CourseVerdict

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) vs Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.

LinkedIn Learning · Dennis Taylor · Business & Marketing

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)

4.1/ 5 · 40 opinions
28 positive8 neutral4 negative/ 40 total

Google Career Certificates (Coursera) · Business & Marketing

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

0.0/ 5 · 25 opinions
17 positive5 neutral3 negative/ 25 total

Per-criterion

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)

Content quality4.1 / 5

Clear, well-paced and current — the 2025 Microsoft 365 refresh covers PivotTables, charts, multi-sheet formulas and Microsoft Copilot inside Excel. Depth stops at "essential," so power users wanting Power Query, dynamic arrays or VBA outgrow it quickly.

Instructor4.5 / 5

Dennis Taylor has taught Excel on this platform since the Lynda.com era. Reviewers reach for the same words — calm, clear, methodical. The 4.7-star aggregate from 8,000+ LinkedIn Learning ratings reflects unusually consistent praise for delivery.

Value for money3.9 / 5

Bundled in the LinkedIn Learning subscription (~$40/month or via LinkedIn Premium). HN commenters repeatedly flag that most US public libraries offer free LinkedIn Learning access via library card — which moves this to effectively free for many readers.

Practical frameworks3.8 / 5

Coherent walkthrough of the daily Excel surface — data entry, formulas, formatting, charts, PivotTables, multi-workbook references, Copilot prompts. Stops short of the analyst-grade stack — Power Query, Power Pivot, dynamic arrays, LAMBDA — driving modern Excel work.

Real-world use4.0 / 5

Excel is one of the most universally job-applicable skills in business, and Taylor's coverage maps cleanly onto what finance, ops, marketing and admin touch daily. Ceiling — data-analyst roles still need Power Query and deeper pivots this course barely touches.

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.