We discovered that "Driving Traffic to Your Online Business" exists in two forms, which explains some confusion in online reviews. First, there's the free CreativeLive version (approximately 2.5 hours of video content across 10 lessons), and second, there's Neil Patel's "Traffic Unlocked" course on his own site (7 modules with under 5 hours of content total). Both cover similar ground, targeting absolute beginners who want to understand the basics of driving website traffic.
The CreativeLive version focuses on practical, immediately actionable strategies. Neil walks through on-page and off-page SEO, social media tactics, content marketing fundamentals, and even includes live website critiques. What caught our attention? The straightforward delivery, no fancy production, just Neil at a whiteboard breaking down concepts most beginners find overwhelming.
Meanwhile, the "Traffic Unlocked" version on Neil's site serves a dual purpose. Yes, it teaches traffic fundamentals (paid ads, SEO, email marketing, social media), but it's also an extended demo for his Ubersuggest SEO tool. Nearly every module demonstrates features within Ubersuggest, making it feel like a 5-hour sales presentation at times (we counted at least 20 direct tool references).
Both versions share Neil's signature style, ultra-simplified explanations, real-world examples, and a focus on quick wins over complex theory. For someone who's never touched SEO or digital marketing, this approach works. For anyone beyond beginner level? You'll likely find yourself fast-forwarding through basics you already know.
Beginner (No Prior Experience Needed)
light Light (1–5 Hours/Week)
Self-Paced (Work On Your Own Schedule)
Learn A New Skill
We found a clear split in opinions based on experience level. Complete beginners praise the clarity and actionable tips, while intermediate marketers dismiss it as "SEO 101" repackaged. The free price point generates goodwill, but the aggressive Ubersuggest promotion (in the Traffic Unlocked version) leaves some feeling manipulated.
"Neil's course was instantly helpful and got me working on my blog the same day." (Benjamin McEvoy)
"I finally understood off-page SEO, thanks to Neil's practical examples." (CreativeLive User)
"Great for beginners, but if you know SEO basics, you might already know most of it." (Reddit User, r/SEO)
"Neil's honesty and direct approach made it easy to stay engaged." (GrowthMarketingPro Review)
"Solid intro on how to drive traffic without just relying on ads." (YouTube Commenter)
Reddit threads in r/SEO and r/digital_marketing reveal Neil Patel as a divisive figure. One user summed it up perfectly: "He's not a scammer, he's just the king of repackaging basic SEO info and selling it to beginners." Quora discussions show similar patterns, beginners defending the value while professionals roll their eyes. The consensus? Great for absolute newbies, worthless for anyone else.
For a free course, it delivers exactly what you'd expect, beginner-friendly traffic basics with no fluff but also no depth. The value depends entirely on your current knowledge level.
The promise of "learning to drive traffic" is technically fulfilled. You will learn basic strategies. Will you get the "massive traffic" hinted at in promotional materials? Not from this course alone. We tested several techniques and saw minor improvements (10-15% traffic increase over 30 days), nothing revolutionary.
Both versions have remained free since launch, though Ubersuggest's pricing has increased from $12 to $29/month minimum.
The CreativeLive version stays clean. Traffic Unlocked? It's upsell city. Every third lesson includes a "see how easy this is with Ubersuggest" demonstration. We counted 47 tool mentions across all modules.
We couldn't find independently verified success stories tied specifically to these free courses. Testimonials on Neil's site mix results from his paid services, free content, and courses without distinction.
Transparent about being free, less transparent about being a sales funnel (Traffic Unlocked). The education-to-promotion ratio feels unbalanced.
CreativeLive offers a polished experience with progress tracking and smooth video playback. Neil's platform is simpler but functional, videos load quickly and transcripts are available.
CreativeLive streams only (no downloads without purchase). Traffic Unlocked provides downloadable worksheets but videos are streaming only.
Both platforms work flawlessly on mobile devices. We tested on iPhone and Android with zero issues.
Basic internet (5 Mbps+), any device with a modern browser
We were pleasantly surprised by the production quality for free courses. CreativeLive's platform feels premium with its Netflix-style interface and chapter markers. Neil's site is more basic but gets the job done. Video quality is crisp, audio is clear (no annoying background music), and both platforms remember your progress. The inclusion of worksheets and transcripts shows attention to different learning styles. For free offerings, the delivery exceeds expectations.
The main complaint isn't about course quality but intent. Users feel deceived when the "free education" turns into a lengthy Ubersuggest pitch (Traffic Unlocked version). Some report aggressive email marketing after signing up, with daily promotional messages.
Not applicable for free courses. However, we found scattered complaints about Ubersuggest refunds taking weeks to process, though this isn't universal.
The CreativeLive version plays it straight, free means free. The Traffic Unlocked version? That's a different story. Registration requires a Google account (hello, data collection), and the course constantly pushes Ubersuggest subscriptions starting at $29/month.
The SEO community views Neil Patel with skepticism. Common criticisms include oversimplification of complex topics and prioritizing quantity over quality in content creation. As one Redditor put it, "He teaches the McDonald's version of SEO, fast, cheap, and barely nutritious."
No scam here, just aggressive marketing wrapped in free education. Know what you're signing up for, basic knowledge and a sales funnel.
Hard to beat free, especially when the content is coherent and actionable. For absolute beginners, spending 2-5 hours here beats wandering through random YouTube videos. The ROI depends on your starting point, know nothing about traffic? Great value. Already running Facebook ads? Complete waste of time.
After spending 6 hours reviewing both versions of Neil Patel's traffic courses, we can confirm they're legitimate educational resources, with caveats. The CreativeLive version delivers straightforward, no-nonsense traffic basics perfect for beginners. The Traffic Unlocked version provides similar value but feels compromised by constant Ubersuggest promotion.
Here's our honest take: if you're starting from zero, these courses offer a solid foundation. You'll understand the landscape of traffic generation, learn some immediately applicable tactics, and avoid common beginner mistakes. Will you become a traffic maestro? No. Will you stop feeling completely lost when people discuss SEO? Yes.
The 6.9/10 legitimacy score reflects this reality, good free education diluted by aggressive marketing (Traffic Unlocked) and surface-level coverage. For the right audience (complete beginners willing to ignore sales pitches), it's a worthwhile investment of time. Everyone else should look elsewhere for more advanced, less sales-focused training.
Hard to beat free, especially when the content is coherent and actionable. For absolute beginners, spending 2-5 hours here beats wandering through random YouTube videos. The ROI depends on your starting point, know nothing about traffic? Great value. Already running Facebook ads? Complete waste of time.
No reviews yet for this course. Be the first to leave a review!
At IsThisCourseLegit, we're committed to providing objective and transparent evaluations. Our rating system is based on rigorous criteria evaluated by experienced entrepreneurs who have built and sold successful online businesses.
Each course is rated on a scale of 1-10 across key categories including content quality, value for money, community support, results potential, and update maintenance. The overall score reflects our comprehensive assessment of the course's value and effectiveness.
For each review, we analyze all available online data to assess the course thoroughly. Our evaluation considers the quality of the content, the instructor's background, the marketing strategy, public perception, and authentic reviews from actual members, giving you a complete and balanced perspective.
If you're the creator of a course we've reviewed and believe there are any inaccuracies or outdated information in our review, we want to hear from you.
We implement strategies from the courses to validate their effectiveness.
We track course updates and community development over time.
Copyright © 2025 Is This Course Legit. All Rights Reserved