Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is an online course by Google that includes a certification once you complete the 26 modules and pass the final exam. With all the online courses available, you probably want to know if this is worth your time. In this blog post, I’ll review the course and describe how I use it daily.
What is the course all about?
The course is all about the basics of digital marketing. From understanding how the online world is full of opportunities, building your web presence as a business, making search work for you, coming up with your content strategy, and understanding how to leverage social media for your business. You will also be introduced to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) but more on a high-level understanding only.
How are the modules presented?
The 26 modules contain 1-5 lessons each. The lessons are all pre-recorded videos, each lasting 3-5 minutes. Key takeaways are summarized per lesson. Some lessons also have links to external resources for additional information. There are links to external tools you can use on your journey to being digitally equipped, especially regarding SEO. However, as of June 2020, when I took the training, I noticed some links no longer work.
What is good about this training?
The training videos discuss both the concept and its practical applications in the real world. The discussion points are very basic, so someone who doesn’t have any background in digital marketing can quickly grasp the key takeaways that this training wants to impart to its viewers. I also love the fact that they listed some notes in each of the lessons.
Another interesting part is the ability to skip to the next lesson if you pass the challenge question on the first try. So, if you already know what is being discussed, you can try the quiz and skip to the next. Lastly, I love this training because of the certification upon completing the modules and passing the final exam.
What should be improved in this training?
Some of the lessons have overlapping concepts. Also, as I mentioned above, those links no longer working should be updated or removed from the list of resources. Besides those two, I find this training valuable for anyone wanting to learn about the basics of digital marketing.
How can I use what I learned from this training?
As a freelance writer, digital marketing is a topic that I should learn on top of writing itself. While most of the lessons in this course are high-level topics only (no technical SEO, etc.), I could still say that familiarizing myself with the marketing concepts helped me in my everyday work. The lesson that impacted me most as a writer is that module about planning your online business strategy. It helped me articulate my thoughts about how I should approach my clients, and this course helped me get started.
Is this training for you?
This training is basically for anyone who wants to learn about digital marketing. If you have a business and you want to grow your online presence, then this course is perfect for you. Most practical examples are real-life experiences of business owners and how they used the power of the online world to expand their business reach. If you want to grow your brand as an entrepreneur or even as a professional who desires to be recognized as an expert in your field, you’ll gain some tips that you can use to get your name out there.
If you’re a marketing professional, you probably already know the concepts discussed in this training. If so, you can skip this course.
Final thoughts
I’ve been blogging since 2015, but I only recently started learning about the business side of writing on the web. It’s still a long journey, but I could say that this course is a good starting point for anyone who wants to understand the concept of digital marketing on a fundamental level without all that marketing jargon.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
Mark Twain