Foundations of Digital Marketing and E-commerce (Coursera)

Offered by Google,
Foundations of Digital Marketing and E-commerce (Coursera)

This is the first of seven courses in the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate, which will equip you with the skills you need to apply to entry-level roles in these fields. People who work in digital marketing and e-commerce help their organizations attract new customers, engage customers through various digital channels, and drive transactions like purchases and customer loyalty. In this course, you’ll explore entry-level jobs in digital marketing and e-commerce and identify the roles and functions that those jobs play within an organization. You’ll also learn about the marketing funnel and how it shapes the customer journey.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Google employees who currently work in the field will guide you, providing hands-on activities and examples that simulate common digital marketing and e-commerce tasks, and helping you build your skills and prepare for the job.
Learners who complete the seven courses in this program will be equipped to apply for entry-level jobs in digital marketing and e-commerce. No previous experience is necessary.
By the end of this course, you will be able to do the following:

  • Define the fields of digital marketing and e-commerce
  • Describe the job responsibilities of an entry-level digital marketing coordinator and e-commerce analyst (and similar job titles)
  • Summarize how this program will help prepare you for a career in digital marketing and e-commerce
  • Identify the roles and functions that digital marketing and e-commerce play within an organization
  • Understand the customer journey and the function of journey maps
  • Explain the concept of a marketing funnel
  • Understand the elements and goals of a digital marketing and e-commerce strategy

Course 1 of 7 in the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate.

What You Will Learn

  • Define the fields of digital marketing and e-commerce
  • Describe the job responsibilities of an entry-level digital marketer and e-commerce specialist
  • Explain the concept of a marketing funnel
  • Understand the elements and goals of a digital marketing and e-commerce strategy

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to foundations of digital marketing and e-commerce
You’ll find out what’s in store for Course 1 and the whole certificate program. You’ll also learn about the Coursera platform, procedures, and content types, and meet other learners in the program. Then, you’ll learn about digital marketing and e-commerce basics, the tasks that people who work in these fields do, and the transferable skills you might already have. Finally, you’ll get some tips for embarking on careers in this field.

WEEK 2
The customer journey and the marketing funnel
You will learn what digital marketing and e-commerce roles and departments do within organizations and how they create value. You’ll also be introduced to marketing concepts, like the customer journey and the marketing funnel, that form the basis for much of what these roles do.

WEEK 3
Digital marketing and e-commerce strategy
You will explore the relationship between digital marketing and branding, and how businesses can leverage both to be successful. You’ll investigate the elements of a digital marketing strategy, including goal setting, channel selection, and content planning. Then you’ll learn about commonly used channels and platforms, like search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), display advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing.

WEEK 4
Measure performance success
You will learn the importance of measuring results and common metrics to track. You’ll also examine how digital marketers and e-commerce specialists use data to assess and improve performance and tell stories with data. You’ll end the course by participating in optional content if you’re interested in preparing for a job search.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies (Coursera)

In this third course in the Social Marketing Specialization - "The Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies" - you will learn two of the most effective social strategies used by organizations today. You'll see real-world best practice examples and learn what metrics they use to gauge success. You will also learn the importance of infographics and the impact a well-designed landing page can have on your bottom line.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Pricing Strategy in Practice (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia,Boston Consulting Group - BCG

Pricing Strategy in Practice (Coursera)

In this project-centered course, Darden's Ron Wilcox and BCG's Thomas Kohler will walk you through a real-world case, from problem statement to detailed analyses. You'll use all three lenses (cost, customer value, and competition) to recommend an optimal price—and then adjust to market disruptions. Utilizing the concepts, tools and techniques taught in previous Specialization courses—from basic techniques of economics to knowledge of customer segments, willingness to pay, and customer decision making to analysis of market prices, share, and industry dynamics—you will practice setting profit maximizing prices to improve price realization.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Cost and Economics in Pricing Strategy (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia,Boston Consulting Group - BCG

Cost and Economics in Pricing Strategy (Coursera)

How much should you charge for your products and services? Traditionally, businesses have answered this question based on the cost to produce or provide their goods and services. This course shows you the economic factors behind pricing based on cost and the pros and cons of a cost-based pricing approach. Developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and led by top-ranked Darden faculty and Boston Consulting Group global pricing experts, the course provides the practical and research-based models and methods you need to set prices that maximize your profits.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content (Coursera)

