Digital Marketing and SEO

By the end, you can research keywords, improve a web page for Google, run a small ad campaign and report on what brought in enquiries.

Job-ready skillAbout 100 hours3 stagesFree

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Digital marketing brings customers to a business online through search, social media, email and ads. SEO (search engine optimisation) is how a website ranks on Google without paying for every click. Small businesses across South Africa need people who can do this well.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsLearn how customers find businesses online and how marketing funnels work.Task: Choose a local business. List how a customer would find them on Google, Facebook and WhatsApp, and what stops them from enquiring. Suggest three improvements.Core skillsLearn SEO: keywords, on-page SEO, Google Business Profile and content.Task: Do keyword research for one service (for example 'plumber in Soshanguve'), then rewrite a web page title, headings and copy to match. Set up or improve a Google Business Profile if the owner agrees.Applied practiceRun and measure campaigns: ads, tracking and reporting.Task: Plan a R500 test campaign on Google or Meta for a real or practice business: audience, ad copy, landing page and how you will measure enquiries. Write the report you would send the owner after a week.

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What competent looks like

Finds keywords people actually search
Writes page titles and copy that match search intent
Sets up Google Business Profile properly
Plans a small ad campaign with a clear goal
Reports results in money and enquiries, not only likes

The South African route

No licence is needed. Free Google Skillshop (Google Ads, Analytics) and HubSpot Academy certificates are widely recognised. A portfolio showing real results counts most.

Free resources

Google Ads and Analytics certifications
Google Skillshop
Free marketing courses
HubSpot Academy

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Digital marketing assistant
SEO assistant
Junior paid media specialist
Marketing coordinator