The Best Digital Marketing Certificate Programs of 2021

Are digital marketing certificate programs a good way to learn digital marketing on your own? Do you have more chances of getting hired if you’re a holder of a marketing certification or a complete waste of time?

We did our research and in this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about digital marketing certifications.

I will explain the benefits of becoming digital marketing certified, how the process works, and which are the best digital marketing certifications you can pursue in 2021.

The list includes online marketing programs offered by reputable academies, marketing organizations, and Universities.

• What is a Digital Marketing Certificate?
• Is a Digital Marketing Certificate Worth It?
• Can I Get a Digital Marketing Certification Online?
• Top Digital Marketing Certifications for 2021
• What Jobs Can You Get with a Digital Marketing Certificate?
• Digital Marketing Certifications: The Bottom Line

What is a Digital Marketing Certificate?

A digital marketing certification is awarded to individuals upon successfully completing the requirements of an online digital marketing course. It’s a way to verify the skills and education of the holder in regards to digital marketing techniques and strategies.

Certified marketers can use the certification to distinguish themselves from other marketers and increase their chances of getting hired.

A digital marketing certificate is not the same as a digital marketing degree. You can get a degree in digital marketing by attending a regular university program (classroom training, usually four-years), and obtain a Bachelors’s or a Master’s.

Is a Digital Marketing Certificate Worth It?

Yes, pursuing a digital marketing certification is worth it and I’ll explain below the benefits and value of becoming a certified digital marketer.

Best way to learn digital marketing on your own

Digital marketing certifications are a great way to learn digital marketing on your own. Instead of spending your time looking for clues on how the different pieces that make up digital marketing work together, you can enroll in an online marketing course and get structured education.

Get a plan to follow

Good courses come with a learning plan and step-by-step instructions and this makes learning faster and more effective than reading random blog posts or watching unrelated YouTube videos.

Learn from the experts

When you enroll in an online marketing certificate program that is taught by experienced digital marketers (like the ones listed below), you’ll not only learn the theory of digital marketing but how it can be applied to practice.

Digital marketing is a highly practical discipline and trainers that have years of working experience in the industry can teach what you need to know and not what you should know.

Prove your professional skills

Getting a digital marketing certification does not automatically make you an expert but it’s a step in the right direction. To become an expert, you need to have years of working experience with digital marketing campaigns and success stories to share.

If you’re starting out now and have no working experience, a certificate shows to potential employers and clients that you have the necessary skills and determination to become a successful digital marketing specialist. It’s a great asset to your CV and for your career.

Stay on top of new developments

Popular certification programs are updated regularly to include the latest digital marketing trends and practices. When you enroll in a program make sure that the material has been updated recently.

Can I Get a Digital Marketing Certification Online?

There are many ways you can get a digital marketing certificate, one of them is through online training. Most of the certifications listed below are taught using online on-demand training. This means that you can follow the lessons online at your own pace and time.

Top Digital Marketing Certifications of 2021

These are the best digital marketing certificates you can pursue and get certified in digital marketing.

1. Google Digital Garage
2. Reliablesoft Academy
3. Harvard Extension School
4. Duke Continuing Studies
5. Digital Marketing Institute
6. Simplilearn
7. Coursera (University of Illinois)
8. Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP)
9. Linkedin Learning
10. American Marketing Association (AMA)

1. Google Digital Garage

Google digital garage is a learning platform owned by Google. They offer various online courses and certifications covering a range of topics from digital marketing to machine learning and self-improvement.

One of their most popular certificates is the Google digital marketing certificate.

What you should know about this certificate is the following:

• It’s free
• It’s for beginners in digital marketing. The course title is “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” and it’s mostly for people who are new to digital marketing
• It has 26 modules
• It’s a video course (total hours 40)
• It is accredited by Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University.

This Google certification will help you build the following skills:

• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• Local marketing
• Business strategy
• Marketing analytics
• Display advertising (Google Ads)
• e-Commerce basics
• Search engine marketing
• SEO
• Social media marketing
• Video marketing
• Web optimization

How do you get certified? To be awarded the Google Digital Marketing Certificate you need to complete all 26 modules and pass the final exam (40 questions).

Is Google’s digital marketing certification worth it? It’s a good certificate for beginners and it’s free. The online learning platform is easy to navigate and the module structure is well-organized. If you know nothing about digital marketing then this course is a good starting point.

