There’s nothing quite like the first-day jitters when walking into a new classroom.
While those days may be behind us, continuing your education is a requirement if you want to graduate your business to a revenue-driving machine. Resources like Google Skillshop can be your go-to study buddy when you want to learn how to grow your business through Google Ads.
That’s why we’re walking through Skillshop along with a few other top Google Ads training courses to help you master Google Ads for your business at little to no cost. The best part? All the courses on our list today are completely online—so don’t stress your first-day-of-school outfit.
Consider our class on Google Ads training courses officially in session!
Table of contents
- Google Skillshop for Google Ads: What you need to know
- Google Skillshop pros and cons
- 5 Google Ads training courses to complement Skillshop
Google Skillshop for Google Ads: What you need to know
Before we go into our complete list of Google Ads training courses, let’s go over Google’s very own training hub: Skillshop. Skillshop is where you can get your official Google Ads certifications, so while other training courses can supplement Skillshop, you’ll likely want your Google Ads training journey to start and/or end with Skillshop.
Here are the answers to some common Google Skillshop questions (no hand-raising required):
- What is Skillshop? Google Skillshop is Google’s online learning hub for anyone looking to master Google’s tools and platforms, including, but not limited to, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Business Profiles, and more.
- Are Google Skillshop certifications free? All Skillshop courses and certification exams are free.
- Are Google Skillshop certifications worth it for my business or agency? Short Answer: yes! Google Skillshop is the only official administrator of Google Ads certifications, so if you’re looking to boost your business or agency’s credibility and confidence, you’ll likely want to get yourself and your team certified.
Google Skillshop pros and cons
To help you decide how to use Google Skillshop to best fit your needs, let’s evaluate some pros and cons of Skillshop compared to other Google Ads training courses:
Pro: Skillshop is free from start to finish
While other courses on our list below may have some costs associated with them, you can trust that your journey on Google Skillshop will always come at no cost to your business.
Con: Skillshop is limited to Google products
This makes sense as Skillshop is powered by Google. That said, it can be helpful to go through a few different courses to get some outside perspectives on PPC best practices. If you’re looking to become a wiz on all marketing platforms such as Microsoft Ads or Facebook Ads, you’ll likely want to check out the other courses on our list for a more holistic approach to how you study online advertising beyond just Google Ads.
Pro: Google Skillshop is constantly updated
It’s no secret that Google is constantly updating its products for businesses, so you can trust Skillshop will provide you with the most up-to-date information on evolving features. Third-party Google Ads courses not affiliated with Google Skillshop don’t have this same advantage, so you’ll need to watch out for any courses that haven’t been recently refreshed.
However, the other side of the coin here is, since Skillshop is powered by Google, it touts Google’s latest products and technologies as best practices for all advertisers. Meanwhile, third-party courses will likely have unbiased educational content.
Con: Skillshop certifications expire every year
If you’re looking to maintain your Google Ads certifications, you’ll have to revisit Google’s Skillshop exams each year. This is unlike other courses that either don’t provide a certification because they’re purely there as a resource to you or they provide documentation of course completion that doesn’t expire.
This example Skillshop certification would be considered outdated.
In short, Google Skillshop is a must-have for advertisers of all levels looking to advance their education, credibility, and digital marketing strategies. However, leveraging additional Google Ads training courses (like the ones we’ll walk through below) can help you better prepare for Skillshop certification exams while also providing you with a well-rounded, foundational knowledge of PPC.
The 5 best Google Ads training courses to complement Google Skillshop
Aside from Google Skillshop, here are a few other courses you may want to consider when you want to learn more about Google Ads for your business:
1. LocaliQ Marketing Lab
Our friends at LocaliQ have their own complete learning hub for marketers, advertisers, and business owners alike. LocaliQ Marketing Lab is completely free, and not only does it provide a course specifically in PPC, but it also offers courses in additional key marketing channels such as social media marketing, SEO, small business websites, and more.
2. Coursera Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
Coursera partners with Google to provide a complete digital marketing course that sets users up for success in finding entry-level roles within the digital marketing field. The course typically takes six months or less to complete, and it requires a $49/month subscription to Coursera.
3. Udemy Google Ads training courses
Similar to Coursera, Udemy also offers paid Google Ads training course options. However, instead of offering one in-depth course provided by Google, Udemy allows many different experts to offer courses of varying lengths and styles. Additionally, you can make a one-time purchase for a single Udemy course rather than pay a recurring subscription.
The best Google Ads training course on Udemy will ultimately be up to you based on your unique needs. Luckily, Udemy allows you to preview courses before you buy, so check out a few to see which price, length, lesson structure, and professor you want to choose from. You could also check out course reviews. For example, here is a five-star Google Ads training course on Udemy right now:
4. WordStream’s PPC University
Our very own PPC University is a great Google Ads training course for advertisers of all levels, and it’s completely free! With PPC University, you get self-paced resources on any online advertising topic under the sun. This can be a great option for anyone who wants in-depth guidance on specific PPC topics, like remarketing or keyword research, since you can pick and choose where you want to start.
If you don’t know where to start, that’s fine too! In PPC University, we’ve already organized all our lessons into suggested phases from start to finish. Additionally, PPC University offers courses on social ads, Facebook ads, and more so that you have everything you need for a well-rounded digital marketing strategy.
5. Class Central Google Ads Tutorials from Surfside PPC
Listed on Class Central, Surfside PPC released a series of YouTube Google Ads training courses that are free for users and contain tons of material—41 hours’ worth to be exact! This course can be useful for advertisers that have questions about newer Google Ads features, such as Performance Max campaigns. The videos offer tutorials on specific campaign types and tools within the platform.
Combine Google Skillshop with other Google Ads training courses for a black belt in PPC
If you want killer PPC strategies for your business, it’s up to you to educate yourself on all that Google Ads has to offer. These courses are here to help with just that, so you have what you need to make marketing decisions for your business that you feel confident in. If you don’t have a ton of time to learn the ins and outs of PPC, that’s okay too! See how our solutions can take the guesswork out of your Google Ads strategy and help you hit the goals you need.
To recap, here are all the Google Ads training courses we reviewed:
- Google Skillshop
- LocaliQ Marketing Lab
- Coursera Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate
- Udemy Google Ads training courses
- WordStream PPC University
- Class Central Google Ads Tutorials from Surfside PPC
