Free Online Digital Marketing Courses
- 22 courses
- 22 free
- 19 with a free certificate
Sources: Google, HubSpot Academy, Udemy, Alison · Verified
A free digital marketing course covers the channels where marketing now happens: search engines, paid search and display advertising, social media, email, content and the analytics that measure all of it. Introductory courses tour each channel; specialised courses go deep on one, such as search engine optimisation, paid social or web analytics. This is the subject where free certifications are most common, because the companies that own the advertising platforms and marketing software train people to use them. Their academies offer free courses with free, verifiable certifications that expire and must be renewed, and they keep the content current with their products. Universities offer digital marketing courses on edX that are usually free to audit, with lectures open and graded work and the certificate paid.
Non-profit platforms have self-paced digital marketing courses free in full with an optional paid certificate. When reading a syllabus, look for whether the course is tool-specific or channel-neutral, for exercises inside a real or demo account, and for some indication of when it was last updated, since platform interfaces change often. Digital marketing suits small-business owners running their own campaigns, marketing staff adding a channel, freelancers, and career changers entering marketing through a role that values platform certifications. The marketing page on this site covers the principles that underlie these channels, and the certifications hub lists the marketing credentials that are free to earn.
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| # | Course | Provider | Cost | Certificate | Level | Duration | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is Google's entry-level marketing course on Skillshop, published in January 2025 to… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 40 hours | ||
| 2 | Google Ads Search Certification The Google Ads Search Certification is Skillshop's credential for building and optimising Google Search campaigns. | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Intermediate | 3.7 hours | ||
| 3 | Google Analytics Certification (2026) The 2026 edition of the Google Analytics Certification validates the ability to go beyond basic setup and pull action… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Intermediate | — | ||
| 4 | Google Ads Display Certification The Google Ads Display Certification covers planning and running visual ad campaigns on the Google Display Network. | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 2.9 hours | ||
| 5 | Google Ads Video Certification The Google Ads Video Certification is Skillshop's credential for advertising on YouTube and Google's video inventory. | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 4 hours | ||
| 6 | Google Ads Measurement Certification The Google Ads Measurement Certification tests whether you can measure and optimise digital ad performance with Googl… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Intermediate | 2.7 hours | ||
| 7 | AI-Powered Shopping ads Certification The AI-Powered Shopping ads Certification is the shortest of the Google Ads certifications on Skillshop, with three s… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 1.3 hours | ||
| 8 | AI-Powered Performance Ads Certification The AI-Powered Performance Ads Certification focuses on Google's cross-channel, AI-driven campaign types and how to c… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 4 hours | ||
| 9 | Google Ads Apps Certification The Google Ads Apps Certification is for people who promote mobile apps with Google App campaigns. | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 2.8 hours | ||
| 10 | Google Ads Creative Certification The Google Ads Creative Certification is about the ads themselves rather than campaign settings: how to make effectiv… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 3.9 hours | ||
| 11 | Grow Offline Sales Certification The Grow Offline Sales Certification covers Google's Grow Offline Sales marketing objective: using online advertising… | Free | IncludedCertificate included | Beginner | 2.6 hours | ||
| 12 | Digital Marketing Certification Course: Get Certified in Digital Marketing The Digital Marketing Certification Course is HubSpot Academy's introduction to marketing online with an inbound-firs… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 3.4 hours | |
| 13 | Social Media Marketing Certification Course: Get Certified in Social Media Strategy The Social Media Marketing Certification Course teaches how to build and run a social strategy for a business. | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 5.3 hours | |
| 14 | Email Marketing Certification HubSpot Academy's Email Marketing certification course approaches email as a strategic channel rather than a set of t… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 4 hours | |
| 15 | Digital Advertising Certification: Develop a Winning Online Advertising Strategy HubSpot Academy's Digital Advertising Certification covers paid media from planning to reporting. | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 3.8 hours | |
| 16 | AEO Fundamentals AEO Fundamentals is a newer HubSpot Academy certification about answer engine optimisation: earning visibility in AI-… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 2.3 hours | |
| 17 | Basic Concepts of Digital Marketing A short conceptual course on what digital marketing is and how businesses use it, estimated by Alison at 3 to 4 hours. | Alison | Free | PaidPaid certificate | Advanced | — | |
| 18 | Digital Marketing Fundamentals for Beginners A short, theory-first tour of digital marketing arranged as eight brief modules plus an introduction and conclusion (… | Udemy | Free | NoneNo certificate | Beginner | 0.7 hours | |
| 19 | Free Digital Marketing Basics Course This course pairs an overview of digital marketing concepts with practical demonstrations. | Udemy | Free | NoneNo certificate | — | 5.8 hours | |
| 20 | Content Marketing Certification Course: Grow Better with Content HubSpot Academy's Content Marketing Certification Course is the longest of its marketing certifications, at 8 hours 2… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 8.4 hours | |
| 21 | Inbound Marketing Certification Course: Attract Customers Through Valuable Content and Tailored Experiences HubSpot Academy's Inbound Marketing Certification Course covers the customer-centric approach HubSpot calls inbound… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 4.9 hours | |
| 22 | Inbound Marketing Optimization Course The Inbound Marketing Optimization Course follows on from HubSpot Academy's Inbound Marketing certification and is ai… | HubSpot Academy | Free | IncludedCertificate included | — | 4.6 hours |
Digital Marketing courses by provider
Questions about free digital marketing courses
Which digital marketing certifications are free?
The advertising platforms and marketing software companies issue free certifications for their own products and methods, and those are verifiable online. University certificates on audit tracks are paid. The certifications hub lists the free ones.
Do digital marketing certifications expire?
Vendor certifications generally do, because the products change. Expect to retake the assessment periodically to keep a certification current, and check the vendor's stated validity period.
Is a free digital marketing course enough to get hired?
It gets you the vocabulary and the platform credentials that job listings mention. Employers also want evidence of results, so run a small real campaign, even for a personal project, while you study.