10 Best Online SEM Courses (Free & Paid)

An SEM online course will guide you through the art of earning traffic from search engines, either with organic methods like SEO or paid campaigns (PPC).

The question is, which SEM courses are most likely to enhance your abilities? We’ve reviewed some of the most popular training solutions on the market to bring you the list of the best SEM courses available online.

10 Top Online SEM Courses

1. Complete SEO Course

The Reliablesoft SEO Course will help you master Search Engine Optimization. It’s a comprehensive course that will teach you everything you need to know to become a successful SEO expert.

This course is part of the SEO Bundle which includes four courses.

• SEO Course
• Keyword Research Course
• eCommerce SEO Course
• Google Analytics Course

Why enroll in this course?

This course will help you learn SEO which is the most important part of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Upon completion of the course, you’ll know what it takes to rank your website high on Google and get the maximum amount of organic traffic for your target keywords.

The course is highly rated by students and includes videos, checklists, lots of examples, and step-by-step tutorials. It’s the only course you need to fully optimize your website for search engines.

The course instructor has more than 20 years of SEO experience and the course comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. Upon completion of the course and passing an exam, you can also get an SEO Certification to enrich your CV.

2. Google Ads Course

Google Ads is one of the most important SEM tools to master. With Google Ads, you can position your ads on Google SERPs and get highly targeted search engine traffic to your website.

The Google Ads Course by Reliablesoft Academy includes 11 lessons and it will teach you how to run profitable PPC campaigns. It starts from the beginning and goes through setting up a new account and enabling conversion tracking.

It then explains how to set up different types of Google campaigns, including Search Ads, Display Ads, Dynamic Ads, Discovery Ads, and Remarketing Ads. You’ll also learn how to create highly successful Google ads and how to optimize your campaigns for profit.

Why enroll in this course?

It’s one of the best Google Ads courses you can find on the web. In the course, you’ll learn the exact framework Reliablesoft uses to run Google Ads campaigns for their clients. Unlike other courses that teach you the theory, this course is highly practical and based on practices that are proven to work. Reliablesoft is also an official Google Ads Partner.

Upon completion of the course, you can also go through the other courses that are part of the Digital Marketing Bundle, and earn a Digital Marketing Certification.

3. Google Ads for Beginners

Most business owners, marketers, and eCommerce store owners will use a combination of paid and organic marketing to drive traffic to their websites. Learning how to use Google Ads correctly will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

Offered for free by Coursera, the Google Ads course only takes around 2 hours to complete, but it offers a fantastic overview into many of the critical elements of running a successful Google Ads campaign.

You’ll learn how to structure your Google Ads account, and which tools you can use to optimize your marketing campaigns.

Why enroll in this course?

Ideal for beginners making their first steps into paid ads, the Coursera Google Ads course will take you on a guided journey through the creation of Google ad campaigns, how to do keyword research, and what it means to target the ideal audience.

You’ll also learn how to set bids and budgets for your campaigns.

Following the “guided project” format means you’ll actually be able to set up campaigns while going through the lessons.

During this online SEM training, you’ll learn how to:

• Create your account on Google Ads
• Set up your campaigns and track the results
• Add relevant audience information and set bids
• Conduct effective keyword research
• Navigate the tools and settings on Google Ads

If you know nothing about Google Ads right now, the instructor of this course Ishita Sinha will give you an easy and straightforward introduction to enhance your SEM abilities.

4. SEO Fundamentals Course

Some SEM training courses focus more heavily on one aspect of search engine marketing than others. For instance, this Complete SEO course for beginners from Udemy focuses mostly on organic marketing and search engine optimization. However, you can take a lot of the skills you’ll learn into your PPC and paid campaigns too.

With a 30-day money-back guarantee, Udemy courses often offer a risk-free way to expand your education, and this class is no exception.

Why enroll in this course?

The great thing about the SEO Fundamentals course is you don’t need any prior knowledge to get started. The lessons introduce you to the very basics discussing everything you need to know about ranking on Google and Bing. In addition, you’ll learn how to set up a keyword strategy, and how you can use those keywords effectively.

You’ll also learn how to evaluate the search engine algorithms and adjust any content you create for your website with a focus on the right ranking factors – without damaging your content’s readability.

The course is wonderfully easy-to-follow, and ideal for those learning the basics. During these lessons, you’ll learn how to:

• Conduct keyword research and effectively use keywords
• Implement a domain strategy for your brand
• On-page SEO optimization
• Choose the right content for your marketing efforts
• Understand what search engines are looking for

By the time you’re done with the lessons, you should have everything you need to look at your SEM campaigns from a search engine’s perspective.

