Best Salesforce Certification Courses

Salesforce skills and certifications are in high demand in the information technology industry and you’ll be positioned to take your career to the next level with a few certifications under your belt. 

But what’s the best way to prepare for the exam? An online Salesforce certification course is an ideal place to start. Whether you’re new to Salesforce or need to brush up on your skills, we’ll go over several options for you to choose from that go beyond an exam guide.

We explored over 100 Salesforce certification courses on the web and come up with our top picks. The featured courses are from LinkedIn Learning, PluralSight, Trailhead and Udemy. While this CRM platform is popular and these names are well-known, you should the platform that make the most sense for your needs.

Here’s a description of each course, who it’s for and the price point. We’ve also categorized the courses by skill level: beginners, intermediate students and advanced students.  

These Salesforce Certification Courses are great for if you’re just learning the ropes.

Just $19.99 gets you a seat in this bestselling course from Udemy — it’ll teach you everything you need to know to pass the Salesforce Administrator Certification Exam.

When you enroll, you’ll have instant access to 10.5 hours of on-demand video, 17 articles, 2 downloadable resources and 1 practice test. The class begins with a lesson on how to create your own free account. You’ll also learn core concepts of the platform along with the mechanics of deploying the Lightning Experience in Salesforce.

The class is instructed by Mike Wheeler, Salesforce trainer, and Aaron Wheeler, Adobe certified expert. It’s designed for beginners and those who are a bit more experienced who want to take the Salesforce Administrator Exam. 

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It’s fun to prepare for your Salesforce Administrator Certification Exam through Trailhead’s course. 

This 53-hour class begins with an overview of the exam so you’ll know what to expect when it’s time to test. It’s followed by an organization setup task in Salesforce. Once you’ve got the foundational work out of the way, you’ll jump right into the first Salesforce Platform Basics module. 

As the course progresses, you’ll be required to complete a series of assignments and projects to demonstrate your proficiency in the subject. The class wraps up with helpful study tools and a practice test. 

Enrollment is free, but you’ll need to sign up for a Trailhead account to get started. 

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You might want to gain a better understanding of how Salesforce formulas work if you want to enhance your user experience. This 5-star course is worth exploring. The class is a little over 1.5 hours and includes 6 modules. 

Instructor and software developer Dan Appleman covers formulas, data, operators and functions. He also shares real-life examples and testing formulas that can significantly assist you when as you use the platform. 

The enrollment fee for Formula Fundamentals in Salesforce is included in the $29 PluralSight monthly subscription. You can also grab a seat for free by signing up for a 10-day trial. 

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Have you mastered Salesforce mechanics? If not, these intermediate-level courses may be a good fit.

Taught by Christopher Matthew Spencer, a Salesforce certified administrator, this course is best for those who are ready to start preparing for the qualification exam. 

The 1-hour class touches on the benefits of certification, what’s included in the exam and how to register. You’ll also learn which study materials are most useful and the tips you should implement to increase your odds of earning a passing score on the first attempt. 

It’s free to enroll with a $29.99 LinkedIn Learning monthly membership. But if you’re not yet a member, sign up for a free 1-month subscription to access the course for free.

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Learn what it takes to pass the Salesforce Platform App Builder Certification Exam in this bestselling course from Udemy. You’ll also learn how to set up security and access permissions, configure a role hierarchy, build apps on the platform and a host of other useful skills. 

This class includes 19 hours of on-demand video, 11 articles and 6 downloadable resources to supplement your learning. Once you’ve reached the finish line, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion. 

Enrollment is only $19.99 and it’s best to have a working knowledge of Salesforce before you sign up for the class.

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You’ll be able to review key concepts that appear on the Salesforce Platform App Builder exam. This class begins with a primer on Salesforce fundamentals and dives into more complex concepts related to app building. 

The material is delivered through interactive modules that include hands-on tasks and projects designed to enhance your experience. After the course, you can work through real-life simulations that apply to concepts featured in the certification exam. Expect to spend approximately 55 hours working through the course.

Make sure you know design, building and implementation of custom application basics before you enroll in the course. 

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Do you have extensive knowledge of the platform or are you a Salesforce certified administrator? You may be interested in these advanced courses.

Do you want to take your career to the next level as a Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator? This course, the first of a 3-part series, will give you a sneak peek into what the process entails. You can proceed with the other 2 classes in Udemy if you enjoyed the first.

Test drive this 5-hour course for only $19.99. You can receive your money back within 30 days of enrollment if you’re not satisfied for any reason.

The Salesforce Administrator Certification Credential is a prerequisite for this course and you’ll also need it to sit for the exam. 

