Career Planning Skills Development Best Google Certification Courses Google Project Management is the best Google certification course By Jessica Martel Jessica Martel Jessica is a freelance writer and professional researcher with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance, behavioral economics, and financial literacy. Along with writing about crucial financial topics including budgeting for The Balance, Jessica has been published in Investopedia, Money Under 30, Money Crashers, Online U, and Scotiabank's financial portal for Canadian newcomers, StartRight. learn about our editorial policies Updated on October 17, 2022 Fact checked by Matthew Klammer We recommend the best products through an independent review process, and advertisers do not influence our picks. We may receive compensation if you visit partners we recommend. Read our advertiser disclosure for more info. Earning one or more Google certifications can help you to develop new job skills that can boost your career or salary potential. With courses targeting all experience levels, learning styles, and budgets, it's not hard to find a Google course that's right for you. The best Google certification courses are engaging and taught by experienced instructors. They match your preferred learning style and fit your budget, and can be completed in a reasonable amount of time. Best Google Certification Courses of 2023 Best Overall: Coursera's Google Project Management Professional Certificate Best Free: Digital Garage's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Best for Google IT Support: Coursera's Google IT Support Professional Certificate Best for Google AdWords: Udemy's Google AdWords Certification Best for Google Analytics: Google Analytics Academy Best for UX Design: Coursera's Google UX Design Professional Certificate Best for Google AI: Digital Garage's Google AI Best Google Certification Courses View All Best Google Certification Courses Our Top Picks Coursera's Google Project Management Professional Certificate Digital Garage's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Coursera's Google IT Support Professional Certificate Udemy's Google AdWords Certification Google Analytics Academy Coursera's Google UX Design Professional Certificate Digital Garage's Google AI See More (4) Final Verdict Compare Providers How to Choose FAQ Methodology Best Overall : Coursera's Google Project Management Professional Certificate First Step Korean COST: $39 per monthEXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros No experience necessary Offers certificate of completion Cons Only offered in English Longer than other courses Why We Chose It The Google Project Management Professional Certification class by Coursera takes our top spot because learners with no prior experience can acquire the skills necessary to succeed in an entry-level project management role in six months or less. It's perfect for those who are looking to pursue a new career. We like that within a few months of part-time effort, learners can be on their way to an entry-level career as a project manager. This course is offered entirely online and it's self-paced, so those who are working another job or taking care of a family can fit it into their spare time. With only 10 hours of effort per week, you can finish the course in approximately six months. The program includes over 100 hours of instruction in addition to hundreds of practice-based assessments. Through a combination of videos, assessments, and hands-on activities, learners will graduate with the skills they need to take on real-world project management scenarios. Students will be exposed to the following topics broken up over six courses: Foundations of project managementProject initiation: Starting a successful projectProject planning: Putting it all togetherProject execution: Running the projectAgile project managementCapstone: Applying project management in the real world The cost of this program is $39 per month after Coursera’s initial seven-day free trial period. Best Free : Digital Garage's Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Google Digital Garage COST: FreeEXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online video tutorials, quiz, exam Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros Self-paced Unlimited access Cons Only covers the basics Only available in English Why We Chose It Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is our choice for the best free Google certification course because it offers a comprehensive, self-paced program at no cost. For anyone interested in pursuing a career in digital marketing, it's a must. As a free, self-paced program with no course requirements and only 40 hours of content, it's easier to accommodate in your schedule. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is also accredited by the Interactive Advertising Bureau in Europe and The Open University. This course was created by Google trainers and is taught using video tutorials. There are a total of 26 modules that cover a variety of topics, including: How to build your web presenceHow to plan your online business strategyIntro to search engine optimization (SEO)Intro to search engine marketing (SEM)Social media basicsIntro to content marketingEmail marketing basicsWeb analyticsIntro to international marketing and exporting In order to earn the course certification you'll have to complete all 26 modules, which include a video tutorial and quiz. You will then need to take the final 40-question exam. If you aren’t concerned with the certification, you can pick and choose the modules you’re interested in. Best for Google IT Support : Coursera's Google IT Support Professional Certificate First Step Korean COST: $39 per monthEXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros 100% online No degree or prior experience needed Cons Longer than other courses More expensive than other courses Why We Chose It If you're looking to make a career switch to IT or simply advance your IT skills, the Google IT Support Professional Certificate by Coursera is worth checking out. It's our choice for the best Google IT support certificate because it teaches in-demand skills that can be used to advance your IT career in under six months. This course is offered exclusively online. No degree or experience is required to get started. Those who are willing and able to dedicate approximately 10 hours of work per week can expect to finish the certification course in six months or less. There are five courses in this professional