Certification

Free training platform from Ahrefs with courses on SEO fundamentals, advanced link building, blogging for business, technical and local SEO, plus an Answer Engine Optimization course and a 67-question certification exam. It is notable as one of the first vendor academies to ship formal AEO curriculum alongside classic SEO.

Japanese incorporated association that has run SEO training seminars nationwide since 2002 and awards the SEO検定 (SEO Kentei) certification across multiple levels. It is one of the few country-level SEO-specific certifying bodies anywhere, with a network of accredited SEO consultants in Japan.

UK chartered professional body for marketers, awarding Chartered Marketer status and running accredited qualifications from foundation to postgraduate level. It is the main route by which UK search practitioners obtain a chartered professional credential rather than a vendor certificate.

Subscription training platform with more than 100 on-demand courses and ten minidegree programmes covering conversion optimisation, digital analytics, growth marketing, SEO and paid media, taught by practitioners. Its analytics and CRO minidegrees are the most common formal training route for SEOs moving into measurement and experimentation.

Global digital marketing certification body with over 300,000 members and more than 75,000 certified professionals, offering a Search Marketing Specialist certification alongside professional, expert and postgraduate diplomas. Its curriculum is validated by an industry advisory council and delivered through university and college partners worldwide.

Non-profit that certifies AI companies whose training data is sourced with creator consent and licensing rather than uncredited scraping. Its certification is one of the few third-party signals available to publishers deciding which AI crawlers and model providers to permit.

Google's official e-learning platform offering courses and certifications built by Google product experts, covering Google Ads across Search, Display, Video, Shopping and Apps, plus Analytics, Google Ad Manager and Business Profile. Its certifications are the standard entry credential for paid search roles and are required for Google Partner agency status.

Free online learning platform with certifications in inbound marketing, content marketing, email, social and SEO, with over 200,000 professionals certified. Its inbound and content certifications are widely used as baseline training for junior content and SEO hires.

UK training and qualifications arm associated with the Data & Marketing Association, offering awards, certificates and diplomas in digital and data-driven marketing. Its courses provide accredited search and content marketing training aligned to the DMA Code.

Training organisation providing local SEO education through workshops, on-demand courses and a monthly podcast, with a faculty of Google Business Profile specialists. It is one of the longest-running dedicated local-search training programmes and now also covers content performance in AI-driven search.

Microsoft's free training and accreditation programme for its search advertising platform, covering campaign setup, shopping, audience targeting and measurement across Bing and the Microsoft Audience Network. It is the counterpart credential to Google's certifications for teams running search ads outside Google.

Training arm of Moz offering structured SEO courses and certifications, including the long-running SEO Essentials and technical SEO tracks. Moz's educational material shaped a generation of SEO vocabulary through the Beginner's Guide to SEO and Whiteboard Friday.

Free course and certification platform run by Semrush covering SEO, content marketing, analytics, e-commerce, paid advertising and AI search, with courses taught by practitioners including Brian Dean and Andy Crestodina. It is one of the highest-volume free SEO education routes and its exam badges are common on practitioner profiles.

Japanese incorporated association based in Tokyo that certifies digital marketing specialists, with more than 10,000 certified professionals across tiers from Web Analytics Consultant to Master. It is the closest thing Japan has to a formal professional credential covering search and digital measurement practice.