You’ll learn the fundamentals and the high-level theory but it won’t make you an expert. Other programs in this list, taught by industry experts, include real examples and provide more actionable advice that goes beyond the theory.

So, the bottom line is that you can follow this online marketing certificate and get certified (it’s good for your CV), but this is not a course you can use as a reference when you start working with advanced digital marketing strategies.

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2. Reliablesoft Academy

Relialesoft Academy was founded in 2016 and it’s part of Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Agency. The training programs offered by reliablesoft are prepared and taught by experienced digital marketers with 20+ years of hands-on experience in the industry.

Reliablesoft academy currently offers two certificates: An SEO certificate and a digital marketing certificate.

The Digital marketing certificate covers the following areas:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Facebook / Instagram Ads
• eCommerce Optimization
• Google Analytics
• Email Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Social Media marketing
• Keyword Research
• Digital Marketing basics

What you should know about reliablesoft’s digital marketing training is the following:

• The course material includes techniques and practices you can use to optimize your digital marketing campaigns. The fact that the lessons are prepared by experts that are currently working in the industry, gives you the added advantage of learning what is actually working in real-life scenarios and not what is good to know in theory.
• The courses are updated frequently to take into account the latest techniques and practices.
• At the end of this training, you’ll know exactly what steps to follow to run successful digital marketing campaigns.
• It is suitable for anyone wishing to learn digital marketing and become a true expert.

How do you get certified? You need to complete all 9 courses and pass two exams. The SEO exam (you’ll also get an SEO certification) and the Digital Marketing exam. Both exams are multiple-choice exams.

Is the reliablesoft certification worth it? To avoid providing you with a biased answer, you can review the feedback of the 3000+ students already enrolled in this program. Compared to the other programs on this list, this certificate is affordable for everyone. It also comes with a non-conditional 60-day money-back guarantee.

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3. Harvard Extension School

The Harvard Extension School is offering a number of professional development programs, one of them is the Digital Marketing Strategy Program.

This program is ideal for executives, mid-level marketers, and professional marketers who want to understand the big picture of designing and executing a digital marketing strategy. Participants need to have prior knowledge of how digital and social media platforms work.

What you should know about Harvard’s certificate is the following:

• It’s not an online course. It’s a 5-day intensive classroom training course taking place at Harvard University Campus, Massachusetts.
• You need to pre-register for this training (they offer multiple registration dates for 2021).
• It comes with a certificate of completion and not a certification. In other words, by completing this program, you won’t be awarded a Harvard digital marketing degree but a certificate of attending the particular program.
• It is offered by Harvard extension school and not directly from Harvard University.

What is included?

This program is all about digital marketing strategies. It’s not for beginners or for those looking to get hands-on experience with digital marketing. It’s a program aimed at marketers and company executives who want to understand how they can incorporate digital marketing channels into their marketing campaigns.

It does cover a wide range of topics like SEO, Search engine marketing, influencer marketing, social media advertising, and content marketing.

How do you get certified? You will earn a certificate for attending the Digital marketing strategy program.

Is the Harvard digital marketing certification worth it? Yes, if you already work for a big company and want to get ideas on how to use digital marketing in your organization. The program is taught by professional digital marketers with experience in business digital marketing.

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4. Duke Continuing Studies

Duke University is based in North Carolina and it’s offering the Digital Media and Marketing Certificate through the Duke Continuing Studies division. The DCS is offering a wide range of certifications through online training.

This certification is for both students that are new to the digital marketing industry and for the more experienced online marketers.

All students have to complete the Digital Marketing Certified Associate (DMCA) module which is the introduction to digital marketing and then they can select to enroll in any of the following courses:

• Advanced SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Advanced PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising)
• Advanced Social Media Marketing
• Advanced Mobile Marketing
• Advanced Content Marketing
• Advanced Web Analytics
• Advanced Conversion Optimization
• Advanced Email Marketing

What you should know about this online certificate program is the following:

• You get access to the course material for a period of 12 months only. The estimated learning period is about 350 hours so if you want to go through all courses before the end of your subscription, you should allocate at least 10 hours per week.
• Courses are not taught by Duke University faculty but they are delivered by SimpliLearn.
• You get no refund. Unlike other academies, you’re not allowed to request a refund if you’re not happy with the course material.
• The DMCA module is mandatory so you need to complete that first and then continue with the rest of the courses.