certificate, which include the following topics: Technical support fundamentalsThe bits and bytes of computer networkingOperating systems and you: Becoming a power userSystem administration and IT infrastructure servicesIT security The cost of the Google IT Support certificate is $39 per month. Coursera also gives you access to a seven-day free trial period. Best for Google AdWords : Udemy's Google AdWords Certification Udemy COST: $129.99EXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros Helpful sample tests Highly-qualified instructor Cons Regular price is expensive Teaches just the basics Why We Chose It If you're looking for an entry-level course on the topic of Google AdWords, Google AdWords Certification - Become Certified and Earn More, offered by Udemy, might be the class for you. We chose this certification course because it's efficient and well-delivered, and in a matter of one day you can finish and be ready to pass the Google Ads Certification test. You don't need any prior experience to take this course, and it only takes one-and-a-half hours to complete. It's presented using on-demand videos, three articles, and one practice test. You can view the course on mobile and TV; the price includes lifetime access, so you can go back and review the content at any time. It contains 10 lectures, covering topics such as: Introduction - How to Pass The Google Adwords Exam in 1 day!Google Ads Certification Training - Google Ads FundamentalsPractice exam - Google Ads Search Certification - 50 Sample QuestionsOfficial exam - Detailed Exam Overview Promote Your Certification - 5 Ways to Promote Your Google Certification The course is led by Daragh Walsh, an experienced Udemy instructor who has taught over one million students. The cost is usually $129.99. Best for Google Analytics : Google Analytics Academy Google Analytics Academy COST: FreeEXPERIENCE LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate FORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros Access to Google Analytics help community Experienced instructors Cons Not interactive Not very comprehensive Why We Chose It Who better to teach you about Google Analytics than Google and its team of experienced instructors? The Google Analytics Academy takes our top spot as the best for Google Analytics because it offers a range of courses to meet the demand and skill level of a breadth of users. Not to mention, all of the courses are free of charge. The Google Analytics Academy offers courses for those who are brand new to Google Analytics up to power-user courses for those more familiar with all that the platform has to offer. Courses are all taught online and take approximately four to seven hours to complete each. While no experience is needed to take the Google Analytics for Beginners course, some familiarity with Google Analytics is necessary for the more advanced courses such as Google Analytics for Power Users. Of course, if you take the courses in sequence, you will develop the skills needed for the more advanced classes as you go. To access and participate, you will need an internet-enabled device as well as access to a Google Account. To watch the video content, you will need to use Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari as your web browser. For those interested in earning a certificate of completion, a score of 80% or higher is required on each assessment. Best for UX Design : Coursera's Google UX Design Professional Certificate First Step Korean COST: $39 per monthEXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros Earn a professional certificate Create a UX design portfolio Cons Longer than other certificates Only offered in English Why We Chose It If a career in UX design is intriguing to you, then the Google UX Design Professional Certificate offered by Coursera is worth checking out. It’s our choice for the best Google certification course because it doesn’t require a degree or experience but will teach you everything you need to get an entry-level job in UX design in less than six months. The Google UX Design Professional Certificate is offered completely online. While the certificate will take approximately six months to complete if you can commit 10 hours per week, it is self-paced. This means you can invest as much or as little time into the certificate course as you want. The certificate program is broken down into seven courses that cover the following topics: Foundations of User Experience (UX) DesignStart the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and IdeateBuild Wireframes and Low-Fidelity PrototypesConduct UX Research and Test Early ConceptsCreate High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in FigmaResponsible Web Design in Adobe XDDesign a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs This course includes over 200 hours of instruction as well as hundreds of practice-based activities and assessments. The goal is to simulate real-world UX design scenarios to prepare you for success in the workplace. The content is presented through a mixture of videos, readings, assessments, and hands-on activities. Within this course, you will also learn to use different design tools including Figma and Adobe XD. In learning these programs you will put together a portfolio that will include three course projects which are good enough to show to potential UX employers. The course costs $39 per month and comes with a seven-day free trial. Best for Google AI : Digital Garage's Google AI Google AI COST: FreeEXPERIENCE LEVEL: BeginnerFORMAT: Online Sign Up Now Pros & Cons Pros No math or programming experience required Self-paced Cons No video content Issues with some mobile devices Why We Chose It Elements of AI offered through Google Digital Garage is our pick as the best Google AI certification course because it’s free and accessible to anyone, with no complicated math or programming experience required. The Elements of AI course was created in 2018 by Reaktor and the University of Helsinki to empower people to learn about AI. Over 850,000 students have signed up for Elements of AI in over 170 countries. The course effectively demystifies the topic of AI by defining what it is and how it can affect your job, life, and future. Elements of AI is self-paced, made up of six modules, and takes approximately 30 hours to complete. This is a beginner-level course so there are no complicated math or programming requirements to start. If you want to succeed in this course and earn your certificate, you will need to put in some work to understand