5. Introduction to Search Engine Marketing

Google is the most popular search engine in the world. What better way to learn SEM than from the market leader themselves? The “Introduction to Search Engine Marketing” course is part of the “Grow with Google” program that users can access for free.

The lessons are convenient, simple, and straightforward, ideal for beginners who are just making their way into the marketing landscape. The bite-sized, animated videos are a joy to watch, and they’re easy to follow, even if you’re not familiar with all the jargon of the search engines.

Why enroll in this course?

To really master search engine marketing, you need to understand what it means to leverage search engines in your campaigns. Google’s course teaches you the basics of how you can ensure your business is noticed for all the right reasons online. The videos cover the essentials on how to evaluate keywords and make your PPC ads stand out.

You’ll learn how the “SEM” auction works, as well as how to plan your own SEM campaigns.

Although there’s not a lot of focus on content marketing and organic search here, you can transfer the lessons you get on keywords into both organic and paid campaigns. During these lessons, you’ll learn how to:

• Define SEM and its benefits for brands
• Track keywords and assess their value
• Bid for keywords in PPC
• Make your ads stand out

Google’s course is great for making complex topics like search engine marketing seem more accessible and interesting.

6. PPC Fundamentals

The PPC Fundamentals course taught by Joel Bondorowsky offers students an opportunity to learn all about search engine marketing.

Like some of the other SEM online courses mentioned above, these lessons focus mostly on PPC and paid advertising. However, Joel’s tips can also be translated into the SEO environment.

This free-to-use course provides you with five hours of intensive training, broken down into 36 bite-sized, and easy-to-follow lessons.

Designed to empower anyone with the skills they need to master search engine advertising, the PPC fundamentals course can transform you into a true PPC specialist.

Why enroll in this course?

The biggest selling point of this course is the instructor. Jon Bondorowsky is the founder of the PPC Designs brand and has more than 20 years of experience in the paid advertising space.

Joel has created ad campaigns for hundreds of businesses and uses this experience to give more depth to his teachings.

The lesson structure is fantastic too. You’ll start each segment with an easy-to-follow video, with access to further reading opportunities if you want to find out more about a specific topic. There are also quizzes to test what you learn.

Throughout the course, you’ll discover how to:

• Set up profitable PPC campaigns with Google Ads
• Navigate the Google Ads ecosystem
• Track the results of your campaigns and gather useful details for reports
• Experiment with shopping campaigns and display advertising
• Use bidding, budgeting, and universal app campaigns

Jon even covers advanced topics like multi-touch conversions. Plus, you get a great certification at the end of the course.

7. SEO Unlocked

Another course made particularly impressive by its instructor, SEO Unlocked by Neil Patel provides students with an insight into the organic side of search engine marketing, with a digital advertising leader.

Neil Patel’s free SEO course provides a comprehensive introduction to mastering SEO.

The first week of training included in the course focuses exclusively on keyword research – teaching skills and techniques you can use in both SEO and PPC.

As you progress throughout the course, you’ll also learn how to conduct SEO audits, and optimize your website with on-page SEO.

Why enroll in this course?

Neil’s engaging and interesting attitude makes this course on organic SEM strategies a delight to follow. Every video introduces the student to a new piece of actionable advice you can use in your campaigns.

Neil even includes a whole week of lessons dedicated to how you can use Google Analytics to assess your campaign results over time and optimize your marketing strategies. Throughout this learning opportunity, you’ll discover how to:

• Conduct keyword research for all of your SEM campaigns
• Manage on-page SEO and SEO Audits
• Use content marketing and edit your content
• Set up and use Google analytics
• Built powerful brand elements

The comprehensive nature of Neil’s course means you’ll walk away from the classes feeling empowered and ready to launch an amazing campaign.

8. Website Optimization Course

An important part of marketing via search engines is learning how to optimize your website effectively to appeal to Google and Bing.

Fortunately, HubSpot has just the guide to help with that. The Website Optimization course is a series of 5 lessons split across 16 videos, which tells you everything you need to know about implementing SEO into web design and development.

You’ll discover the basics of lead generation strategies in web design, and how factors like improving your website’s performance can make it easier to rank online. The instructor, Corey Braccialini, delivers an easy-to-follow set of instructions on how to make your website more effective.

