I’ve been blogging for 11 years now, and over the years, I’ve purchased a LOT of blogging courses. Some of them have been good, others were less than stellar, but only a few have been great!

Today, there are so many blogging courses on the market that it’s almost impossible to know which ones offer real value.

Bloggers who are selling courses highlight big social media numbers and page views, and they have persuasively written copy, which makes it hard to resist making a purchase. I know because I’ve been swayed into many purchases from alluring vanity metrics and hyped-up verbiage.

If you’re searching for a blogging course that will take your blog to the next level, and that offers actual value and results, here are some (in a variety of price ranges) that I’ve taken and personally recommend.

Okay, this isn’t a blogging course, but it is an excellent book, and it’s inexpensive! I read this years ago, and it’s one of the best blogging books on the market; believe me, I’ve read a lot!

It offers Ruth Soukup’s (the blogger behind Living Well Spending Less) unique take on blogging, concrete examples, and information that is not widely rehashed on the web. It covers:

If you’re curious about blogging or just starting, this is an excellent read that’s packed with a lot of value, and it gets great ratings on Amazon.

Yes, I’m a little biassed on this one because I contributed a chapter to it. Again, it’s not a course, but even so, it’s an excellent read receiving high ratings on Amazon.

What I love about this book is that it contains tips and advice from 17 successful bloggers who are all earning a full-time income from their blogs. The ways in which each one makes money is different and was eye-opening to me. Even though I’ve been blogging for 11 years, I came away with many useful nuggets. It’s an excellent read for new and experienced bloggers alike.

The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is unique because it’s not a single course, but instead, it’s an assortment of blogging courses, e-books, memberships, and bonuses all wrapped into one HUGE bundle for one LOW price. Each year, the content in the bundle changes, but it also offers a ton of value!

Once a year, The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit goes on sale (this year it’s September 21st – September 28th), and it contains thousands of dollars worth of all-new blogging courses and resources for under $100!

I’ve purchased a bundle for the last four years because it always has some courses that benefit my business. No matter what area you need assistance, or where you’re at in your blogging career, this bundle has you covered with resources and courses in the following areas:

• Affiliate Marketing
• Content Creation
• Creating and Selling Products
• Email Marketing
• Getting Started
• Graphic and Design
• Legal
• Mindset
• Networking and Growth
• Podcasting and Video
• Productivity
• Social Media
• Traffic and SEO
• Website and Tech

Because The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit only goes on sale once a year — you’ll want to sign up for the waitlist here.

I interviewed Michelle on The Work at Home Woman years ago. Since that time, her blogging income has skyrocketed to the tune of $100K+ a month! Yes, you read that right, 100 thousand dollars a month!

How does she do it?

The majority of Michelle’s blogging income is earned through affiliate marketing, and in her course, she shares how she does it. Many bloggers who have taken Michelle’s course are seeing incredible results in short amounts of time!

The course includes six modules, 30 lessons, course workbooks, bonuses, and a private Facebook group, which is worth the price alone. In this course, you’ll learn all the nuts and bolts of affiliate marketing, including how to find affiliate programs, necessary rules, and guidelines, how to get your readers to convert, advanced strategies, and tons more.

This course is perfect for beginners and intermediate bloggers who aren’t seeing the results they want from affiliate marketing. If you’re going to master the art of affiliate marketing — this course is a must.

Currently, the cost of Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is $197 or two payments of $99. But, I’m sure this price will go up soon — as this course digs deep into affiliate marketing and it produces results. Michelle offers a 30-day, money-back satisfaction guarantee on her course.

I’ve been obsessed with Pinterest ever since it first came out back in 2010! And back in the good ole days before they were a publicly-traded company, I used to get over 125,000 page views a month from the platform. But with algorithm changes and a pay-for-play advertising model, my page views from Pinterest significantly decreased. In fact, I was beginning to think Pinterest was hopeless.

I then came across Ell on Twitter, talking about how she was getting a crazy amount of traffic from the platform. Curious, I decided to check out her course, Pinterest with Ell. On her sales page, she had traffic proof of her methods and a bunch of testimonials from students who had taken the course. The course is only $39, so I decided to take a chance on it. Since I’ve been using her methods, I’ve been able to double my traffic from Pinterest! This course is perfect for beginners and experienced pinners who are not seeing the results they’d like from Pinterest.

I’ve taken many SEO courses over the year, some were okay, but others were downright shady. One course I took, suggested begging other bloggers for backlinks back to your blog. I don’t know about you, but cold pitching other bloggers and begging for backlinks is not my idea of acting with integrity. In fact, if you want to burn a bridge before it’s built, beg some bloggers for backlinks and see what happens.

If you’re looking for an honest and reputable SEO course, check out my friend Lena’s Adventures in SEO.

Adventures in SEO teaches you how to research and brainstorm keywords and topics for both Pinterest and Google so that your blog content is properly optimized.

Lena has helped lots of bloggers boost their SEO efforts, and you can see the massive results right here on her sales page. I also know firsthand that Lena’s methods work because one of my writers has taken her course and her articles consistently rank high and bring in lots of organic search traffic every month! The course contains five main modules that are broken down into smaller video lessons, along with worksheets and two additional bonuses.

I found out about this course because I had purchased Ruth’s book (mentioned above), How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul. It was one of the best e-books I had ever read on blogging, so when Elite Blog Academy (EBA) came around, it was a no-brainer. This is the one blogging course that I can attribute my exponential growth in the past couple of years.

Before I took this course, I was supplementing my blogging income by working part-time as a Social Media Manager. While this was a good gig, it wasn’t where my heart was. But to quit, I needed to make more money from my blog. So, I decided to purchase EBA, and I’m so glad I did! In one year, I was able to increase my blogging income 155 percent, and I was able to quit my side social media job, which allowed me to focus full-time on my blog. I’ve never been happier or made more money in my professional life.

It consists of 12 units videos, 16 handouts, 30 assignments, four live Q&A webinars with Ruth, membership to private Facebook Group, and tons of bonuses and material. In the course, you’ll learn how to refine your message, grow your traffic, monetization techniques, as well as how to build your business.

This course is suitable for beginner and intermediate-level bloggers who are looking to grow and increase your traffic and income. The course is completely redone every two years with new videos, course updates, and new material.

Enrollment for this training course only opens up ONCE a year in March, so be sure to sign up for the waitlist and grab Ruth’s FREE e-book, 7 Surefire Ways to Boost Your Blog Income Overnight. The total cost is $997, and you get lifetime access and free updates.

A Final Note About Success

To be successful with any of these blogging courses — you have to put in the work! Success is not going to happen overnight, and to be blunt, it’s not always going to be easy. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, complete the lessons, and work ALL the way through the entire course — you can be successful.

If you’re not fully committed to doing the work — you won’t see results. Period.

If your dream is to start a blog, then you’ll want to head over to this post, which offers easy, step-by-step instructions for getting started. Good luck on your blogging journey!

Originally published November 2, 2016. Content updated September 2, 2020.

I was given a copy of the course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.