The future of digital marketing is promising, with potential possibilities opening up with the advent of AI. A strong foundation can help you get into this career easily. This blog will give you detailed information on the top 11 free digital marketing courses in Chennai with certificates that you can enrol immediately to begin your career.
Introduction
On 30th April 1993, the World Wide Web became publicly available across the globe. The implications of wide Internet access started reflecting in all industrial domains. Before, the world was divided into pockets of economic centres. Businesses were focused on creating more offline presence and relied heavily on traditional means of marketing.
Generally known as print advertising, traditional marketing methods use newspapers, magazines, billboards, and fliers to upsell their products and services. Although, for the most part, this got the job done, traditional marketing methods are more suited for reaching the local population. They were mostly inflexible and could not adapt to the changing dynamics of society. However, the Internet revolution completely changed the way businesses envisioned marketing.
Suddenly, barriers between countries started disappearing. The world has become a global village. The Internet provided a common platform for businesses to reach millions of viewers worldwide within a short time. The late 1990s saw e-mail marketing as a powerful tool for reaching people. This was followed by Search Engine Optimisation, PPC advertisements, and Social Media Marketing. The general marketing trend that relied heavily on traditional means slowly started shifting its base entirely to the digital world.
Today, Digital marketing is one of the most promising careers in the marketing sector. There are many roles in digital marketing including social media manager, search engine optimisation specialist, content writer, email marketing specialist, pay-per-click specialist, and web analyst. Using social media, marketers expand their reach and promote brands and services. According to a 2023 report by Hubspot, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are the most utilised digital marketing platforms. With the advent of AI, the possibilities in digital marketing are limitless. This blog will help you kickstart a career in digital marketing by helping you choose the best digital marketing course in 2024.
Did you know?: The state of marketing report by HubSpot says Facebook has the highest Return on Investment (ROI) compared to other social media platforms.
A Road Map For Careers In Digital Marketing
If you have read this far, you must be considering transitioning into a career in digital marketing. There are hundreds of digital marketing institutes in Chennai that offer courses for beginners in digital marketing. Some of them are of exceptional value, and others are not up to the mark with modern trends. It is easy to get confused and pay thousands of rupees for a course that doesn’t offer any practical training. First, let’s try to clear some misconceptions regarding digital marketing to help you make an informed choice.
- Digital Marketing is for tech-savvy people: This is a common misconception that prevents people from taking that first step towards their fruitful career. Even though technical skills and knowledge about automation can be helpful for digital marketing, ultimately, it is your creativity and passion for learning that matters.
- Digital Marketing Courses are expensive: As a beginner, you don’t have to spend lakhs pursuing digital marketing courses. A good theoretical basis can be created by using free resources online. Most digital marketers earn expertise only after working and dealing with practical problems.
- The job of Digital Marketers is to help gain online followers: Gaining social media followers is one of the goals of digital marketers. But the work doesn’t stop there. Strategies must be adopted to create a quality audience and maintain engagement.
- Digital Marketing is a quick way to earn money: Digital marketing is not an easy career to get into, let alone make a decent amount of money. Don’t get into digital marketing for the wrong reasons. You must be passionate and hardworking. Building a decent portfolio with your skills will take time.
Now, since the misconceptions are cleared, let’s try to create a road map for starting a career in digital marketing.
Step 1 – Build a strong foundation: Like all careers, there is some theoretical knowledge related to advertising and marketing that you need to acquire to flourish in digital marketing. The basics of marketing psychology will also come in handy. A beginner needs to understand various jobs in digital marketing and their roles in running a successful marketing campaign. There are many free courses that will help you build a strong foundation in digital marketing. But, more on that later.
Step 2 – Do Practical Internships: Training is done in the dojo, but battles are fought in the ring. An internship with a marketing agency is recommended to understand the practical challenges. This will help you build social connections and enable you to climb the ladder of your career faster.