the content. It is recommended that you study with a group of friends or an online community and that you participate in the online discussions. To achieve your certificate, you will need to complete at least 90% of the exercises and get 50% of the exercises right. The exercises include multiple choice quizzes, numerical exercises, and short answer questions. The Beginner exercises can be completed with a mobile device, but the programming exercises in the Intermediate and Advanced levels require the use of a computer. Final Verdict Our winner for the best overall Google certification course is the Google Project Management: Professional Certificate offered by Coursera. It wins our top spot because within six months a learner with no degree and no experience can obtain the skills necessary to get an entry-level job in the project management field. Compare the Best Google Certification Course Course Locations Program Format Cost Duration Level Google Project Management: Professional Certificate Best Overall Online Videos, readings, quizzes, assignments $39 per month 6 months (10 hours per week) Beginner Fundamentals of Digital Marketing Best Overall Online Self-paced video tutorials Free 40 hours Beginner Google IT Support Professional Certificate Best IT Support Online Videos, assessments, hands-on-labs $39 per month 6 months (10 hours per week) Beginner Google AdWords Certification Best for Google AdWords Online Video, articles $129.99 1 day Beginner Google Analytics Academy Best for Google Analytics Online Self-paced video tutorials Free 4 to 7 hours per course Beginner to Intermediate Google UX Design Professional Certificate Best for UX Design Online Self-paced, video, readings, assessments, hands-on activities $39 per month 6 months (10 hours per week) Beginner Google AI Best for Google AI Online Self-paced readings, exercises, resources Free About 30 hours Beginner to Advanced How to Choose the Best Google Certification Courses When choosing the best Google certification course, consider your interests and skills as well as the amount of time and money you are willing to invest. Here are some things to take into account. Experience: What level of experience is required to take the Google certification course? Many on this list are for beginners and don’t require a degree or any previous experience. Learning style: How do you learn best? Do you prefer a self-paced course that you can fit in during your spare time? Or, do you thrive in a more interactive classroom environment? Career choice: Do you want to boost your skills so you can advance your career in your current field, or are you looking to obtain new skills so you can make a career shift? Time investment: Consider the amount of time you are willing to invest in the certificate program. Are you looking for something you can achieve in a few hours or are you able to commit to a period of six months or more? Budget: How much can you afford to invest in a Google certification program? While some courses will cost you hundreds of dollars, there are also many free options. Frequently Asked Questions Is It Worth Getting a Google Certification? A Google certification can help you acquire the skills needed to find a job or make a career change. Since many Google certification courses are free, the only investment required from you is time and effort. The value you get from a Google certification course will correlate with the amount of time and effort you put into it. Having a Google certificate can increase your job potential and/or salary potential. For instance, the Google IT Professional Certificate offered by Coursera reports that 75% of course graduates have reported a positive career outcome like a new job, promotion, or a raise within just six months. Google reports that the average salary for entry-level roles across the Google certificate fields to be $66,000. What Types of Jobs Can You Get with a Google Certification? There are many Google certifications available to help you prepare for a variety of different jobs, including: IT SupportData AnalyticsProject ManagementUX DesignAndroid Development Whether you already have experience in an area or you are completely new, Google offers certificate programs to meet different needs. The type of job you will be qualified for after achieving a Google certificate can depend on many factors, including:The type of certificate program (e.g. professional certificate)The format of the certificate program (e.g. online vs. in-person) The time investment in the certificate programIf you have previous job experience in the field What Is the Typical Format of a Google Certification Course? The format of a Google certification course can vary based on the course provider and the type of content being taught. While all of the Google certification courses on this list are taught online and are self-paced, there are other methods to meet your learning preferences. Many courses combine video tutorials with readings or hands-on activities. Other courses, such as the Elements of AI certification course, do not include video tutorials and instead use a combination of readings and exercises. Methodology When reviewing Google certification courses, we considered many variables including the course content, course delivery, and whether it is likely that the skills acquired could land you an actual job upon graduation. We also assessed the course ratings and reviews, and factored in the time commitment and cost associated with each Google certification course. Maskot / Getty Images Article Sources Google. "Fundamentals of Digital Marketing." Google. "Frequently Asked Questions." Elements of AI. "Welcome to the Elements of AI Free Online Course!" Elements of AI. "What Are the Requirements for Completing the Introduction to AI and Building AI Courses?" Coursera. “Google IT Support Professional Certificate." Grow with Google. "Get Professional-Level Training From Google." Related Articles The 6 Best Online Accounting Courses of 2023 Best Python Courses Best Health Coach Certification Programs Best Online Project Management Training Courses Best Online Leadership Classes Best Architect Exam Prep Courses Best Interior Design Certification Programs Best Online Spanish Classes Best Online Nutrition Certification Programs Best TEFL Certification Programs Best Online Bookkeeping Classes Best SQL Certification Programs Best Online Graphic Design Classes Best SEO Courses Best MCAT Prep Courses Best Life Coach Certification Programs Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies