I often get asked where a beginner should start in learning PPC. Rather than continue to re-find my list to DM someone, I decided to just write a blogpost so I could link to it, but also so others could have an easy list to send people to as well! If your cousin just got out of college and wants to begin a career in Paid Search Marketing, here are my go-to resources.I have divided them up into various sections, as seen below.

My recommendation is to not simply pick one resource out of the list, but many or all of them if you can swing it. What you will find is every course is a little different, every blog author has a unique take on things, and getting a well-rounded education on the different viewpoints of PPC is important and beneficial.Best wishes on your journey into my favorite field!

List of Free PPC Guides & Whitepapers

• Hubspot (pdf) - The Beginner’s Guide to Paid Search: Using Paid Search to Compliment Your Inbound Marketing
• Search Engine Journal (pdf or online) - PPC 101: A Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics
• Cypress North (online) - Google Ads: The Complete Guide
• Discosloth - The Beginner's Guide to PPC Advertising

List of PPC Books for Beginners

• Ponderings of a PPC Professional: A Collection of Philosophical, Yet Practical, Observations to Help You Win at Pay-Per-Click Marketing - by Kirk Williams
• Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation - by Patrick Gilbert
• Advanced Google AdWords - by Brad Geddes
• Digital Marketing in an AI World: Futureproofing Your PPC Agency - by Frederick Vallaeys
• Becoming A Digital Marketer: Gaining the Hard & Soft Skills for a Tech-Driven Marketing Career - by Gil and Anya Gildner
• Ultimate Guide to Google Ads - by Perry Marshall, Bryan Todd, and Mike Rhodes

List of Free Google AdWords Courses

• SEMRush Academy with Joel Bondorowsky - PPC Fundamentals Course
• Klientboost - The 7-Day AdWords Tool Belt
• Hubspot Academy - Paid Search Advertising (and other similar courses)

List of Paid PPC Courses

• Kirk Williams - Udemy - Smart Shopping Campaigns with PPCKirk
• Isaac Rudansky - Udemy - Ultimate Google Ads Training 2020: Profit with Pay Per Click
• Jeff Sauer - DataDrivenU - Google Ads Mastery Course
• Kirk Williams - DataDrivenU - Introduction to Google Shopping Ads
• Brad Geddes, and Others - Simplilearn - Digital Marketing Training Course(s)
• Multiple Trainers - ADWorld Experience - PPC Training Course Videos
• ADMISSION - Common Thread Collective - Webinars, Courses, Slack Community, etc

List of PPC Blogs to Follow

• The ZATO Blog
• Search Engine Land
• Search Engine Journal
• Tinuiti
• PPCHero
• Clix Marketing
• Paid Media Pros (Youtube Channel)
• Klientboost

List of PPC Facebook Groups to Join

• PPC Chat (also follow #ppcchat on Twitter)
• Google Ads for Savvy Digital Marketers
• Elite Media Buyers
• Isaac Rudansky's Digital Advertising Superstars
• PPCers are now on Clubhouse! Find me there and join in one of our PPC Rooms in the near future: @PPCKirk

Finally, with a cautionary note:

Google Ads Skillshop - it's worth including a cautionary note here, simply because I find Google Ads has a bit of "propaganda" included in its training courses. The reason I think it's important to include additional educational sources rather than just sending newbs to Google, is because Google may communicate strong approval for a certain activity, that may not be as guaranteed as Google would lead a beginner to believe. It is sometimes difficult to know if it is actually a best practice used by an account manager, or simply something Google wants to be utilized more for their own benefits. Because of that, I think any beginner will find value in Skillshop, but should also use many of the other resources from people actually managing accounts on the ground level.