Step 3 – Gain experience in your field: The previous steps will help you understand your relative strengths and weaknesses. Focus more on what you are good at. Pick up more skills, such as marketing automation and AI expertise, while you are working. Always be on the lookout for the next big opportunity.
Step 4 – Focus on specialisation roles: Once you have earned enough experience and built a decent portfolio, focus on transitioning into specialisation roles such as SEO specialist, direct response copywriter, or web analyst. These roles will see an exponential increase in your annual income and will aid you in solidifying your career.
The rest of this blog will help you with the first step of your career path, i.e., building a strong foundation in digital marketing. To make your learning easier, we have created a list of the top 11 free digital marketing courses in Chennai with certifications that will help you kickstart your career. Read further to understand the pros and cons of these free courses.
Top 11 Free Digital Marketing Courses in Chennai With Certification (Updated 2025)
1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing – Digital Scholar
Digital Scholar is a premiere training institute in Chennai that has helped over 1,00,000 students build a career in digital marketing. They are offering a free 25+ hours of digital marketing course certified by Google and Meta partners. 40+ video lessons will cover 8 modules of digital marketing with reference to real-world case studies. The lessons are taught by top digital marketers in India who work with international brands. Upon completion, you’ll be provided with a certificate of excellence that can be used for future prospecting.
Core components of the course:
- Basics of digital marketing
- Facebook advertisement
- Social media marketing
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Affiliate marketing
- Instagram marketing
- Email marketing
- Case studies of Digital Scholar’s students
- Building a career in digital marketing
Register here for the free course.
| “Ultimate digital marketing course from scratch. It’s really helpful for everyone, even if you are new to this field.” – Adil K, a Student of Digital Scholar |
2. Google’s Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is a free certificate course offered by Google in association with Interim. It is a beginner-friendly course that takes approximately 40 hours to complete. The classes are entirely online and are created by Google trainers, with practical exercises and real-world examples. The focus of the course is on how to solidify the online presence of a business, make it easily findable, and reach more customers with advertising. There are tests in between that check your knowledge and assess whether you are eligible to move forward.
Core components of the course:
- Online business strategies
- Improving search campaigns
- Understanding social media campaigns
- Display advertising
- Web analytics
- Expanding internationally
3. Digital Marketing Certification Course – Hubspot Academy
Hubspot Academy is a leading online training institute for marketing professionals. They focus on bite-sized courses that help professionals grow in their careers. The free digital marketing course from Hubspot Academy is intended for small businesses and beginners who are interested in gaining experience in SEO, online advertising, and social media marketing. There are 37 videos that cover the fundamentals of digital marketing to get your business messages to a wider audience.
Core components of the course:
- Contact management
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Lead generation
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Inbound Marketing
- Reporting and performance
4. Digital Marketing Course by Udemy
Udemy is a popular education platform for free certificate courses. The basics of digital marketing courses in Udemy are offered by Sorav Jain, who is the founder of echoVME Digital, a digital marketing agency, and Digital Scholar, a digital marketing institute. This course has a rating of 4.3 out of 5, with testimonials from 6000+ students. There are 21 video lessons that teach students a hands-on approach to running a digital marketing campaign.
Core components of the course:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing
- SEM and SEO
- Inbound Marketing
- Landing pages and lead pages tools.
- Affiliate marketing
- Google analytics
| “Investing in upskilling regularly is the key factor in coping with growing digital market trends.” – Sorav Jain, Founder of echoVME Digital & Digital Scholar |
5. Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Course – Coursera
Coursera, in association with Google, has been running a free digital marketing course with certification. It is a 6-month online course with flexible schedules that can be completed at your own pace. This course is part of an advanced 7-part series that goes deep into the techniques of digital marketing. This course covers the fundamentals of marketing coordination, E-commerce association, and paid search specialisation. The certificate obtained at completion can be shared on Linkedin and used to boost your portfolio.
