Earlier this week in digging into some Google insights for search data we learned that an increasing number of you are looking for information about the Google AdsCertification program: Show
The impetus for all this new-found search interest is likely a rebranding of Googles partner program and a series of changes on Googles end to how the Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords)certification process works, including several eligibility standards. As with the need for free Google Adsvideos mentioned here recently, not all of Googles help materials are immediately helpful, and the same is true for the documentation around the Google Adscertification program (possibly another reason for a jump in search traffic here). In this post well try to represent some of the nuts and bolts information around getting Google Ads certified in a manner thats slightly easier to digest, and well also try to layer some additional useful tips and advice on top of what you can get from the Google Ads help materials. Theres quite a bit of AdWords certification content in an FAQ layout; well be covering:
What Are the Different Types of Google AdsCertification?This is an important distinction to understand right out of the gate Google offers both individual and company certification. Basically the distinction is simply that:
Should I Get an Individual Google Ads (AdWords) Certification?This is obviously the most important question to ask and answer before you get started down the path to Google Ads certification. The answer depends entirely on your objective. If youre simply looking to learn Google Ads, I dont think the certification is the best use of your time and resources. There are several things covered here that arent necessarily critical to your being successful with Google Ads(for instance you might be focused on B2B lead generation in that case much of what youd learn about product extensions might be gratuitous and not actionable for you). If you have $100 to spend and simply want to figure out how to get the best possible bang for your educational buck Id recommend picking up either Brad Geddes Advanced Google Adsor David Szetelas Pay Per Click Marketing an Hour a Day. If youre willing to invest a bit more time and money then training programs like PPC Blog and Certified Knowledgewill be more than worth the monthly fees. And of course theres always pay-per-click software to try and buy. There are two main instances where I think the certification can be valuable, however:
Should I Get a Google Ads Partner Certification?For this one I think the answer is generally yes if youre at a point where youre asking the question. The caveat being that youll need to be managing at least $10,000 spend in a 90-day period. I certainly wouldnt advocate dedicating a PPC budget to meeting the qualifications if you dont already, but in the event that you are already managing that for clients its likely worth having one of your employees get individual certification (or doing so yourself) and achieving partner certification. If youre selling PPC management services this is again a nice trust signal for prospective clients. An additional benefit here is that youre listed in Googles certified partners database and when people search that database for certain criteria they can find your company and become a lead for you. How Much Does Google Ads (AdWords) Certification Cost?This is effectively $100: you have to take two exams (one basic and one advanced) for individual certification. If youre attempting to get company certification this could be zero (if you have an employee already qualified and are managing $10,000 over a 90-day span you just need to sign up). How Do I Sign Up to Take the AdWords or Google Ads Certification Exam?This is a bit more involved. Googles help documentation lays the process out in a fairly straightforward way, but the document with the information is a bit difficult to locate so here are the steps: Choose the scenario that applies to you in order to see steps on how to take the exams. A. Purchasing an exam (no Testing Center account)
B. Purchase an exam (existing Testing Center account)
If you have aGoogle Ads voucher they also have instructions for that use case in the help document. Is There a Google Ads Certification Course?As far as I know the only learning aids are the help materials offered by Google, but these should be more than sufficient in preparing for the test, particularly as they offer both textual and video content. If youre looking for a live learning experience around Google Ads, Brad Geddes runs Google Ads Seminars for Successbut these tend to be more advanced and are not focused around passing the Google Ads certification tests. Google Ads Certification Tips & Study AidsOur friends at PPC Hero contributed a post on 5 tips to pass PPC certification exams, which offers some good general advice including taking notes on the help materials and being careful to give yourself enough time to prepare. Some additional tips Id ad would be:
In terms of studying for the test the only aid or guide youll really need will be the Google Ads learning center materials:http://ads.google.com/support/aw/go/learningcenter so be sure to check out both the text and video content there that pertains to the test youre taking. |