Ever wondered why some things become popular, and other don't? Why some products becomes hits while others flop? Why some ideas take off while others languish? What are the key ideas behind viral marketing? This course explains how things catch on and helps you apply these ideas to be more effective at marketing your ideas, brands, or products. You'll learn how to make ideas stick, how to increase your influence, how to generate more word of mouth, and how to use the power of social networks to spread information and influence.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Market Research and Consumer Behavior (Coursera) Coursera
IE Business School

Market Research and Consumer Behavior (Coursera)

Your marketing quest begins here! The first course in this specialization lays the neccessary groundwork for an overall successful marketing strategy. It is separated into two sections: Market Research and Consumer Behavior. Gain the tools and techniques to translate a decision problem into a research question in the Market Research module. Learn how to design a research plan, analyze the data gathered and accurately interpret and communicate survey reports, translating the results into practical recommendations.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Unsupervised Text Classification for Marketing Analytics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Unsupervised Text Classification for Marketing Analytics (Coursera)

Marketing data is often so big that humans cannot read or analyze a representative sample of it to understand what insights might lie within. In this course, learners use unsupervised deep learning to train algorithms to extract topics and insights from text data. Learners walk through a conceptual overview of unsupervised machine learning and dive into real-world datasets through instructor-led tutorials in Python. The course concludes with a major project.

Jun 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Social Media Analytics (Coursera) Coursera
Emory University

Introduction to Social Media Analytics (Coursera)

Social media not only provides marketers with a means of communicating with their customers, but also a way to better understand their customers. Viewing consumers’ social media activity as the “voice of the consumer,” this session exposes learners to the analytic methods that can be used to convert social media data to marketing insights. In Introduction to Social Media Analytics, learners will be exposed to both the benefits and limitations of relying on social media data compared to traditional methods of marketing research.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Measure and Optimize Social Media Marketing Campaigns (Coursera) Coursera
Facebook

Measure and Optimize Social Media Marketing Campaigns (Coursera)

This course provides you with the skills to optimize your social media marketing efforts. Learn to evaluate and interpret the results of your advertising campaigns. Learn how to assess advertising effectiveness through lift studies and optimize your campaigns with split testing. Understand how advertising effectiveness is measured across platforms and devices, learn how to evaluate the ROI of your marketing, and master how to communicate your social media marketing results to others in the company. By the end of this course, you will be able to: analyze dashboards and evaluate ROI from your social media marketing efforts; understand different techniques used to optimize marketing campaigns, such as attribution and marketing mix models; implement an A/B test to optimize your campaign; present and communicate the results of your campaign to a team.

Jun 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Business English: Marketing and Sales (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Business English: Marketing and Sales (Coursera)

If you work in marketing, sales, or advertising, you already know that effective communication is a requirement. This can be even more difficult when expressing your ideas in a persuasive manner in English. In this course, you will learn to use English more efficiently while joining successful global professionals around the world.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Content, Advertising & Social IMC (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Content, Advertising & Social IMC (Coursera)

Want your content to go viral? Who doesn't! It takes a thoughtful, integrated approach to make content that stands out in our increasingly oversaturated world. In this fourth course of the Social Marketing Specialization - "Content, Advertising & Social IMC" - you will learn how marketers are successfully navigating today's media landscape. You will learn why developing engaging content for your audience is an essential component in effective social marketing.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Marketing Analytics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Marketing Analytics (Coursera)

Organizations large and small are inundated with data about consumer choices. But that wealth of information does not always translate into better decisions. Knowing how to interpret data is the challenge -- and marketers in particular are increasingly expected to use analytics to inform and justify their decisions. Marketing analytics enables marketers to measure, manage and analyze marketing performance to maximize its effectiveness and optimize return on investment (ROI). Beyond the obvious sales and lead generation applications, marketing analytics can offer profound insights into customer preferences and trends, which can be further utilized for future marketing and business decisions.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leadership Through Marketing (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Leadership Through Marketing (Coursera)

The success of every organization depends on attracting and retaining customers. Although the marketing concepts for doing so are well established, digital technology has empowered customers, while producing massive amounts of data, revolutionizing the processes through which organizations attract and retain customers. In this course, students will learn how to identify new opportunities to create value for empowered consumers, develop strategies that yield an advantage over rivals, and develop the data science skills to lead more effectively, allocate resources, and to confront this very challenging environment with confidence.

Jun 28th 2026
4 Weeks