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Are you interested in the Cloud Consultant Certification? If so, you might want to consider taking this class. This Udemy bestseller will equip you with the knowledge needed to pass the exam. Over 1,700 students have enrolled in this comprehensive course to date. 

You’ll be able to access a thorough discussion of the components of the exam. Instructor Mike Wheeler also covers implementation strategies, sales cloud solution design, marketing and leads, opportunity management, sales productivity and a host of other integral concepts. 

You can enroll for $19.99 and have instant access to 11 hours of on-demand video, 13 articles and 7 downloadable resources. 

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This bestselling course will prepare you to pass the Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant Certification Exam. It includes 115 lectures condensed into 11 hours of video. You will also have access to 9 articles when you enroll. 

Instructors Mike and Aaron Wheeler offer 11 modules to give you access to essential industry knowledge. You’ll also earn the mechanics of implementation strategies, service cloud solution design, building custom service apps, knowledge management and interaction channels. 

Enrollment is $19.99 and you should have experience working in Salesforce before you register for this class. 

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Going beyond a practice exam, you need a certificate course that meets you where you are. The best Salesforce certification programs meet the following criteria

Are you an IT employee? If so, you’re well aware that Salesforce is a sophisticated customer relationship management platform. Make sure you get an instructor who can break down terms, concepts and methodology. Look for a Salesforce trainer who’s well-versed in the platform and understands how to get you through the online certificate program. A Salesforce consultant may know the platform, but make sure they teach in a manner that speaks to you.

You can’t expect to become skilled in Salesforce by reading a multi-page document. For this reason, the course should be interactive and include tasks or projects that allow you to apply the knowledge you’ve learned in the modules. It’s also a bonus if the instructor provides demonstrations for you to reference at a later date if needed. 

Most importantly, the course should include at least 1 practice exam to test your proficiency in the material. Otherwise, you won’t know whether you’re prepared to take the salesforce certification exam or if you need more time to study. 

Some classes may force you to rush through the material to meet deadlines. As you explore sales Certification courses, confirm that you’re allowed to work at your own pace prior to the Salesforce exam. That way, you can take your time and give yourself the best chance at passing the applicable exam on the first attempt. 

Enrolling in a reputable Salesforce certification course is the best way to set yourself up for success. You’ll take the guesswork out of trying to figure out what concepts to focus on and you’ll increase the odds of passing on the first try. 

New to Salesforce? Consider a free course to get acclimated with the platform. Once you’ve mastered the basics, move on to more complex material — enroll in intermediate and advanced courses. 

Confirm that the course is taught by a Salesforce trainer with a stellar track record. The course should also be self-paced so you have an ample amount of time to understand, retain and apply the information shared in the class. 

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Benzinga recommends The Complete Salesforce Classic Administrator and Prepare for Your Salesforce Administrator Credentials.

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It takes 6 weeks to complete the certification, depending on your experience.

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Depending on the industry in which you work and your role, you may or may not need Salesforce certification to obtain gainful employment. However, it is wise to receive as much training as you can to make yourself more marketable over the long-term.

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Salesforce acquires automated commission management platform Spiff

Salesforce has announced plans to acquire Spiff, a platform that automates commission management for sales teams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2017, Spiff serves up a low-code interface designed to make it easy for businesses to create a sales compensation plan that automatically updates based on personnel meeting their pre-agreed targets. With native integrations for the common enterprise CRM and ERP systems, Spiff says it can handle the most intricate commission structures, including whatever conditions may be in place to trigger payments, while sales representatives can see what commission they’re due in real time.

The Salt Lake City-based startup had raised north of $110 million in its six-year history, including cash injections from Salesforce’s very own venture capital firm Salesforce Ventures, which invested in Spiff’s Series B round in 2021 and led its $50 million Series C round earlier this year.

Image Credits: Spiff

Once the acquisition closes, which is expected in the first few months of 2024, Salesforce says that Spiff will be put to work within its Sales Performance Management software, a CRM-connected product that connects customer and sales team data.

It’s worth noting that the two companies have a history that goes beyond the previous equity investment, with Spiff making itself available on the Salesforce AppExchange for several years already.

The deal also constitutes the latest in a line of ecosystem companies that Salesforce has eventually brought in-house. Back in September Salesforce acquired Airkit, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents. Not only did Airkit’s founders have a previous exit to Salesforce, having sold a big data startup called RelateIQ for $390 million in 2014, but Salesforce Ventures had invested in Airkit over several rounds since its founding in 2017. And similar to Spiff, Airkit was also available on AppExchange.

So it’s clear that Salesforce continues to see tried-and-tested ecosystem companies as a safe bet for its M&A endeavors, with “low-code” playing a key factor too.