Seven Must-Have Digital Marketing Certifications Students Can Get Free Right Now

As of this writing we are in an uncertain environment.  Students that are graduating have gone from one of the best job markets in history to a different scenario, at least in the short term.  I am in a group of fellow digital marketing academics and we have a weekly conference call.  This past week we decided to help students by providing a recap of the certifications viable on various commercial platforms that can help them to strengthen their resumes for when the hiring situation improves.

Why use Digital Marketing certifications?

In addition to impressing employers, industry certifications can increase learning by reinforcing course material. The certificate tells employers that students have taken the time to learn about a subject.  However, certifications are like a driver's license.  When I got my license, I could operate a car, but I couldn't navigate every situation when driving.  Simply, put, I needed experience. Students will still need applied experiences like an internship or an action-learning project to reinforce the certification material.  

However, students generally like the certification process because it is a little different than the typical classroom experience.  I've been using industry certifications in my classes for over ten years.  I've been teaching digital marketing for almost 20 years and these certifications have made a big difference in teaching the material and in helping students in the job market.  Here are the top free certifications  I would recommend with some other programs at the bottom.

Seven "Must-Have" Certifications

1) Google Ads: This is a classic certification on the Google Ads platform.  In class, the certification can be a perquisite to a student/client Google Ads project.  Students can take one of five certification or all of them.  There is also an introduction to search course but there is no longer a certification associated with it. Please note this certification and Google Analytics have recently moved to the Skillshop platform.

2) Google Analytics:  The Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) is another must-have in my opinion. Although there are other analytics platforms out there, GA gives students a good feeling for how web analytics applications work.  Linking GA to a blog such as blogger provides an opportunity for students to see the effect of their efforts on a daily basis.

3) SEMRUSH:  In keeping with the search theme, SEMRUSH has several SEO qualification exams including SEO fundamentals and keyword research.  This certification would be particularly helpful for those seeking jobs and internships in organic search.

4) HubSpot Academy:  HubSpot Academy has always been free and has been around for several years.  HubSpot is a CRM tool but they offer certification in many areas. Inbound Sales, Inbound Marketing and Inbound are the most popular but there are courses in SEO, email and content marketing and many others.

5) Hootsuite: This is one of the most popular social media posting platforms.  Platform training is free and social marketing training is free in an associated class approved by Hootsuite.

6) IBM Big Data Badge: This badge is useful for those interested in the data analytics side of digital marketing.  We use it in our graduate program at St. Edward's but it is suitable for undergraduates as well.

7) Twitter Flight School  Learn about advertising on the Twitter platform  and earn various badges. Log in to "X" to access.

There are Also some other excellent tools that are free now but don't have a free certification exam:

1) Marketo This leading marketing automation tool, now offers free platform training and marketing training for but no free certification.  These are free practice videos. The company offers certified associate and expert exams for a fee.

2) Tableau is a popular data visualization tool that  has free access and training for university students but the Desktop exam still has a fee. Students have been able to get a one year license but I noted an error when I accessed the site recently. I assume this error is because of increased demand and will be corrected. 

3) Moz Academy courses are free for now.  Anyone can sign up by May 31 and get free access for a year.  The main certification exam (SEO Essentials Certificate) is not free.  Moz has a keyword planner tool that many instructors find useful for their classes.

I've also included some other resources below for incorporating digital marketing certifications into your class from past blog posts. Please let me know how else I can help.

1) Three approaches to incorporating industry certifications in undergraduate digital marketing

2) How to apply digital marketing certification content

3) Secrets to teaching Google Analytics the easy way