To become a Google partner, a marketing agency must meet several Google-created requirements. The most basic is completing a Partners company profile and having one affiliated individual certified in AdWords. The other requirements are meeting a 90-day spend requirement of $10,000 in a marketing agency’s certified product area and meeting Google’s performance requirements, which are intended to maintain and grow a company’s customer base.
For an individual to be AdWords certified, they must pass the AdWords Fundamentals exam plus an additional exam. Passing an exam requires a score of at least 80 percent. The exam options are Search Advertising, Display Advertising, Mobile Advertising, Video Advertising, and Shopping Advertising. The goal of the exams is to train marketers on the value of online advertising, how to setup and manage their AdWords account, how to measure a campaigns success, and to optimize campaigns.
Each AdWords specialization focuses on a different aspect of running ads with Google. The Search Advertising exam focuses on the Google Search Network, which includes the paid results Google users see when they search a particular term. Display Advertising focuses on the visual ads potential customers see as they click around various websites. Mobile Advertising covers targeting campaigns for mobile devices. Video Advertising tests a marketer’s understanding of best practices for YouTube and other video campaigns. The Shopping Advertising exam deals with creating a Merchant Center account and product information for Shopping campaigns.
In order to maintain Google Partner status, individuals need to retake each exam 12 months from the date that exam was originally taken and have at least 2 AdWords certifications active at any given time.
As a result of all the training a Google Certified Individual goes through, some with a Google certification is an expert in Google AdWords. At Larchwood Marketing, we use this knowledge to find relevant keywords to your business and target your ads toward Google users who may be interested in your product or services.
