Is Google Digital Marketing Certificate Worth It?

From the learning perspective, Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Course and Certificate is a great starting place to get exposed to the fundamentals of digital marketing. But, is it worth your time?

• Yes - if you want to break into the world of digital marketing but have no prior experience, start here.
• Yes - if you want to gain more small business clients, this certificate certainly adds more credentials to your resume/portfolio, whether you are a freelancer or starting up your marketing agency.
• Yes - if you are a small local business that wants to increase your online presence. The lessons included are designed with small businesses in mind. You will find many real-world examples relatable to what you do.
• Yes - if you want to acquire the basics of well-known digital channels (e.g., terminologies, how they work, common dos and don’ts) so you don't feel left out when everyone else around you is talking about them!
• Yes - if you are a marketer who wants to demonstrate credibility in digital marketing. Although you probably can go straight to the topic quizzes and final certificate exam. If you don’t pass them the first time, pinpoint the lessons you should spend more time on. 

Are you intrigued? Continue reading my personal experience and honest opinions to help you explore further.

But if none of the above sounds like you? Skip Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Course and Certificate and invest your time somewhere else.

Know someone who's exploring Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate? Share this article with them!

What will you learn?

The entire course includes a total of 26 modules and 106 lessons, grouped into 7 topics. They flow in a nicely organized logical order -

1.      Take your business online (website, online directories)

2.      Get discovered by search (SEO / SEM)

3.      Increase local reach (social media, mobile and content marketing)

4.      Reach more customers with advertising (email marketing, display advertising, and video)

5.      Track & measure for continuous improvement (web analytics and create actionable insights)

6.      Sell products or services online (build an online shop)

7.      Grow internationally (identify new markets and advertise across borders)

The strongest content I found in this certificate program is Search Engines (SEO, SEM). It makes lots of sense if you think about what Google does the best!  

These Search focused modules deliver a solid grasp of the following -

• How search engines work, what they value the most
• Organic search vs paid search
• How to define success for SEO
• What elements can improve and make website pages easier for search engines to understand (meta tags, heading, copy)
• Offsite optimization
• What factors influence SEM auction outcome
• SEM campaign structure, and how to make your ads stand out

How much does it cost?

It costs nothing but your time!

The course and certificate are both free. The time commitment of completion is suggested at 40 hours. It could be much less if you have been exposed to marketing or digital marketing.

Why it's free? This certificate is provided by Google’s Digital Garage, a non-profit project that aims to provide free training to anyone who wants to add digital skills to their arsenal. It is open to everyone who wants to learn and gain the necessary skills in today’s digital workplace.

You do need to sign up for a free account at Fundamentals of digital marketing - Google Digital Garage (learndigital.withgoogle.com) to access the program.

What is the learning format?

Self-guided learning, with 100% bite-size videos. Works impressively well on mobile! 

The explanatory videos are well made with animation or business examples, making new concepts easy to follow.

Each video lesson is followed by a quiz, and it's surprisingly delightful to take. It provides you with a situation a small business can face in real life, and ask you to solve the problem with what you've just learned from the lesson. This empowers you to turn knowledge into action immediately. I adore this type of application-based adult learning method.

Upon completing all modules in a topic, you will face a multiple-choice Topic Quiz to help you recall learnings.

The final certificate test has 40 multiple-choice questions. You will need to have an 80% rate to pass and earn the certificate.

How credible is it?

The certificate is endorsed by Google and accredited by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe (IAB Europe) and The Open University. IAB Europe is a professional association for digital marketing and advertising.

All 26 modules were created by Google trainers, packed full of practical exercises and real-world examples to help you turn knowledge into action.

Two things to note -

1) Most of the modules are developed by trainers in the UK. Naturally, contents are built upon UK and Europe markets. Of course, the fundamentals of digital marketing have no borders. But if you work in US market, you might find yourself a little distance away, solving challenges for a local shop in London during the quiz.

2) There are subtle mentions of Google products throughout the course (e.g. Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google AdWords Keyword Planner, YouTube, etc.). It'd be a miss for a Google learning program not to do that. These Google products are not the only solutions in the market, but they are the most known in the digital world. The benefit of knowing more about them is outweighing the delicate salesmanship you may experience in the program. 

Here is what your certificate will look like -

Would I recommend it?

My goal, as a Learning & Development professional, is to examine what Google Digital Garage has to offer, how relevant the learning contents are, how effective the delivery method is to achieve the learning objectives, and who can benefit the most from taking this program.

The program's content is highly relevant to today's digital world, although the strongest part lies with Search Engines. Information is precise and easy to absorb. I certainly wish I had gone through a program like this in my early marketing career, especially when I was launching an online presence for a new business.

As a learning fanatic, I did enjoy the program. Whenever I have a 5-10 minutes break, I'd pull out my mobile, and pick a module that interests me to watch. The program's delivery method is effective in acquiring fundamental knowledge and general skills required in digital marketing. Consistent application-based quizzes reinforce learning acquisition well.

I do wish the program had offered additional learning modalities instead of 100% video lessons. For example, Linkedin Marketing Lab provides a combination of articles and videos (more to come on Linkedin Marketing Lab's certificate programs later). Imagine binge-watching videos for 40 hours, versus you can choose to alternate between reading and watching to fit your lifestyle.

Before you invest time in this certificate, or any learning program, think about -

What is your goal? What do you want to accomplish? What results do you want to see in the end?

To be an effective marketing professional, you've learned to ask these questions. They also apply to any investment you are about to make personally - including learning something new. So ask yourself -

• Do you want to break into the world of digital marketing but have no prior experience?
• Do you want to gain more small business clients?
• Are you a small local business that wants to increase your online presence?
• Do you want to acquire the basics of the well-known digital channels, because everyone around you is talking about them? (Will it make sense to prioritize the topics you want to ramp up first?)
• Are you a marketer who wants to demonstrate credibility in digital marketing? (Should you go straight to the topic quizzes and exam without spending 40 hours on lessons?)

If you answered a "yes" from above, sign up and give Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate a try.

Know someone who's exploring Google's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Certificate? Share this article with them!

Happy learning everyone!

Yours sincerely,

Luanne