The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1 vs Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)
Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.
Daragh Walsh & Rob Percival (Codestars) · Business & Marketing
The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1
LinkedIn Learning · Dennis Taylor · Business & Marketing
Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365)
Per-criterion
Twelve disciplines in 23 hours gives beginners a coherent map of digital marketing, but each channel averages under two hours. The Google Analytics module was built on Universal Analytics, retired by Google in July 2023, leaving a material gap for learners in 2025–2026.
Daragh Walsh is consistently singled out for clear, analytical explanations and responsive Q&A. Rob Percival's Codestars brand carries broad recognition. Reviewer frustrations centre on scope and currency rather than delivery quality.
At $11.99 on sale, twelve channels for less than a lunch bill is the consensus judgment. Even at the $89.99 full price the breadth-to-cost ratio outperforms single-channel courses. Lifetime access and periodic updates reinforce the value case.
Each module includes projects, checklists and downloadable resources. Reviewers report applying the frameworks to freelance pitches and small-business planning. The limit is depth — projects are introductory exercises rather than full campaign builds.
Useful for interviews and freelance proposals. YourDigitalAid's reviewer explicitly flags the gap — the course equips you to hold your own in an interview but not to independently run paid campaigns and generate revenue from a website.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.