UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning - PPC Market Share Analysis May 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the UK Online Universities/E-Learning category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Online Universities/E-Learning – UK

Google AI Overview visibility for Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning UK

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 28.497396907
71.502603093
28%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 62
38
62%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 18%
Transactional 3%
Navigational 0%
Seasonal 0%
Local 0%
Problem Solving 12%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
udemy.com 13.19
coursera.org 10.73
readingeggs.co.uk 10
quizlet.com 7.42
open.ac.uk 5.89
superprof.co.uk 3.51
openstudycollege.com 3.17
arden.ac.uk 2.84
alison.com 2.83
education.gov.uk 2.46
others 37.96
  • udemy.com - 13.19%
  • coursera.org - 10.73%
  • readingeggs.co.uk - 10%
  • quizlet.com - 7.42%
  • open.ac.uk - 5.89%
  • superprof.co.uk - 3.51%
  • openstudycollege.com - 3.17%
  • arden.ac.uk - 2.84%
  • alison.com - 2.83%
  • education.gov.uk - 2.46%
  • others - 37.96%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the education sector’s PPC landscape, Udemy leads with 13.19% click share, followed by Coursera at 10.73%. ‘Others’ dominate with 37.96%, highlighting diverse competition.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date open.ac.uk coursera.org icslearn.co.uk openstudycollege.com arden.ac.uk learndirect.com udemy.com mcarthurmorgan.com e-careers.com digitalmarketinginstitute.com
2026/05/01 4.58% 6.35% 5.93% 2.99% 6.44% 4.2% 3.63% 2.12% 2.52% 1.5%
2026/05/02 6.48% 9.01% 6.13% 3.41% 4.87% 2.27% 3.93% 2.8% 2.96% 1.56%
2026/05/03 6.08% 7.12% 6.05% 3.94% 5.32% 2.85% 3.3% 2.8% 3.02% 2.2%
2026/05/04 5.21% 5.85% 6.31% 4.28% 6.13% 2.44% 3.9% 2.28% 2.69% 2%
2026/05/05 4.25% 5.66% 6.31% 3.35% 5.87% 3.62% 4.19% 2.49% 2.5% 2.23%
2026/05/06 4.36% 5.61% 4.92% 3.63% 8.3% 2.73% 3.72% 2.41% 2.5% 2.46%
2026/05/07 2.37% 7.16% 5.15% 3.46% 7.55% 2.75% 3.46% 2.35% 2.52% 2.39%
2026/05/08 3.47% 6.17% 4.78% 3.11% 4.35% 3.13% 3.13% 2.52% 3.05% 2.28%
2026/05/09 3.3% 6.25% 4% 3.44% 6.29% 1.67% 4.19% 2.45% 2.97% 2.26%
2026/05/10 3.59% 5.48% 3.44% 4.21% 7.55% 2.18% 3.89% 2.62% 3.15% 1.71%
2026/05/11 6.26% 5.55% 4.8% 3.83% 5.76% 2.97% 2.44% 2.45% 2.58% 2.55%
2026/05/12 4.34% 5.5% 5.49% 4.28% 3.96% 2.9% 2.12% 2.21% 2.72% 2.57%
2026/05/13 3.87% 7.47% 5.67% 4.03% 4.27% 1.88% 2.66% 1.89% 2.97% 2.61%
2026/05/14 4.3% 7.76% 6.1% 3.92% 5.27% 2.11% 2.28% 2.24% 2.19% 2.45%
2026/05/15 3.44% 6.13% 4.74% 3.08% 4.31% 3.11% 3.11% 2.5% 3.02% 2.26%
2026/05/16 5.83% 8.18% 6.24% 4.89% 3.28% 1.09% 2.6% 3.43% 2.63% 2.41%
2026/05/17 5.69% 7.48% 6.56% 4.53% 3.09% 1.57% 2.77% 3.09% 2.34% 2.26%
2026/05/18 5.03% 8.05% 7.22% 3.79% 4.27% 2.32% 2.67% 1.79% 2.19% 2.44%
2026/05/19 4.9% 5.97% 6.75% 3.77% 4.96% 2.86% 3.02% 2.1% 3.2% 1.67%
2026/05/20 5.67% 5.91% 7.34% 3.9% 3.99% 2.63% 3.13% 2.46% 2.52% 1.62%
2026/05/21 5.9% 6.36% 7.08% 3.55% 6.3% 2.62% 2.28% 2.24% 1.94% 2.18%
2026/05/22 6.33% 5.49% 7.28% 3.97% 5.59% 2.88% 2.46% 2.8% 2.86% 2.09%
2026/05/23 6.02% 7.07% 7.3% 4.47% 4.27% 1.69% 1.77% 2.89% 2.74% 1.9%
2026/05/24 5.53% 7.56% 6.21% 6.14% 5.5% 3.32% 2.25% 2.75% 2.73% 2.04%
2026/05/25 8.13% 6.93% 6.7% 4.9% 5.51% 2.52% 2.51% 2.58% 3.06% 2.14%
2026/05/26 6.34% 8.08% 6.31% 5.12% 7.16% 3.12% 2.21% 1.82% 3.27% 2.12%
2026/05/27 6.79% 7.32% 6.92% 4.59% 6.51% 3.66% 2.24% 2.16% 3.22% 2.17%
2026/05/28 7.01% 8.01% 6.7% 4.74% 5.86% 3.22% 2.53% 2.08% 2.67% 2.03%
2026/05/29 6.7% 7.6% 6.57% 4.2% 6.4% 3.38% 2.29% 2.36% 2.73% 2.04%
2026/05/30 8.29% 6.55% 6.95% 4.99% 4.3% 2.2% 2.46% 2.87% 2.38% 1.97%
2026/05/31 8.1% 6.93% 6.23% 5.4% 4.37% 3.43% 2.33% 2.22% 1.99% 1.96%
  • open.ac.uk
  • coursera.org
  • icslearn.co.uk
  • openstudycollege.com
  • arden.ac.uk
  • learndirect.com
  • udemy.com
  • mcarthurmorgan.com
  • e-careers.com
  • digitalmarketinginstitute.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In May 2026, Open University and Coursera led PPC spend, with Open University peaking at 8.29% on May 30. Coursera maintained strong performance, peaking at 9.01% on May 2. The month concluded with Open University at 8.10% and Coursera at 6.93%.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/05/01 328
2026/05/02 333
2026/05/03 346
2026/05/04 344
2026/05/05 334
2026/05/06 327
2026/05/07 347
2026/05/08 347
2026/05/09 312
2026/05/10 327
2026/05/11 362
2026/05/12 391
2026/05/13 382
2026/05/14 375
2026/05/15 347
2026/05/16 387
2026/05/17 411
2026/05/18 411
2026/05/19 392
2026/05/20 413
2026/05/21 404
2026/05/22 422
2026/05/23 402
2026/05/24 400
2026/05/25 434
2026/05/26 440
2026/05/27 445
2026/05/28 429
2026/05/29 426
2026/05/30 424
2026/05/31 420

