potential employers.
- Marketing certifications can be a huge differentiating factor between you and other candidates. They are evidence that you have the knowledge and the drive to thrive in the industry.
- These certifications are evidence that you have paid your dues as it were, in gaining the required knowledge and skills. You can therefore be more confident and perform better in digital marketing roles.
Top free digital marketing certificate programs
One beautiful thing about digital marketing is that you do not necessarily have to return to school or pay heavily for online courses to access the training. You can make use of free certification courses and resources that abound online. The following digital marketing certification programs can be of help if you wish to begin a career in digital marketing or you want to brush up your skills.
Google Digital Garage
The Google Digital Garage is one of the richest free learning and resource aids that you can find online. It has more than 150 courses that span the realms of digital marketing, career development, and technology. You can simply choose courses to suit the length of time that you can spare for them.
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
A great choice is the “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” course which has 26 modules and takes around 40 hours to complete. If you’re a beginner, then this is a great place to start. You’ll learn the basic concepts and key principles of digital marketing including organic marketing, advertising, and analytics.
Google Ads Skillshop
The Google Ads Skillshop is an excellent platform for you to brush up on your knowledge or specialize in search engine marketing (SEM). This training hub is therefore a dedicated platform for learning how to run Google Ads. The training content includes search ads, display ads, and shopping ads. It also contains expert knowledge on the various Google ad formats.
Moreover, you can be trained on how to use Google Ads to advertise businesses online.
The Google AdWords course requires you to pass exams to earn the certification. However, the free course certification is for one year.
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Google Analytics Academy
Digital marketers are expected to be able to measure campaign performances and implement data-driven insights in decision-making processes. The courses on the Google Analytics Academy are designed to train individuals on how to use Google’s measurement tools in line with this requirement. You can therefore expect to learn how to track, understand, and improve marketing KPIs. For instance, you will be able to effectively use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic.
HubSpot’s Digital Marketing Certification
Just like Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course, this course is a great option for you if you wish to build your basic skill set or start your career in marketing. However, you can also benefit from it if you wish to advance your marketing career. The certification course has modules on SEO strategy, content creation, social media and more. However, you may still need a more comprehensive course if you’re looking for something more detailed.
Hubspot also offers the Hubspot Inbound course that can teach you the fundamental principles of Inbound Marketing. This is a course that teaches how to attract customers and gain leads using digital marketing. You can not only learn the Inbound Methodology but you can learn how to apply the knowledge to your business.
In the same vein, Hubspot has a Content Marketing Certification course where you can learn the principles and applications of content marketing strategies. This includes how to drive traffic and ensure quality content.
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Facebook Blueprint Modules
Facebook boasts a huge number of users on its platform. That is why many businesses leverage Facebook advertising and marketing. However, you can get better results if you know the secrets of running ads on Facebook. This is where Facebook Blueprint Modules come in. The platform has over 90 online courses and various certification exams to choose from.
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Code Academy (HTML/CSS)
You will most likely have to work with websites in your career as a Digital Marketer. It will certainly help if you are familiar with the foundational tools for front-end web development. Code Academy provides this learning resource in its HTML/CSS introductory courses. These courses will enable you to understand, build, and edit web pages. You can also learn other coding and programming languages including Javascript and Python on the platform.
Bing/Microsoft Ads Certification
Microsoft has free training courses and exams on the path to becoming a Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional. With these courses, you will be able to improve your skills in using and optimizing Microsoft Ad campaigns and be more familiar with its reporting and tools. In other words, as a marketer, you can learn how to leverage Microsoft platforms to meet campaign goals. The learning paths include search advertising, native and display advertising, and shopping advertising.
YouTube Certified Credentials
YouTube is a most popular video platform so it is most likely worthwhile to learn how to use it to achieve your video content strategy. With the training, you can more easily create, grow, optimize, and monetize your YouTube channel. However, you need a Content ID or a partner manager to qualify for the training.
Twitter’s Flight School
You can earn Twitter badges in areas such as advertising, videos, and performance ads by completing the training videos on the platform’s learning centre. The learning centre also has modules on utilizing the social network to connect with larger audiences.
Just like the course selection on Google, the Flight School has beginner, intermediate, and advanced course levels. As such, you can benefit from it if you’re a beginner or if you’re already an experienced digital marketer.
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Steps to Earn Digital Marketing Certifications
Now that you know more about some top free digital marketing certifications to advance your career, you may wonder how to get started. Here are some steps that you can take:
- Set goals before you enrol. You should have personal learning objectives so that you can choose the right course and stay consistent in completing it and achieving your career goals.
- When making your choice, consider factors such as your budget, schedule, passion, and ultimate career goals. You may even analyze relevant job listings and descriptions.
- Stay committed until you complete the course whether they require you to attend in-person classes or whether they are self-paced.
- Take it seriously. This is important not just because you may need to pass required tests but because you also need to internalize what you learn.
- You’re not being excessive if you flaunt your credentials. You’ve earned it so add it to your resume and professional networking profiles.
- Note that certain certifications expire after a period of time. You should know the requirements for retaining the certification and take steps to keep it updated.
Tools and resources on Digital Marketing
While we’re considering free digital marketing certifications, it can certainly be of help to leverage the following learning tools and resources:
Hubspot’s Marketing Hub
The free version of Hubspot’s marketing software has a suite of marketing tools and metrics that you can leverage in your career. You can also learn from their collection of free Ebooks, Guides, and templates.
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Moz
Moz is a learning resource that you can also take advantage of. For example, you can enjoy the collection of articles on SEO basics in the Beginner’s Guide to SEO.
Yoast Academy
The free SEO Basics courses on Yoast Academy can provide you with solid practical SEO knowledge. You can also use a ton of resources on keyword research, anchor text, and site structure.
Backlinko
Here, you can brush up on SEO and link-building strategies. You can even go a step further and subscribe to the weekly newsletter to receive exclusive SEO tips.
Get certified and advance your marketing career
You can explore the above top free digital marketing certifications to advance your career to see which one is a perfect match for you. You can use the training to facilitate a career transition into digital marketing or to simply refresh your skills. Remember to stay consistent and you’ll be more confident in nailing your career goals!
To learn more about advancing your career in digital marketing, check out Exclusive Blueprint, a digital marketing blog powered by Buzztide Technologies. Our blog provides valuable tips, trends, and tools that can help you stay ahead in the competitive landscape of digital marketing.
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