Google Online Marketing Challenge

Last Updated on December 28, 2022

 The Google Online Marketing Challenge is a free online course hosted by Google gives you the opportunity to learn digital marketing from the best in the field. The Challenge is designed to give you an introduction to digital marketing and help you get started in working in this area.

If you have been looking for a subject that Google can help you with, it is time to be part of Google Online Marketing Challenge and test your skills with digital marketing. The Google Digital Marketing Challenge or GDM Challenge is a platform that gives you the opportunity to sell your talents and skills in search engine optimization (SEO), paid search advertising and display or banner advertisement while simultaneously giving you an opportunity to learn digital marketing best practices.

Google Online Marketing Challenge

Google’s online marketing challenge is a unique opportunity for students to get real-world experience creating and executing online marketing campaigns. Of course, the online marketing challenge is for a non-profit and partnering student who came up as a team member.

The Google Online Marketing Challenge is a unique opportunity for students to experience and create online marketing campaigns using Google AdWords. Over 110,000 students and professors from almost 100 countries have participated in the past 9 years.

With a $250 AdWords advertising budget provided by Google, students develop and run an online advertising campaign for a business or non-profit organization over a three week period. The teams that develop and communicate the most successful campaigns win awesome prizes, including trips to Google offices. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the optional AdWords Certification category by studying and passing the necessary exams to become an AdWords Certified individual in the Google Partners platform.

How to apply for the Google Online Marketing Challenge

Step 1: Registering for the Challenge. Professors register for the Challenge, verify their account and get approved by Google. Students form teams of 3-6 members and appoint a Team Captain. The Team Captain registers under the verified professor, who in turn confirms each student team by clicking a verification link sent via email after the team registers. See Registration for more information.

Step 2: Accessing Dashboard. Once the professor has received a notification email and has verified the student team, the Team Captain can access the team’s Student Dashboard with the Google account used during the initial registration. Next, the Team Captain can add required information to the dashboard, including the name and email address of all team members, move onto identifying the team’s competition partner and preparing the AdWords Pre-Campaign Report.

Step 3: Selecting a Business. All teams, along with the support of their professors, need to identify a client business or a non-profit organization.

Step 4: Learning about AdWords and the Client. We recommend reviewing the Digital Marketing Course and Educational Resources before getting started. Each student team needs to meet with their business or non-profit partner to determine their goals and to devise their online advertising strategy. The strategy will need to be outlined in the AdWords Pre-Campaign Report.

Step 5: Uploading Pre-Campaign Report and Requesting Crediting. Team Captains must submit their Pre-Campaign Report and request access to their credited AdWords Competition Account in the Student Dashboard prior to the deadline, April 12, 2017 (3:00AM PST). The Pre-Campaign Report must be submitted before requesting access to the AdWords Competition Account, so student teams should plan accordingly, given the deadline. Access to the credited AdWords Competition Account can be requested via the Student Dashboard by clicking on the “Request credit” button that will appear under the Reports & Crediting section after the Pre-Campaign Report has been successfully uploaded. Please note that after requesting crediting, there will be no further opportunity to re-upload the Pre-Campaign Report.

Once the credit request has been verified, within 5 business days the team captain will be sent an email to their Dashboard Account email address with an invitation to access their team’s $250 credited AdWords Competition Account. The team captain will need to click on the link in the email and make sure they are signed into their existing Google Account used to access the GOMC Student Dashboard in order to accept the invitation. Once the team captain has access to the AdWords Competition Account, they may also invite their team members to have access to the account by following these steps.

Step 6: Running Campaign. Once the student team receives access to their AdWords Competition Account, they can start running their campaign over a maximum period of 31 consecutive calendar days with ads serving and receiving clicks on no less than 7 calendar days and no more than 21 calendar days in total during that time frame. Please note that the maximum 31 consecutive calendar day campaign window begins on the first calendar day the campaign receives a click.

Step 7: Writing and Submitting the AdWords Post-Campaign Report/Impact Statement.Team Captains must submit their Post-Campaign Report prior to the deadline of May 31, 2017 (3:00AM PST). If a team chooses a non-profit organization and wishes to be eligible for the AdWords Social Impact Award, they must append an Impact Statement to their Post-Campaign Report.