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In May 2026, distinct advertisers on Google SERP began at 328, fluctuated, and peaked at 445. The month concluded with 420 advertisers, showcasing a dynamic landscape.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
readingeggs.co.uk 2.6%
open.ac.uk 1.36%
myfreecourse.co.uk 0.67%
icslearn.co.uk 0.66%
theaimgroup.co.uk 0.46%
edx.org -0.45%
freecoursesinengland.co.uk -0.94%
coursera.org -1.01%
superprof.co.uk -1.37%
udemy.com -2.19%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Readingeggs.co.uk surged with a 2.60% click share increase, while udemy.com dropped by 2.19%. Open.ac.uk gained 1.36%, contrasting coursera.org’s 1.01% decline.

Campaign Efficiency

UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

Date open.ac.uk coursera.org openstudycollege.com readingeggs.co.uk arden.ac.uk udemy.com alison.com icslearn.co.uk learndirect.com quizlet.com
2026/05/01 4.47% 5.89% 3.5% 4.58% 10.75% 7.54% 1.87% 2.55% 3.9% 0%
2026/05/02 6.02% 8.24% 3.04% 2.16% 4.29% 7.96% 0.92% 2.18% 1.88% 15.07%
2026/05/03 6.18% 6.43% 4.67% 3.41% 6.98% 6.78% 1.68% 2.58% 2.54% 5.32%
2026/05/04 4.74% 5.61% 5.12% 3.71% 9.45% 8.59% 1.88% 2.67% 2.06% 0%
2026/05/05 4.17% 5.84% 3.92% 2.96% 8.94% 8.99% 2.53% 2.48% 3.54% 0%
2026/05/06 3.1% 5.69% 3.55% 4.39% 14.43% 8.72% 2.12% 1.93% 2.73% 0%
2026/05/07 1.78% 6.53% 3.04% 4.91% 11.92% 7.13% 1.92% 1.91% 2.5% 9.15%
2026/05/08 3.3% 5.48% 2.91% 4.46% 5.93% 6.08% 2.63% 1.75% 2.76% 8.31%
2026/05/09 2.5% 5.32% 3.04% 7.64% 10.03% 8.87% 2.53% 1.51% 1.51% 5.21%
2026/05/10 2.75% 4.3% 3.22% 5.55% 11.01% 7.55% 2.11% 1.18% 1.88% 7.39%
2026/05/11 6.46% 5.53% 3.86% 2.93% 9.46% 5.41% 3.57% 2.26% 2.48% 0%
2026/05/12 3.55% 5.37% 4.9% 4.12% 5.36% 4.54% 3.48% 2.25% 2.28% 2.74%
2026/05/13 3.46% 6.45% 3.25% 2.59% 6.95% 5.36% 3.57% 2.09% 1.9% 6.04%
2026/05/14 3.79% 6.54% 3.3% 1.93% 9.46% 5.08% 4.36% 2.55% 2.2% 0%
2026/05/15 3.3% 5.48% 2.91% 4.46% 5.93% 6.08% 2.63% 1.75% 2.76% 8.31%
2026/05/16 5.43% 7.03% 4.64% 1.97% 3.69% 6.16% 3.57% 3.06% 1.09% 0%
2026/05/17 5.31% 6.14% 4.01% 4.49% 3.54% 6.65% 3.41% 3.05% 1.71% 0%
2026/05/18 4.4% 6.86% 3.26% 4.14% 6.22% 6.47% 3.04% 3.25% 2.21% 0%
2026/05/19 3.88% 6% 3.09% 4.15% 8.66% 6.79% 2.72% 3.07% 3.04% 0%
2026/05/20 4.7% 5.68% 3.56% 6.45% 4.94% 7.35% 2.88% 3.21% 2.56% 0%
2026/05/21 4.67% 5.12% 3.26% 4.1% 10.36% 4.73% 3.78% 3.39% 2.69% 0%
2026/05/22 5.14% 4.74% 3.36% 5.8% 8.46% 5.53% 3.81% 3.37% 2.69% 0%
2026/05/23 4.78% 4.94% 3.55% 4.33% 4.58% 3.63% 3.58% 3.61% 1.45% 10.96%
2026/05/24 4.12% 5.5% 6.09% 3.4% 8.95% 5.11% 3.28% 2.89% 2.74% 5.28%
2026/05/25 7.55% 5.44% 4.18% 5.16% 8.2% 5.43% 3.65% 3.11% 2.2% 2.67%
