We’ve compiled a list of free resources that helped us learn, grow and thrive. We have to add a warning: this is going to be a really long list, but we’ve tried to keep it as structured as possible.
Content in this post:
- Valuable sources for free learning,
- Free certifications,
- Free courses,
- Free ebooks,
- Free videos,
- Free tools,
- Free WordPress plugins,
- Free Images & Stock Photos
- Blogs to follow
1. Valuable sources for free learning
SEMrush Academy
- Types of resources: Courses | Exams | Webinars | Ebooks | Blog | Podcasts
- Topics: SEO | Content marketing | PPC/Advertising | Social Media Marketing | Competitive Research
- Languages: English | Spanish | France
HubSpot Academy
- Types of resources: Courses | Certifications
- Topics: Social Media | Email Marketing | SEO | Inbound Sales | Content Marketing
- Languages: English | German | Japanese | Spanish | Portuguese | France
Google Digital Garage
Topics: Digital marketing | Data & Tech | Career developmen
Languages:
Skillshop
Topics: Google Ads | Google Analytics | Google Marketing Platform
Languages: 10+
2. Free certifications
Get educated and show it. These are free certifications that tell customers and employers that you know your stuff. How does it work? Follow the free lessons, pass the assessments and get your certification. You can add these certifications to your CV or LinkedIn profile.
PPC Fundamentals Exam (SEMrush)
Take this exam to check and document your level of PPC Fundamentals knowledge.
Content: 35 questions
Time: 27 minutes to answer all questions
Rank: Beginner/Intermediate
PPC Automation Exam (SEMrush)
Test your PPC (Pay Per Click) Automation knowledge and practical skills by taking this exam.
Content: 10 questions
Time: 15 minutes to answer all questions
Rank: Intermediate
SEO Fundamentals Exam (SEMrush)
In this exam you will be tested on Search engine basics, Technical SEO, Link signals, International & local SEO and more.
Content: 20 questions
Time: 27 minutes to answer all questions
Rank: Beginner/Intermiediate
Content Marketing Fundamentals Exam (SEMrush)
This free exam consists of 13 questions that will check your Content Marketing skills and verify how you have learned to enrich and promote your brand online.
Content: 13 questions
Time: 15 minutes to answer all questions
Rank: Beginner/Intermediate
Fundamentals of digital marketing (Google Digital Garage)
Master the basics of digital marketing with this free course accredited by Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe and The Open University. There are 26 modules to explore, all created by Google trainers, packed full of practical exercises and real-world examples to help you turn knowledge into action.
Content: 26 modules
Time: 40 hours for the whole course + exam
Rank: Beginner
Google Ads (Skillshop)
Showcase your master of Google Ads by getting certified in Search, Display, Video, Shopping Ads, Apps and Measurement
Content: 6 courses of 2.6h to 4.7h
Time: 21 hours in total for the whole course + exam
Rank: Beginner
Google Analytics Individual Qualification (Skillshop)
The Google Analytics Individual Qualification covers basic and advanced Google Analytics concepts. This includes: planning and principles; implementation and data collection; configuration and administration; conversion and attribution; and reports, metrics, and dimensions.
Content: 1 course
Time: 3.5 hours for the whole course + exam
Rank: Intermediate
Content Marketing Certification Course (Hubspot)
This certification course will give you an overview of how to become an effective content marketer.
Content: 14 lessons
Time: 5.57 hours
Rank: Intermediate
3. Free courses
Improve your knowledge with these fine courses. These are the best sources for online courses: SEMrush | Hubspot | Google Digital Garage | LinkedIn Learning. There are too many courses available at these sites to list them all individually.
Besides the courses from the sources listed above, these are a few other courses that may be worth your time:
The essential guide to Facebook ads (Facebook)
To expand your audience and help grow your business, you can turn organic content into paid content through boosted posts and other types of Page promotions. Learn what you need to know to grow your business with Facebook ads.
How to advertise on Instagram (Facebook)
Instagram can help you accomplish specific business goals. Perhaps you want to grow awareness of your company, connect to new and existing customers or increase sales. Create quality Instagram ads that help you reach the people who matter most to your business.
SEO Training Course by Moz (Udemy)
With 7 sections, 18 lectures and 3h 25m total length this SEO training course from Moz will give you great SEO tips and tricks.
4. Free ebooks, magazines and reports
Once again, We’re going to mention the earlier sources for Ebooks as well. You can find great ebooks at SEMrush and Hubspot, but also try out these ebooks:
The Awin Report (AWIN)
Awin is one of the largest global affiliate networks. Each year the publish a report that includes:
- A series of infographics illustrating the major affiliate trends Awin’s global network has tracked over the last 20 years
- A wide selection of campaign case studies, both new and old, demonstrating ‘best-in-class’ practices from around the world
- Thought pieces from key industry figures on a range of pertinent topics and themes including personalization, bridging the online-to-offline gap in retail, and the increasing adoption of affiliate marketing by media house publishers
- Industry predictions from experts across Awin’s business highlighting the trends and developments to look out for in the coming months
Feedfront (Affiliate Summit)
FeedFront is a magazine for affiliate marketers. It’s published by Affiliate Summit, one of the biggest affiliate conferences worldwide. Get the insight on the front end, rather than feedback after you’ve executed.
The Beginner’s Guide to SEO (Moz)
This guide is designed to describe all major aspects of SEO, from finding the terms and phrases (keywords) that can generate qualified traffic to your website, to making your site friendly to search engines, to building links and marketing the unique value of your site.
5. Free Videos
Graphic Design Basics (Canva)
As an online marketeer it doesn’t hurt to know a little bit about graphic design. It may come in handy with your social media content and the design of your website. In this video lessons you’ll learn why design matters and how everyone can learn to think like a designer.
6. Free Tools
I have written an article about which marketing tools we use, including the free ones. You can find it here: Affiliate marketing tools
7. Free WordPress plugins
We’re going to expand this section later, but for now we can tell you this: If you have your own WordPress site, you will need a few plugins to make your marketing efforts effective. A basic WordPress installation is not enough.
At least you will need to install a SEO plugin for your SEO titles and descriptions and a plugin to organize your links. We use All In One SEO Pack and Pretty Links (the free versions) for this.
8. Free Images & Stock Photos
Need images for your blog posts? Looking for a stock photo? You can get royalty free images at these places:
Pixabay
Pixabay offers 1.8 million stunning free images. Most are free for commercial use with no attribution required.
FreeImages
FreeImages offers 300.000 free stock photos and royalty free images. All free for personal and commercial use.
DepositPhotos
DepositPhotos is one of the largest paid stock photo providers, but they also have a huge collection of free stock photos. They even offer free stock video footage!
9. Blogs to follow
Affiliate Summit Blog
Affiliate Summit is the premiere affiliate marketing conference. Can’t make it to the summit? No worries, they publish all their findings on their blog since 2005! Over 15 years of valuable affiliate marketing content is freely available there.
Anything else?
We’ll keep adding to the list every time we find useful free resources from trusted sources. Let us know if we’ve missed something free that you’ve found useful!