Step 8: AdWords Certification Award (Optional). Student teams that wish to be eligible for the AdWords Certification Award must ensure that the AdWords Certification Award box on the Team Details section of the Student Dashboard is checked and all team members are AdWords Certified in the Google Partners platform before May 31, 2017 (3:00AM PST). Please see the AdWords Certification Guidelines for more details on the requirements for this award.

Step 9: Sharing Results and Campaigns with your Competition Client and GOMC Feedback. Once the campaign finishes, you should share the results and your recommendations from the Post-Campaign Report with your Competition Client. If they would like to continue running AdWords, you can use AdWords Editor to export your campaigns and send them as a file to your Competition Client to import to a newly created account owned by them.

Step 10: Judging and Awards. Google, and a panel of independent academics from all over the world, select the winning teams based on the success of their campaign and the quality of their competition reports. Winners will be announced on the GOMC Google+ page and Competition website.

free digital marketing courses

1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

Offered by Google

There’s no better way to learn digital marketing than through the company that started it all. Google’s free online digital marketing course ranks right at the top of our list with good reason; it covers all aspects of digital marketing for beginners as well as intermediate users and it comes with free certification. Industry-recognized certification through Google is an ideal way to get your profile noticed and add to your skill-set.

This 40-hour free online course in digital marketing features 26 modules and can be completed at your own pace wherever and whenever you want. Each module consists of several lessons that include text, video, and quizzes to test your knowledge. If you don’t want to progress through the entire course you can pick and choose which lessons to add to your individualized learning plan. However, we highly recommend starting from the beginning and progressing step-by-step so you can receive certification.

While we won’t list each module, some of the subjects covered include:

• Building your web presence

• Planning your online business strategy

• Understanding search and how to improve your campaigns

• Getting noticed locally

• Building an online store

• Expanding internationally

• Social media marketing

• Mobile marketing

• Content marketing

• Email marketing

• Advertising and analytics

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes

Time to Complete: 40 hours

Curriculum: Introductory to intermediate

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Upon completion, students will receive an industry-recognized certificate to share on their CV and Linked-in profiles

•Lifetime access

•Quizzes to test your progress

Cons:

•None

2. Inbound Marketing Free Certification Course

Offered by Hubspot Academy

Hubspot Academy’s Inbound Marketing Free Certification Course is a four-hour industry-recognized program meant for digital marketers who want to focus on their inbound efforts. The comprehensive curriculum consists of 10 lessons, 34 videos and 9 quizzes and is designed for beginners. During the free online digital marketing course, students will learn about:

•The fundamentals of inbound marketing

•Planning a long-term content strategy

•Creating blog posts

•Understanding social media promotion

•Developing a conversational growth strategy

•Understanding and creating a conversion optimization strategy

•Lead nurturing

• Aligning sales and marketing

•Applying a customer marketing approach

Upon successful completion, students will be awarded official certification from HubSpot to display on their LinkedIn profile, portfolio, resume, or CV.

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes

Time to Complete: Four hours

Curriculum: Beginner

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

Pros:

•Taught by four engaging instructors

•Excellent user interface

• Industry recognized certification

Cons: 

•Too short

3. Free Diploma in E-Business

Offered by Alison

Alison was developed in 2007 by Mike Feerick and was the first massive online open course (MOOC) platform on the web. With more than six million students registered on the site, this is one of the best free online course providers you will find.

The Diploma in E-Business course helps students build marketing skills through learning Google Analytics and AdWords, search optimization, revenue metrics, analysis, campaign tracking, digital measurement, and more. Over 84,000 students have enrolled in the free online digital marketing course, which takes between six to ten hours to complete. You will need to pass the final assessment with an 80 percent or better grade. Upon completion, you will receive a Learner Achievement Verification Report, or you can opt to purchase a certificate from the site’s online shop for around $20.

