Whether you’re trying to land your first digital marketing job or you’re a current digital marketing professional looking to take on new responsibilities, specialized training can help you develop the skills you need to be successful.
Digital marketing certifications can add credibility to your resume as you pursue new opportunities. With so many marketing tools and software available today, certifications are a great way to show employers that you have expertise in a particular area.
Learn about eight digital marketing certifications that could help you reach your full potential as a marketer.
What’s the Difference Between a Digital Marketing Certification and Certificate?
It’s easy to confuse certifications with certificates. Some websites use them interchangeably, but there are slight differences in meaning. Certification refers to a designation you receive after passing an exam from a trusted organization in your industry, while a certificate is something you receive after completing an educational program administered by an academic institution.
Both certifications and certificates can be excellent options for growing your digital marketing knowledge. Certificate programs—such as Wharton Online’s Digital Marketing Certificate—may be more well-rounded, giving you an overview of multiple digital marketing concepts, while certifications are more likely to focus on one particular tool.
Why Become Certified in Digital Marketing?
According to Robert Half’s 2022 Salary Guide, 94% of marketing and creative leaders have difficulty finding skilled professionals to fill open positions. That’s because many digital marketing careers are highly technical.
Obtaining a digital marketing certification is one way to show employers that you’re familiar with industry tools and techniques—even if you’re relatively new to marketing.
Other benefits of earning a digital marketing certification include:
- Learning new skills
- Appearing more credible to recruiters and hiring managers
- Standing out from the competition when applying for jobs
- Qualifying for higher-paying positions
- Improving your quality of work
Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Digital Marketing
Which Digital Marketing Certifications Are Best for Me?
The best digital marketing certifications for you will depend on your career interests and your work experience thus far. Do you want to focus on email marketing? Social media?
You should also consider whether the jobs you’re applying to list any specific tools or software in the job description. For example, if a job listing mentions HubSpot, you may want to look into obtaining one of HubSpot’s multiple certifications.
Here are a few digital marketing certifications to get you started.
1. Google Ads Certifications
Google offers several certifications for its Google Ads service. Certification areas include:
- Search
- Display
- Measurement
- Video
- Shopping ads
- Apps
- Creative
All of the certifications are intended for beginners and can be completed for free. The only requirement for earning certification is passing an assessment exam.
For each certification, Google offers free training courses and videos that teach you the core concepts needed to pass the assessment. Whether you want to complete the extra learning materials or skip straight to the exam is up to you—but if you’re new to Google Ads, we recommend going through the training.
This is a great certification for aspiring paid search marketers or business owners who want to know more about how to advertise their business on Google.
2. Google Analytics Individual Qualification
Google Analytics is the premier tool for tracking website traffic. Because the data comes straight from Google, it is generally much more accurate than third-party tools.
The Google Analytics Individual Qualification is designed to measure your ability to effectively configure and navigate your Google Analytics account. It covers topics such as data collection, segmentation, custom reports, and how to export data.
Similar to the Google Ads certifications, earning the certification is free and simply requires passing an assessment. Google also offers two training courses for Google Analytics—one for beginners and one that goes over more advanced topics.
3. Hootsuite Social Marketing Certification Course
If you’re interested in social media marketing, you may want to look into the Hootsuite Social Marketing Certification Course. Hootsuite is a platform that allows you to manage multiple social media networks from one dashboard. You can schedule posts, interact with followers, and measure engagement analytics.
Hootsuite’s social marketing certification is designed for beginners who want to learn the foundations of using social media to grow their business. It is made up of several instructional videos and ends with a 60-question exam.
Related: Which Social Media Platforms Should I Use for My Business?
4. HubSpot Email Marketing Course
With the HubSpot Email Marketing Course, you learn the basics of email marketing and how to apply these concepts to HubSpot’s email marketing tool. The certification course covers how to create an email marketing strategy, how to craft a high-performing email, and how to test your marketing emails for better results.
The certification is free and requires completing nine video lessons. There is a quiz after each lesson that you need to pass before moving on to the next.
5. HubSpot Marketing Software Course
The HubSpot Marketing Software Course is a useful certification for marketers who use HubSpot in their day-to-day work. According to Marketing Automation Insider, HubSpot owns about 42% of the small business automation software market, so the chances you’ll end up using it at some point during your marketing career is fairly high.
The HubSpot software certification teaches you how to navigate the HubSpot Marketing Hub and how to use different tools found within HubSpot.
You can access some of the educational resources included with the course for free, but taking the quizzes and earning the certification requires a Pro or Enterprise subscription to HubSpot.
6. Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate
According to Statista, Facebook is the most popular social media platform for marketers, followed by Instagram.
If your business advertises on Facebook or Instagram, you may want to become a Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate. This certification teaches you the foundations of advertising on Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. Because it’s designed for beginners, it’s also a good fit for someone who’s new to digital marketing and wants to prepare for a career in paid social.
The exam covers the following:
- The value of social media advertising
- How to establish a presence on Facebook and Instagram
- The fundamentals of social media advertising
- How to create and manage ads
- How to measure the success of your campaigns
This certification is part of Meta Blueprint, a collection of online courses and programs dedicated to helping learners build social media marketing skills.
7. Semrush SEO Toolkit Exam
Semrush is a popular tool for search engine optimization (SEO) professionals. It allows you to perform keyword research, monitor search engine rankings, analyze competitor sites, and more. The Semrush SEO Toolkit Exam is a free certification that demonstrates your ability to use Semrush’s suite of marketing features.
The exam is split into three modules—Learn, Build, and Measure. To pass the exam, you’ll need to know how to create an SEO campaign on Semrush and track your results. Thankfully, Semrush also offers a free SEO Toolkit Course that can prepare you for the certification.
8. Twitter Flight School
Twitter Flight School helps you optimize your Twitter ads to increase user engagement. There are a variety of courses offered, covering everything from how to get started on Twitter to the ins and outs of retargeting your campaigns for specific audiences.
In addition to individual courses, Twitter Flight School offers “badges” that can be displayed on your resume or LinkedIn account. Earning a badge requires passing an assessment exam, and you have the option of completing free lessons to prepare you for the test. These badges can be an effective way to show prospective employers that you are experienced using Twitter’s Ads Manager platform.
Go a Step Further With Wharton’s Digital Marketing Program
The certifications listed above can act as a complement to the Wharton Online Digital Marketing Certificate program. In the program, you’ll complete four courses designed to help you develop in-demand digital marketing skills:
- Marketing Analytics: Data Tools and Techniques
- Managing the Value of Customer Relationships
- Selling Ideas: How to Influence Others, and Get Your Message to Catch On
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Social Media, and E-Commerce
This program is a great fit for marketing students, marketing managers, and small business owners. Request information today to learn more.
If you’re brand new to digital marketing, download our free eBook, “Digital Marketing Guide for Non-Marketers.” It provides you with essential information on this fast-growing industry.