How do you get certified? There are three certifications you can achieve:

Certificate of Completion: You need to complete the basic course and at least 6 of the advanced courses. You also need to attain a minimum score of 80% on one of the offered tests for each course.

Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCA and OMCP): By following this course you can potentially achieve the OMCA and OMCP certifications. These certificates are awarded by the Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP) organization. It should be noted that the exams for getting the OMCA and OMCP certifications are not included in the course price.

Is the Duke marketing certificate worth it? It’s a comprehensive program that covers all areas of digital marketing but it also has three issues. Limited time access, no refunds, and to get certified you need to attend external exams.

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5. Digital Marketing Institute

The Digital Marketing Institute was founded in 2009 and is one of the leaders in digital marketing training. They offer several diplomas and certifications covering a wide range of digital marketing areas. Their partner network expands globally with 140 education partners offering their training programs.

Their DMI Pro certificate includes 30 hours of online training covering the following digital marketing disciplines:

• Introduction to Digital Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Paid Search (PPC) using Google Ads
• Display and Video Advertising
• Email Marketing
• Website Optimization
• Analytics with Google Analytics
• Digital Marketing Strategy

What you should know about the Digital Marketing Insitute DMI Pro certificate is the following:

• This digital marketing certificate is a practical course designed to help you improve your online marketing campaigns.
• It’s suitable for beginners, traditional marketers, IT managers, small business owners, startups.
• They offer a 14-day refund, provided that the program has not been accessed.
• The classes are taught by instructors with real digital backgrounds (the names and experiences of the instructors are not specified though).

How do you get certified? You need to pass one exam (3 hours) administered by Pearson Vue, via its global network of test centers. The cost of the exam is included in the course price.

Is the DMI Pro certificate worth it? There are many benefits to gain by enrolling in this certificate program. You’ll get a globally recognized digital marketing certificate, the course covers all the important digital marketing channels and you’ll also get good support (exam preparation questions and other resources).

The downside is that you don’t get a money-back guarantee based on course satisfaction. If you register and find out that the material is too basic or you’re not happy about it, you won’t get a refund.

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6. Simplilearn

Simplilearn is an online learning platform founded in 2009. They started as a blog and gradually became one of the world’s leading certification training providers. They offer a number of digital marketing certification programs, one of which is the Digital Marketing Specialist Certificate.

They call this a ‘Master’s Program’ and it includes 6 main courses (and additional electives) that cover in detail the following topics:

Main Courses

• 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

Electives

• Advanced Mobile Marketing
• Advanced Email Marketing
• Advanced Content Marketing
• Advanced Website Conversion Rate Optimization
• HubSpot Email Marketing Certification Training

The material taught in the course is aligned with other marketing certifications including Google Ads, HubSpot, Facebook blueprint, and Bing Ads. In addition upon completion of the master’s program, you can also apply to pass the relevant exam and become OMCP certified (an exam voucher is included in the price).

What you should know about this training program is the following:

• Once you register you get access to the course material for one year. During this period you can follow the online lessons (whenever you want) and you also get the option to enroll in a number of instructor-led training classes for the year.
• They offer a 7-day money-back guarantee provided that the participant has not accessed more than 25% of the content.
• The courses are taught by highly experienced instructors.
• Besides the theory, you’ll also learn how to use a number of digital marketing tools.
• With your registration, you also get access to exclusive forums moderated by faculty and industry experts.

How do you get certified?

• You get a certificate after completing each of the main courses.
• When you complete all 6 main courses you are awarded the Digital Marketing Specialist Masters Certificate.
• You can then use the exam voucher to take the OMCP exam and become OMCP certified. 

Is the SimpliLearn Digital marketing certificate worth it? Yes. In fact, it’s one of the best digital marketing certification programs you can follow this year. The main reasons are:

• The course instructors are experienced, digital marketers.
• The course material is practical and not theoretical.
• Their refund policy is good.
• The program syllabus covers a wide range of online marketing techniques.

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7. Coursera (University of Illinois)

Coursera is an online education platform offering a number of courses, specializations, professional certificates, and online degrees from top universities.

