CourseVerdict

Ultimate Google Ads Training — Profit with Pay Per Click vs Notion Masterclass: Maximise Your Productivity & Organisation

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

Udemy (AdVenture Media / Isaac Rudansky) · Business & Marketing

Ultimate Google Ads Training — Profit with Pay Per Click

4.5/ 5 · 28 opinions
20 positive5 neutral3 negative/ 28 total

Skillshare · Business & Marketing

Notion Masterclass: Maximise Your Productivity & Organisation

4.1/ 5 · 38 opinions
24 positive8 neutral6 negative/ 38 total

Per-criterion

Content quality4.4 / 5

15-plus hours of structured video — updated in October 2024 with 65 new lectures covering the redesigned Google Ads dashboard, Performance Max, AI-driven bidding, and modern conversion tracking. Curriculum builds logically from account setup and keyword research through Quality Score, ad extensions, remarketing, and ROAS optimisation. Occasionally over-explains formulas in the bidding section, but coverage breadth is genuinely hard to match at this price point.

Instructor4.6 / 5

Isaac Rudansky is the founder of AdVenture Media Group, ranked #1 most influential digital marketing expert by PPC Hero, and has managed paid search for Unilever, Forbes, AMC Networks, and Hanes. Students consistently single out his calm, precise delivery and evident passion for PPC as what separates this course from cheaper alternatives. The main instructor-related criticism is that a handful of formula walkthroughs go deeper than most practitioners need.

Value for money4.7 / 5

Listed at $199 but regularly discounted to $10–17 during Udemy sales. At sale price it is one of the best-value marketing courses on any platform — 15-plus hours, lifetime access, downloadable Google Ads Formula Calculator, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Even at full price the return from applying even one campaign optimisation tip could outpay the cost within days of ad spend.

Practical frameworks4.3 / 5

The course ships with a Google Ads Formula Calculator and slide decks, and the curriculum is deliberately step-by-step: students follow along inside a live account rather than watching abstract slides. Sections on Quality Score improvement, ad copy A/B testing, conversion tracking setup, and remarketing audience creation give learners concrete, repeatable processes. The bidding formula sections are more theoretical than the rest and require patience to translate into everyday campaign decisions.

Real-world use4.5 / 5

Multiple reviewers report running profitable campaigns within weeks of finishing the course. The curriculum's emphasis on ROI/ROAS calculation, competitor keyword analysis via SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner, and account structure for automation aligns with what agencies and in-house teams use daily. The 2024 update adding Performance Max and AI bidding content keeps the material current. Beginners should complement it with Google Skillshop to build platform vocabulary before running live spend.

Content quality4.2 / 5

24 lessons across fundamentals, databases, relations, rollups and a LifeOS dashboard. Praised for clarity and the database section. Capped because 1h45m is brisk for a full LifeOS build and cannot match Marie Poulin's depth.

Instructor4.3 / 5

Ali Abdaal is one of the most-watched productivity instructors on YouTube and reviewers describe him as warm, clear and motivating. Critics on Hacker News flag his content as anxiety-inducing and his LifeOS as overcomplex.

Value for money4.6 / 5

Included in Skillshare's ~$14/month subscription, plus 10+ free Notion templates built exclusively for Skillshare students. Cited on HN as the canonical case of a productivity creator earning $40-60k/month from Skillshare.

Practical frameworks4.0 / 5

The LifeOS dashboard, relations-and-rollups walkthrough and weekly review structure are the most reused frameworks. Capped because the eight-database system is heavy and reviewers report copying templates verbatim.

Real-world use3.8 / 5

Notion fluency and database design transfer directly to marketing and ops roles, and Abdaal uses the same setup to run a 15-person business. Limit is overhead — several HN commenters describe abandoning Notion systems built this way.

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