Core components of the course:
- Foundations of Digital Marketing
- Engaging customers
- Lead generation
- Email marketing
- Marketing Analytics
- E-commerce stores
6. Introduction to Digital Marketing Fundamentals – Simplilearn
Learn the basics of SEO, social media management, and strategic marketing with the help of this free course by Simplilearn. It is a 5-hour course that gives 90 days free access for completion of the course. Upon completion, certificates will be provided. The course’s main focus is on SEO strategies and Google search ads. Project-based learning will help you apply the knowledge you gained to real-world problems.
Core components of the course:
- Foundations of Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Digital Marketing Tools
- Search Engine Marketing
7. Introduction to Digital Marketing – Great Learning
This course teaches the essentials of digital marketing, from basics to automated marketing. The skills you learn from the course Great Learning can be useful for portfolio development. Expert faculties will guide you through SEM, SEO, and google advertisement strategies. The certificate can help boost your LinkedIn profile and will be an asset for interviews.
Core components of the course:
- SEO for beginners
- Search Engine Marketing
- Blogging
- Google Search Campaign
- Pay Per Click and PR
8. Digital Marketing Courses by Edx
Edx has a couple of digital marketing courses in their library that are freely accessible. Most of these courses are beginner-friendly, and some courses even teach specialised roles in digital marketing. Most of these courses are being offered by top-level institutes such as The Indian Institute of Management and The University of Maryland. Course duration and completion guidelines vary across courses.
Core components of the course:
- SEO
- AB Testing
- Advertising Strategies
- AI for Digital Marketing
- Digital branding and engagement
- Data Analytics
| Did you know?: Digital scholar is the only agency-styled institute in Chennai that offers 100% placement assistance for all its students. |
9. AI SEO Masterclass – Hubspot Academy
This course is aimed at people who want to use the emergent technology of generative AI to build new SEO strategies. Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence have led to more automation in digital marketing. A digital marketer is now more of a planner rather than an executor. AI SEO masterclass will teach you future-proof strategies to stay ahead of competitors. It enables you to use AI tools to increase search engine visibility.
Core components of the course:
- Introduction to SEO
- AI tools in SEO
- Search Engine Strategies
- AI skill acquisition
- Future trends
10. Digital Marketing Course – LearnVern
LearnVern offers a free digital marketing course aimed at beginners. There are over 31+ hours of on-demand video lessons that cover all major digital marketing strategies. The modules are suited for both academic and industrial-level jobs. The course also provides accessibility to more than 100+ exercises to gain exposure. Once enrolled, access to the course is obtained for a lifetime and can be completed at your own leisure.
Core components of the course:
- Website management
- Digital marketing strategies
- Google Adwords
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Social Media Marketing
- Google tag management
- Freelancing
11. The Complete SEO Starter Course – SerpHub
SerpHub has free courses aimed at marketers, content creators and business owners. The course covers eight important topics in digital marketing that increase brand visibility. It introduces strategies that can be used on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, which will help create and sustain engagement.
Core components of the course:
- Introduction to Digital Marketing
- Search engine optimisation – the basics
- Search engine marketing
- Organic traffic
- PPC advertisements
What to Do After Completion of a Free Foundational Course?
Enrolling in a free foundational course in digital marketing is the first step in the roadmap for your career. But it doesn’t end there. There are a couple of other courses you can take that will help you gain the required practical exposure and specialised skills. Some limitations for the free courses mentioned here are listed below:
- Most of these courses do not offer insights into the functioning of a marketing agency.
- Online courses and video lectures limit student’s engagement.
- Networking and community building are difficult with these free courses.
- These courses teach very little about the technological advancement in digital marketing.
- The value of free courses is limited for portfolios.
If you feel the need to learn more about digital marketing and mitigate these drawbacks, make sure you are investing the money in the right place. Digital Scholar, an agency-styled training institute from Chennai, can help you with everything related to digital marketing. For the past 10 years, we have helped over one lakh students achieve their dream job in digital marketing. Over 3000+ Google ratings and positive testimonials from our students serve as a testament to the kind of training we give for future digital marketers.