2026/05/26 5.06% 6.54% 4.95% 3.59% 12.16% 4.94% 4.64% 3.25% 2.6% 0%
2026/05/27 5.21% 6.46% 4.13% 3.13% 8.76% 5.05% 4% 3.36% 3.36% 9.73%
2026/05/28 5.12% 5.68% 5.06% 5.74% 7.93% 5.39% 3.63% 2.92% 3.61% 4.86%
2026/05/29 5.94% 6.44% 3.68% 6.87% 10.3% 5.47% 3.78% 2.98% 3.17% 0%
2026/05/30 6.9% 5.52% 4.56% 6.69% 5.2% 5.7% 3.57% 3.16% 1.61% 5.67%
2026/05/31 7.13% 5.95% 5.88% 5.42% 5.26% 5.25% 3.49% 3.15% 2.82% 0%
  • open.ac.uk
  • coursera.org
  • openstudycollege.com
  • readingeggs.co.uk
  • arden.ac.uk
  • udemy.com
  • alison.com
  • icslearn.co.uk
  • learndirect.com
  • quizlet.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In May 2026, Open.ac.uk’s impression share fluctuated, peaking at 7.55% on May 25. Coursera.org maintained a steady presence, while Quizlet.com saw significant spikes. By month’s end, Open.ac.uk led with 7.13%.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Education & Training Online Universities/E-Learning - Last month
  1. 1
    Free Online Courses With Certificates & Diplomas https://www.alison.com

    Free online courses with certificates. Join 15 million graduates and empower your career. Study, learn, certify, upskill with free online learning and training

  2. 2
    University Open Courses - Study Open Courses Online https://study.arden.ac.uk

    Accredited Qualifications, 24/7 Online Access To Study Materials, Student Support. Join Arden...

  3. 3
    Free Online Courses with Recognised Qualifications https://www.myfreecourse.co.uk

    Whether you're looking to increase your knowledge, make a career change or just learn something new, we have a range of courses with recognised qualifications to suit your needs.

  4. 4
    Reading Eggs - Learn to Read - Reading Program for Ages 2–13 https://www.readingeggs.co.uk

    Reading Eggs is the multi‑award winning online reading program for kids aged 2–13. kidSAFE certified, ad-free and lessons to match your child's...

  5. 5
    Udemy - Courses On Demand | Learn On Any Device https://www.udemy.com

    Join millions of learners from around the world already learning on Udemy. Find the right instructor for you. Choose from many topics, skill levels, and languages.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of online education, Alison.com leads with its promise of free courses and certificates, attracting 15 million graduates. Arden.ac.uk emphasizes accredited qualifications and 24/7 access, while MyFreeCourse.co.uk offers recognized qualifications for career changers. ReadingEggs.co.uk targets young learners with its award-winning reading program, and Udemy.com highlights its global reach and diverse course offerings.

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