Is Your Search Agency Google Adwords Certified?
Lots of individuals and companies claim a proficiency in Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing, and the most common platform used in PPC is Google Adwords. This is because Google is the top search engine, by a wide margin, and its advertising platform lets you run ads for searches on Google, AOL, and many other sites. You can also run “content match” ads on millions of other sites, including big names like Facebook, and have your ad show up in context with topics related to what you sell.
However, in the same way that not every business is BBB certified, not every search agency (or agent) is actually certified by Google. There are two certifications available, one for an individual and one for a company. For an example of a company certification, you can look at our Adwords Certification here. If your company only has one individual qualified, the linked page will show an “individual” logo but then change to “company” when 2 people qualify. Most of the time, a qualified agency will have a direct link from the logo that says “Adwords Qualified Company [or individual]” to the appropriate Google page verifying the company. If the logo does not link to a page on Google, make sure to ask your prospective agency for actual link.
What are the requirements for Adwords Certification? Basically, you have to pay $50, manage a certain amount of money over time in a My Client Center (or MCC, a master Adwords account), and pass a test. To be a certified company, you need at least 2 people who passed the Adwords quiz under the same MCC. The test has all kinds of questions on it, regarding everything from keyword matching to billing. There are even Adwords API developer token questions, for the odd cases where you want to get into the deepest recesses of the Adwords environment and develop your own interface.
The importance of the test is that it demonstrates a certain level of proficiency with Google Adwords and PPC management. We have seen multiple cases where our new clients could have saved thousands (and even tens of thousands) of dollars per month by using a basic PPC setting to weed out bad traffic. Passing an exam is no guarantee of superior results, but having more than one Adwords certified individual will at least indicate that there are experienced people in the PPC department. Another advantage of having a qualified company is that Google gives out $100 promotional coupons for new clients.
Still want to manage your own Google PPC account? Even if you don’t qualify for the exam, you could still learn a good deal by going to the Adwords Learning Center and becoming familiar with all the features of the system. (At the time of this writing, it looks as if the practice quizzes and videos for each section have been removed.) Anyone who is managing an advertising budget of more than a few dollars per day should become well versed in how Adwords works, since a minor improvement to a PPC campaign can create a cost savings in addition to a higher rate of conversion. Improving your PPC proficiency is a great way to squeeze dollars out of flat marketing budgets. Given that Google changes its interface on a regular basis, a little studying may even give you insights into PPC features that your consultant is not yet be familiar with.
However, in the same way that not every business is BBB certified, not every search agency (or agent) is actually certified by Google. There are two certifications available, one for an individual and one for a company. For an example of a company certification, you can look at our Adwords Certification here. If your company only has one individual qualified, the linked page will show an “individual” logo but then change to “company” when 2 people qualify. Most of the time, a qualified agency will have a direct link from the logo that says “Adwords Qualified Company [or individual]” to the appropriate Google page verifying the company. If the logo does not link to a page on Google, make sure to ask your prospective agency for actual link.
What are the requirements for Adwords Certification? Basically, you have to pay $50, manage a certain amount of money over time in a My Client Center (or MCC, a master Adwords account), and pass a test. To be a certified company, you need at least 2 people who passed the Adwords quiz under the same MCC. The test has all kinds of questions on it, regarding everything from keyword matching to billing. There are even Adwords API developer token questions, for the odd cases where you want to get into the deepest recesses of the Adwords environment and develop your own interface.
The importance of the test is that it demonstrates a certain level of proficiency with Google Adwords and PPC management. We have seen multiple cases where our new clients could have saved thousands (and even tens of thousands) of dollars per month by using a basic PPC setting to weed out bad traffic. Passing an exam is no guarantee of superior results, but having more than one Adwords certified individual will at least indicate that there are experienced people in the PPC department. Another advantage of having a qualified company is that Google gives out $100 promotional coupons for new clients.
Still want to manage your own Google PPC account? Even if you don’t qualify for the exam, you could still learn a good deal by going to the Adwords Learning Center and becoming familiar with all the features of the system. (At the time of this writing, it looks as if the practice quizzes and videos for each section have been removed.) Anyone who is managing an advertising budget of more than a few dollars per day should become well versed in how Adwords works, since a minor improvement to a PPC campaign can create a cost savings in addition to a higher rate of conversion. Improving your PPC proficiency is a great way to squeeze dollars out of flat marketing budgets. Given that Google changes its interface on a regular basis, a little studying may even give you insights into PPC features that your consultant is not yet be familiar with.
posted by Patrick Hare at
2:19 PM
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