The Perks of Joining Digital Marketing Course from Digital Scholar
| “Keep implementing what you learn, and keep learning from industry experts. It is the core philosophy at Digital Scholar. Our mission is to equip you with top-tier digital marketing skills enhanced by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We strive to keep pace with the changing trends of Digital Marketing & AI, ensuring our training methodology incorporates the latest and most effective digital domain strategies. In addition to the dual certifications regarding digital marketing and AI, we aim to elevate your qualifications in this fast-evolving industry. I am excited to welcome you aboard and kickstart your journey into digital marketing and AI courses with us.” – Sorav Jain, Founder & CEO, Digital Scholar |
With Digital Scholar, you can rest assured that you are learning from the best in the field. Sorav Jain is the founder of EchoVme, a leading digital marketing institute from India. Since its inception, the institute has been able to meet the needs of all major national and international brands. Inspired by its success, Sorav Jain became motivated to teach his passionate skills to upcoming digital marketers. This vision led to the creation of Digital Scholar.
Digital Scholar’s 6-month AI-powered digital marketing course in Chennai with dual certification is aimed at the holistic development of your skills and covers all sorts of advanced modules. The 1-month internship will prepare you to tackle the advertisement problems of today’s digital world. Leading digital marketers and AI experts will serve as your tutors.
Digital Scholar has tie-ups with organisations such as IBM, Genpact, Amway, and Philips to offer placement assistance to our students.
Main Modules of Our Course:
- Digital Leader Mindset
- Social Media Management and Marketing
- Content writing
- Website Building
- Landing page
- SEO & SEM
Specialisation modules:
- Digital design mastery
- International freelancing
- Task-based internships
- Online money making
Sign up and start your digital marketing journey today.
What do our students have to say about us?
Digital Scholar can proudly state that our students have never left disappointed after receiving our training. They are working in top level organisations and are climbing the ladders of success. Digital marketing managers, digital operations managers, PPC campaign specialists, agency owners, and website consultants are some of the positions our students are working in after undergoing our training.
| Digital Scholar is simply the best when it comes to learning digital marketing in a four-month program. The course is well thought out, covering all the ins and outs of digital marketing with a good mix of theory and hands-on stuff. The standout factor? The teachers at Digital Scholar are top-notch. They really know their stuff and have a knack for making tricky concepts easy to understand. Plus, they’re not just teaching because it’s a job—they genuinely love digital marketing. It makes the whole learning experience not just informative but also fun, as you dive into SEO, social media marketing, content creation, and more. The classes are engaging, with real-world examples and practical projects that give you a real feel for the digital world. And the best part? The teachers are there for you, offering personal attention to help you navigate the challenges of the digital landscape. Really Thanks a lot Digital Scholar Ashid Shaik |
Some of our success stories:
Follow the path of tens of thousands of students and learn the essential skills for your career in digital marketing. Visit our website for more information.
Takeaways
- Free digital marketing courses will aid you in building a strong foundation for your career goals.
- Digital Scholar, Hubspot, Edx, Udemy and Coursera offer quality online courses in digital marketing.
- Most of the courses cover SEO, social media strategies and web analytics.
- Digital Scholar’s 6-month AI-powered course offers agency-level training with focus on practical internships and case studies.
- Digital Scholar offers 100 percent placement assistance for students to ensure a productive career.
FAQs – Related to Digital Marketing Courses in Chennai
1. What is the minimum eligibility for these free courses?
There is no minimum eligibility for enrolling. If you are passionate and willing to put in the effort, you can enroll in these courses.
2. Does Digital Scholar offer online courses?
Yes. Digital Scholar has a collection of online certificate courses with video lessons that cover various aspects of digital marketing.
3. Can I start freelancing after completing these courses?
If you have put in the effort, you will have the necessary skill sets to start reaching and building a freelance career.
4. What is the future of digital marketing?
With AI and VR technologies opening up many opportunities, there are many upcoming opportunities in digital marketing.
5. What’s the duration of free courses?
The duration varies with different courses. However, most of these courses can be completed at your own leisure.