The classes are 100% online and it’s a subscription-based service starting at $39 per month. Once you register to Coursera you can access a number of courses and earn a certificate upon successful completion of a course. To achieve a specialization (like Digital Marketing), you have to complete a number of courses included in the specialization path.

The Digital Marketing Specialization is offered by the University of Illinois and is part of the Master of Business Administration (iMBA) degree.

It includes the following courses:

• Marketing in a Digital World
• Digital Analytics for Marketing Professionals: Marketing Analytics in Theory
• Digital Analytics for Marketing Professionals: Marketing Analytics in Practice
• Digital Media and Marketing Principles
• Digital Media and Marketing Strategies
• Marketing in an Analog World
• Digital Marketing Capstone

What you should know about Coursera’s program is the following:

• Even though the program is offered by the University of Illinois, you won’t get a digital marketing degree but a certificate for completing each individual course.
• You get a 7-day trial. In that period you can cancel your account and request a refund.

How do you get certified?  When you finish each of the 7 courses and complete the hands-on project, you’ll earn a Certificate.

Is the Coursera Digital marketing specialization worth it? The course material will help you develop the following digital marketing skills: Digital Marketing, Marketing, Pricing Strategies, Marketing Analytics, Mobile Marketing, and Social Media marketing.

It is a highly theoretical course and it won’t teach you how to run digital marketing campaigns or work as a digital marketing professional. You should enroll in this certificate program if you plan on continuing your studies and achieve the iMBA degree awarded by the University of Illinois.

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8. Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP)

The OMCP Digital Marketing Certification is offered by the Online Marketing Certified Professional organization. OMCP does not provide training but the standard and requirements for becoming a certified digital marketer.

What you need to know about OMCP is the following:

They offer two online marketing certifications, the OMCA Certification for Digital Marketers, and the OMCP Digital Marketing Certification.

The OMCA is for non-experienced digital marketers and it’s the first step for obtaining their premium certificate (OMCP).

To achieve the OMCA you need to:

• Pass the OMCA exam
• Be a holder of a secondary degree or equivalent (e.g., High School diploma or GED)
• And have at least 600 hours of experience with online marketing OR complete one of the digital marketing approved courses.

How do you get certified for OMCP? 

To become OMCP certified, you need to:

• Pass the OMCP exam
• And prove that you have 5,000 hours experience OR a post-secondary degree plus 2,000 hours experience OR completion of an approved digital marketing course plus 1,000 hours experience.

The OMCP Exam

The exam can be taken online and it costs $395. It’s a multiple-choice exam and it takes about 2:15 hours to complete. Online marketing disciplines included are:

• Content Marketing
• Conversion Rate Optimization
• Email Marketing
• Mobile Marketing
• Paid Search (PPC)
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Social Media Marketing
• Digital Analytics

Once you pass the exam, you need to create an account with OMCP and upload proof of your experience and other credential needs. The documents will be reviewed by OMCP and then you’ll be awarded the Digital marketing certificate.

Is the OMCP certification worth it? It depends on what your goals are. If you want to get a certification that is globally recognized, then this is a good choice. For those that are working in big companies and want to show off their credentials, being OMCP certified will make help you stand out from the crowd.

But, it won’t help you become a better digital marketer, the process is complicated and to maintain your certification status you’ll have to renew it every two years. When you start working in the digital marketing industry, the last thing you want to do is spend your time trying to keep your certification up-to-date.

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9. Linkedin Learning

LinkedIn learning was created after Microsoft acquired Lynda. The platform is subscription-based (similar to Coursera and Udemy). You pay a monthly fee and you can access any of the online courses available in their library.

Unlike Reliablesoft Academy and Digital Marketing Institute, they are not providing digital marketing training only but they offer training in a number of areas. They combine several courses together to form a learning path.

‘The Become a Digital Marketer’ learning path will help you learn the fundamentals of online, mobile, content marketing, and how to create effective online marketing plans.

The following courses are included:

• Online Marketing Foundations
• SEO Foundations
• Google Analytics Essential Training
• Content Marketing Foundations
• Lead Generation Foundations
• Growth Hacking Foundations
• Building an Integrated Online Marketing Plan

How do you get certified? You get a certificate of completion for each course.