Why enroll in this course?

Corey’s engaging course only takes around an hour and a half to complete, but by the time you’re done learning, you’ll have a huge amount of actionable advice you can use to optimize your own website. Corey simplifies everything from how to improve your website’s performance, to how you can make your site more effective on mobile.

The components on how to use website content for lead generation and enhance your website SEO are particularly important for any SEM strategy. The last thing you want is for an ineffective website to drive your leads away. During this course, you’ll learn how to:

• Boost and optimize your website performance
• Create a sitemap for your website and get your pages indexed.
• Optimize your website for mobile traffic
• Implement website security best practices
• Create more memorable user experiences

With Corey, you can ensure your website has everything it needs to appeal to the search engines and convert your visitors.

9. SEO Keyword Strategy

Ask any professional how to learn SEM, and they’ll tell you there are a few key factors essential in any campaign. One of the most important tools you’ll need to leverage is keyword research.

While keyword analysis and optimization are tasks frequently associated with SEO, the ability to target specific terms is essential to all aspects of search engine marketing.

The SEO keyword strategy course from LinkedIn guides students through the process of formulating a keyword strategy.

With digital marketing expert Matt Bailey, you’ll discover the basics of conducting keyword research and analyzing each term for its ability to drive traffic.

Why enroll in this course?

Matt Bailey’s easy-to-follow, bite-sized lessons cover all of the essentials of keyword management, from using powerful keyword tools to finding terms suitable for different stages in the buyer’s journey.

By the time you’re done learning, you’ll walk away with a certificate of completion from LinkedIn, which is ideal for adding something extra to your resume.

You’ll also have a better idea of how to apply keywords to all aspects of your marketing campaigns. During this course, you’ll discover how to:

• Find keywords for your search marketing campaigns
• Research and group keywords
• Use keywords on your website and content
• Experiment with keywords through the customer lifecycle

Matt Bailey’s content is also very concise and easy to follow, making it great for beginners.

10. SEM Online Course

The online SEM training course from IntelliPaat is essentially an end-to-end overview of the most essential components of search engine marketing. As part of the training experience, you get 30 hours of projects and exercises to complete and 15 hours of videos which you can watch at your own pace.

This course is wonderfully comprehensive, yet easy enough to follow for beginners. It starts with an introduction to what Search Engine Marketing really means and covers critical points, like how to use keywords in content marketing or Google AdWords.

Why enroll in this course?

The curriculum provided by IntelliPaat is one of the best we’ve seen for those who want to make the most of the paid aspects of search engine marketing. Although the course doesn’t cover too much about organic content and SEO, it does offer comprehensive insight into creating ad campaigns, conducting keyword research, and even collecting information from reports.

One particularly compelling aspect of this SEM training course is its coverage of different kinds of PPC advertising. You’ll learn how to use Display Ad campaigns, and Google Ads, as well as how to set up remarketing campaigns. Throughout the learning experience, you’ll discover how to:

• Research and categorize critical keywords.
• Design targeted ad campaigns for Google Ads.
• Access reports in PPC.
• Make the most of metrics in your campaigns.
• Experiment with remarketing techniques

There’s also an excellent “Peer chat” feature from IntelliPaat, which is great for sharing your knowledge with other learners in your community.

What are SEM Courses?

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) courses are educational tools that teach students how to achieve higher rankings in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), and how to use paid advertising methods to get search engine traffic.

With an SEM online course, you’ll learn how to utilize the various organic and paid elements of search engine marketing individually, as well as discover how to combine disciplines for a more holistic approach.

Who should follow an SEM marketing course?

Online SEM training gives you the skills you need to understand how search engines work. You can learn how to use a combination of organic and paid methods to bring more traffic to a website or convert leads.

Anyone hoping to generate more traffic and opportunities for their business can benefit from an SEM course. These classes are often extremely useful for marketing professionals working in the digital landscape.

Why are these the best online courses in SEM?

We’ve chosen our selection of the top online SEM courses based on their ability to deliver actionable guidance to students. Each of the courses below will ensure you can make the most of either a specific aspect of Search Engine Marketing or a certain discipline, such as SEO.

We selected our courses based on factors such as:

• Accessibility: How easy it is to learn SEM using the training provided.
• Topic coverage: How much detail and guidance are provided for each topic.
• Takeaways: The actionable advice you can leverage after the course.
• Value: The depth of education provided for the price and time commitment.
• Relevance: The coverage of up-to-date information.