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes, with fee

Time to Complete: Six to ten hours

Curriculum: Beginner

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Recognized leader in online learning

•User-friendly platform

•Video tutorials

Cons:

•Students wishing to obtain a certificate will need to purchase it in the online store

4. Become an Online Marketing Manager

Offered by LinkedIn Learning

This 24 hour course offered through LinkedIn Learning provides students who already understand digital marketing with the skills they need to move up the corporate ladder into management roles. In this free digital marketing online course, students will learn best practices for online marketing, using the latest tools to implement a digital marketing strategy, and how to advertise effectively on social media platforms.

The course features 11 modules covering advance aspects of marketing including:

•Growth hacking

•Advanced branding

•SEO foundations

•Email and newsletter marketing

•Google analytics

•Google AdWords

•Facebook and Twitter

•Sketch for UX design

You can take the course for free if you already have a LinkedIn premium membership (most marketers do) or sign up for a trial and access the classes at no charge for a month.

 Cost: Free Try a free trial for Linkedin Learning.

Certificate: Yes

Time to Complete: 24 hours

Curriculum: Intermediate to advanced

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Taught by industry experts

•Receive a completion badge for your profile or CV

•Excellent user interface

Cons:

•Must cancel LinkedIn premium before the trial is up to avoid fees

5. Digital Marekting Strategy

Offered by The University of Edinburgh

This thorough digital marketing course is offered by one of the top universities in Scotland through Edx. By engaging in the training for four to six hours a week, the course can be completed in about 8 weeks. The syllabus is comprehensive. Students who are looking for the most inclusive free curriculum on digital marketing will find this to be one of the top choices.

Certificates for the course can be obtained at the paid level of edX, which is also part of a professional certification. However, the lessons of each module can be audited for free. Auditing the course allows you to read and view all of the content. 

The program is designed to teach users a general understanding of digital marketing at the strategic level as it relates to business. Taught by two instructors from University of Edinburgh, it’s an ideal course to add to your resume or CV.

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes, with fee

Time to Complete: 10 months

Curriculum: Intermediate

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Comprehensive course syllabus

•Excellent user interface

•Over 7000 students have enrolled in the course

Cons:

•Certification only available at the paid level

6. Digital Strategy and Action

Offered by Babson College through edX

Digital Strategy and Action is a fascinating free online course that will introduce marketers to what big businesses like Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and Google have in common when it comes to digital strategy. In it, students will learn how the CEO’s of these giants pivoted from a simple idea to billions in revenue, and how they keep growing.

The course features inspiring in-depth case studies, including stories about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings as well as tons of tips, tricks, and advice.

If you’re an entrepreneur or marketer who dares to dream bigger, the course will provide insight into how the world’s biggest leaders in marketing have stayed at the top.

Students can opt for the paid version, which gives them an instructor-signed shareable certificate with the Babson University logo, but this is not a requirement. It can also be taken in its entirety in the audit version for free.

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes, with fee

Time to Complete: Four weeks

Curriculum: Introductory to Advanced

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Taught by Babson College Lecturer of Strategy Peter Cohan

•Interesting and engaging

•Perfect for those who need a little motivation

Cons:

•You will need to pay to obtain a shareable certificate

7. Digital Media and Marketing Strategies

Offered by the University of Illinois through Coursera

The Digital Media and Marketing Strategies course offered by the University of Illinois is course five in a seven-part specialization in Digital Marketing. Like all Coursera programs, it can be completed in audit mode at no cost or in the paid version. Students who opt for the paid version will receive a completion certificate.

The free 15-hour course in digital marketing will teach you:

• How to optimize your digital assets

• The basics of online and video marketing

• The basics of email and social media marketing

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes, with fee

Time to Complete: 15 hours

Curriculum: Beginner

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Taught by Mike Yao, Associate Professor of Digital Media

•Part of a 100% online MBA from the University of Illinois

•One of the only free courses with accreditation on our list

Cons:

•You will need to pay to obtain a shareable certificate or earn credit

•Some assignments may not be available in the audit-only mode

8. Digital Marketing Strategy

Offered by Learn@Forbes

The finance and investing publication has launched its own series of certified online courses, and this one—Digital Marketing Strategy—can be accessed free for 14 days with a trial to Learn by Forbes. The three-hour course is self-paced and covers all of the basic elements of developing a digital marketing strategy, including:

•How to create a digital marketing strategy to meet organizational goals

•Understanding the customer journey and how it applies to digital marketing

•Exploring the use of a digital SWOT in assessing marketing efforts

•Explaining how lessons learned are integrated into digital marketing

•Describing the key ethical and legal issues in digital marketing

This list is just a small sampling of what you will learn in this short, content-rich course. Learning will come easy as you progress through the class which uses case studies, flash cards, and interactive games to help you retain as much information as possible. Upon completion, you will be eligible for a certificate that you can display on your website, CV, resume, or LinkedIn Profile.