Is it worth taking LinkedIn Learning training courses? The nice thing about LinkedIn digital marketing training is that some of the courses are taught by reputable and experienced digital marketers. Learning from experts who work in the industry is much more valuable than learning from University teachers with no real hands-on experience.

The downside is that their learning paths are made of courses that have no relation between them. In other words, you lose the advantage of structured learning offered by a dedicated digital marketing bundle created by the same academy or instructors.

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10. American Marketing Association (AMA)

The American Marketing Association (AMA) was established in 1953. It is a membership-based community for marketing professionals across North America.

The AMA offers two marketing certifications in co-operation with the Digital Marketing Insitute. The PCM Digital Marketing Certification and the Certified Digital Marketing Professional (DMI Pro).

How do you get AMA certified? The AMA does not provide training or the exam, to achieve both certifications you need to pass the exam of the DMI Pro certification, offered by the Digital Marketing Institute.

Is the AMA certification worth it? The AMA certification alone is no longer available as a standalone certification but it’s awarded to students who pass the DMI Pro exam. DMI Pro is a globally recognized certificate and worth pursuing.

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What Jobs Can You Get with a Digital Marketing Certificate?

Becoming a digital marketing certified professional is the first step for starting a career in digital marketing. But, as mentioned above, a certificate alone does not make you a digital marketing expert.

To become a digital marketing manager and go after the top-level jobs and earn a higher salary, you need both certification + experience.

So, with a marketing certification or a digital marketing degree, you can get an entry-level digital marketing job and work as:

• Digital Marketer
• Digital Marketing Specialist
• Content Marketing Specialist
• SEO Specialist
• Social Media Manager
• Email Marketing Manager
• SEM Marketing Manager
• PPC Manager
• Conversion Optimization Specialist

The average salary for digital marketing specialists in the US (based on years of experience) is the following:

• 0-1 Years of Experience: $53K
• 1-3 Years of Experience: $57K
• 4-6 Years of Experience: $68K

Where can you find entry-level digital marketing jobs?

• You can apply to work for a Digital marketing agency (search for digital marketing agencies on Google and look for a Careers page).
• You can start your own digital marketing agency and offer digital marketing services to clients.
• You can become a freelancer and apply for digital marketing jobs through Upwork, Flex Jobs, Glassdoor, and angel list.

Digital Marketing Certifications: The Bottom Line

Here are some tips to consider when selecting which digital marketing certificate to pursue:

The price of a course/certificate does not always reflect the value you can get – Online academies price their courses based on a number of factors (size of a company, reputation, running expenses, etc), and this can sometimes increase the price you’ll have to pay for a course but not the value you get.

For example, Duke University is charging $3,995 for the same course offered by Simplilearn directly for $1,499. Same course, different providers, different cost.

Look for a decent refund option – There is the possibility that after you register for a certificate program to realize that this is not what you wanted. You need to be able to get your money back. The only academies offering good refund options are reliablesoft academy (60-day money-back guarantee) and SimpliLearn (7 days).

Register for a course you can use a reference – Learning digital marketing is not a once-off process. Watching videos alone is not enough because most probably you’ll forget what you’ve learned in a lesson after a short period of period. You need a course that has a good structure, text, and video material that you can reference while working on your campaigns.

Google Digital Garage – Free, perfect for beginners. Accredited by Google and Open University.

Reliablesoft Academy – Affordable, covers everything you need to know to become a successful digital marketer, 60-day money-back guarantee.

Harvard Extension School – Great for marketing managers and professionals. Prestigious and good for networking.

Duke Continuing Studies – Good for beginners, prepares you for OMCA and OMCP.

Digital Marketing Institute – globally recognized and comprehensive. No money-back guarantee. When you achieve the DMI Pro you also get the PCM from the American Marketing Association.

Simplilearn – Expert instructors, covers all areas, good refund policy, long-term access. Less expensive than DMI Pro.

Coursera (University of Illinois) – Theoretical but the credits count towards getting an MBA degree from the University of Illinois.

Online Marketing Certified Professional (OMCP) – a globally recognized certificate. You can prepare using SimpleLearn and Coursera courses.

Linkedin Learning – Good courses, affordable, and practical. You only get a certificate of completion.

American Marketing Association (AMA) – Same as the Digital Marketing Institute.

Good luck with your digital marketing learning efforts!