Course description

Websites, search, social media, email, ads and reviews can feel like six separate jobs, each with its own jargon. This course shows how they fit together, so you can choose a few that suit your business, do them well and see what's working, without spending more time or money than you have.

It's written in plain English for small business owners, sole traders and career changers. You start with your customers and a clear message, then build a simple website, get found in search and on Google Maps, use social media without the overwhelm and start an email list the right way. You learn when paid ads make sense on a small budget, how to ask for and reply to reviews fairly, and how to keep within the main UK rules on marketing emails, cookies, advertising and reviews. Then you learn to measure what works, and you finish with your own one-page digital marketing plan and a 90-day action plan.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Kenwyn, who runs a mobile bike repair van in Falmouth, and Seonag, who leaves a school office job to become a marketing assistant at a tearoom and gift shop in Dingwall, from February to September 2026. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, example answers and a cheat sheet, plus planners, checklists and cards such as a channel map, a keyword planner, a content calendar, an email permission checklist, an ad budget planner, a review reply guide and a one-page plan template.

What you'll learn

• How digital marketing fits together: what digital marketing means, owned, earned and paid channels, how customers find, choose and come back, and setting goals you can measure.
• Your customers, your offer and your message: getting to know your customers, what makes you worth choosing, a clear core message, brand basics and looking at what others offer.
• Your website as your home base: what a small business website needs to do, ways to get one, the pages that matter, words that help visitors act, phones, speed, accessibility and the legal pages.
• Getting found in search: how search engines work, keywords, page titles and descriptions, local search and your Business Profile, and a simple monthly search routine.
• Social media without the overwhelm: what social media can and can't do, choosing one or two platforms, content pillars and a simple calendar, photos, short videos and captions, and comments and safety.
• Email marketing basics: why an email list is worth building, the law on marketing emails, growing your list the right way, writing your first emails and a welcome email.
• Paid advertising on a small budget: when ads make sense, search ads and social media ads in plain terms, budgets and knowing when to stop, and honest, clearly labelled ads.
• Reviews, reputation and the rules: reviews and word of mouth, asking for reviews fairly, replying to good and bad reviews, collaborations and labelling, and personal data and cookies.
• Measuring what works: numbers that matter, website analytics in plain terms, finding out where customers come from, comparing two versions fairly and a monthly review routine.
• Your one-page digital marketing plan: putting the channels together, time, money and tools, a 90-day action plan, your final project and where to go next.

Who it's for

Small business owners and sole traders who'd like a clear, realistic plan for marketing online, and career changers who want to understand how digital marketing fits together before going deeper. You don't need any experience.

What this course is, and isn't

This is an overview. It gives you the whole picture and a plan, and points you to Rootlet's courses on SEO, social media, email marketing and ads when you're ready to go deeper into one channel. Platforms change their features and rules often, so the lessons point you to official help pages and guidance. The lessons on the law are plain summaries based on official guidance, not legal advice. Kenwyn, Seonag and every other person and business in the course are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Explain what digital marketing is, how owned, earned and paid channels differ, and how customers find, choose and come back
• Set marketing goals you can measure and choose a few numbers to watch
• Describe your customers, what makes you worth choosing and a clear core message, and keep your brand consistent
• Plan a simple small business website with the right pages, clear words, phone-friendly design and the legal pages
• Help customers find you in search with keywords, page titles, a complete Business Profile and a monthly search routine
• Use one or two social media platforms with content pillars, a simple calendar, good photos and safe account habits
• Build an email list the right way, within the UK rules on marketing emails, and write clear, useful emails
• Decide when paid ads make sense, set a small budget, work out cost per customer and keep ads honest and labelled
• Ask for and reply to reviews fairly, label collaborations and handle personal data and cookies with care
• Measure what works, run a monthly review and write a one-page digital marketing plan with a 90-day action plan

Frequently asked questions