Brandwave

CXL vs Google Skillshop:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Google Skillshop had more branded searches than CXL among digital marketing courses worldwide. Google Skillshop had about 115,000 branded searches, while CXL had 27,500. Google Skillshop made up 30.3% of all digital marketing course searches we track, and CXL accounted for 7.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about digital marketing courses, Google Skillshop appeared in three of the five answers and CXL in none.

Among digital marketing courses worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Google Skillshop, about 4 searches for every 1 for CXL

Google Skillshop 115K searchesCXL 27.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Google Skillshop, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, CXL in 0

Google Skillshop in 3 of 5CXL in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Google Skillshop, the only one of the two named

Google Skillshop first in 3CXL never named

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Top digital marketing courses in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Google Skillshop was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. CXL did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. HubSpot Academy1st
  2. Google Skillshop2nd
  3. Semrush Academy3rd
  4. Meta Blueprint4th
  5. Digital Marketing Institute5th
  6. Google Digital Garage–
  7. CXL–
  8. Reforge–
  9. DigitalMarketer–
  10. Growth Tribe–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • HubSpot Academy5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Skillshop3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Semrush Academy2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Meta Blueprint1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Digital Marketing Institute1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Digital Garage0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • CXL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Reforge0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • DigitalMarketer0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Growth Tribe0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about digital marketing courses

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on November 9, 2026.

Sites the answers about digital marketing courses cited

22 sites

  1. academy.hubspot.com, cited in 5 of 5 answers

  2. classcentral.com, cited in 3 of 5 answers

  3. coursera.org, cited in 3 of 5 answers

  4. semrush.com, cited in 2 of 5 answers

  5. skillshop.withgoogle.com, cited in 2 of 5 answers

  6. reddit.com, cited in 2 of 5 answers

  7. grow.google, cited in 2 of 5 answers

  8. uclaextension.edu, cited in 2 of 5 answers

  9. facebook.com, cited in 1 of 5 answers

  10. udacity.com, cited in 1 of 5 answers

  11. onlinecourseing.com, cited in 1 of 5 answers

  12. stuartkerrs.com, cited in 1 of 5 answers

Is CXL or Google Skillshop more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for CXL and Google Skillshop by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten digital marketing course brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

CXL and Google Skillshop among digital marketing courses worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google Skillshop, CXL. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthHubSpot AcademyGoogle SkillshopGoogle Digital GarageMeta BlueprintCXLReforgeSemrush AcademyDigital Marketing InstituteDigitalMarketerGrowth Tribe
Nov 202526.8%24.6%22.1%8.1%6.8%6.6%2%2.4%0.39%0.32%
Dec 202523.9%26.7%23.9%7.2%6.1%7.2%2.1%2.1%0.42%0.26%
Jan 202625.7%31.3%21%6.3%5.4%6.3%1.5%1.9%0.36%0.25%
Feb 202630.7%25%20.6%7.5%5.3%6.2%1.8%2.3%0.36%0.23%
Mar 202627.3%27.2%22.3%6.7%4.8%6.7%2%2.5%0.32%0.2%
Apr 202627.8%27.7%22.7%6.8%4.8%5.6%2%2%0.33%0.18%
May 202630.6%26%20.5%7.5%5.3%5%1.8%2.7%0.36%0.16%
Jun 202632%27.1%17.5%7.8%5.5%5.3%1.9%2.3%0.31%0.17%
Jul 202632.4%29.5%14.5%7.9%4.6%4.4%1.9%4.4%0.26%0.14%
Aug 202634%31.1%12.5%8.4%4.7%4.6%1.7%2.5%0.39%0.12%
Sep 202632%33.2%11.7%7.9%5.4%5.3%2.3%1.6%0.45%0.14%
Oct 202635.7%30.3%8.7%8.7%7.3%4.8%2.1%1.7%0.5%0.16%

How has branded search for CXL and Google Skillshop changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for digital marketing courses worldwide in October 2026?

3 changes

  1. In October 2026, HubSpot Academy overtook Google Skillshop to become the leader among digital marketing courses worldwide, with 35.7% of the searches.

  2. In October 2026, CXL gained share of searches among digital marketing courses worldwide, from 5.4% to 7.3%.

  3. In October 2026, Google Skillshop lost share of searches among digital marketing courses worldwide, from 33.2% to 30.3%.

How are CXL’s and Google Skillshop’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using CXL’s and Google Skillshop’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

CXL

2 branded search terms

  • cxl
  • cxl institute

Google Skillshop

2 branded search terms

  • google skillshop
  • skillshop

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among digital marketing courses

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