Cost: Free

Certificate: Yes, with monthly membership

Time to Complete: Varies

Curriculum: Beginner to Intermediate

User Experience: Excellent

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Free subscription gives you unlimited access for 14 days

•Go at your own pace

•Excellent reputation

Cons:

•You can only receive certification behind the paywall

9. Quick Tips and Tricks to Learn Digital Marketing in no Time

Offered by Skillshare

Taught by self-proclaimed digital marketing geek Kapil Chopra, this course contains 37 short lessons that can be accessed for free on the Skillshare platform. The course takes just shy of four hours, and Skillshare offers a free two-month trial so you will have ample time to get through all of the lessons if you choose.

While we won’t list each one, some of the more engaging lessons include:

• How to do keyword research

• How to see if your site is mobile-friendly

• YouTube SEO techniques

• Google AdWords and Analytics

• Email marketing

• Social Media Marketing

Cost: Free for the first two months—$99 per year thereafter

Certificate: No

Time to Complete: Approximately four hours

Curriculum: Introductory

User Experience: Good

Quality of Instruction: Good

Pros:

• Short and easy-to-digest lessons

• Includes a hands-on class project

• Video tutorials

Cons:

• Must cancel the subscription before the two-month trial period ends to avoid being charged a fee.

• Too basic for students looking for a more detailed course

10. Internet Marketing for Smart People

Offered by Copyblogger

Copyblogger has been delivering stellar advice on digital marketing for 16 years, and this course—Internet Marketing for Smart People is created with the same compelling, no-nonsense approach as the rest of their content.

Well-respected, copyblogger has made a name for themselves in the online community as experts in just one major aspect of digital marketing—content strategy. The free online digital marketing course is made up of 20 modules that will be delivered conveniently to your email inbox. Along with that, you will receive eBook bonuses and access to tons of resources on how to use the power of the written word to persuade and influence your audience.

Cost: Free

Certificate: No

Time to Complete: Varies

Curriculum: Introductory to Intermediate

User Experience: Good

Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Pros:

•Learn from the experts in digital content marketing

•Easy sign up

•Lots of extras

Cons:

•The course is delivered via email so you have to wait for each new installment

google digital marketing

With digitalisation plans speeding up globally to improve people’s lives, businesses now need strong marketing practitioners to reach a digital audience and promote their offerings.

This learning plan will equip you with a set of digital marketing strategies and thinking skills to help businesses connect consumers in more meaningful ways.

Your learning plan

In-demand skills you’ll learn

  • Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
  • Advance Digital Marketing
  • Business Fundamentals
  • Online Ads
  • Google Analytics1

google free digital marketing course

Google is now offering a Free Digital Marketing Course which is one best online courses in the Google Digital Garage. It’s a great opportunity for all of you to learn from Google and get certified in the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing.

Digital Marketing can be defined as “Advertising through a digital Channel. Digital Channels such as web applications, mobile applications, search engines, social media, email websites, or any new digital channel.

Digital Marketing online course is free for everyone with a free certificate from Google. Make your time productive during the quarantine.

Google Online courses, designed for you to grow your career or business. Select individual modules, or dive right in and take an entire course end-to-end. Learn the fundamentals of digital marketing and open up new career opportunities.

Google Free Digital Marketing Course:

Online Platform:

  • Google Digital Garage

Online Course Detail:

  • Modules: 26
  • Hours: 40
  • Level: Beginner
  • Cost: Free

Digital Marketing Course Benefits:

  • Free of Cost
  • Open to Everyone
  • Authentic Digital Marketing Certification from Google
  • A badge is a digital recognition that you’ll receive when you successfully complete a module in The Digital Garage.
  • No Nationality Restrictions
  • No Academic Restrictions 

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