Google Certified Partners: Questions and Answers

July 29, 2015: Google certification is an essential step for an agency as it matures. It can also be a valuable personal career development goal.

Google makes it easy to study — and hopefully pass — its demanding set of exams for the Certificate. We discussed the benefits of Certification in a prior article. In this one, we zoom in on questions likely to be asked by people contemplating taking the exams. 

What is the Google Certified Partners Program?

The Google Certified Partners program is a certification program that exists for both individuals and agencies. Sponsored by Google, the Partners program supports best practices for various Google products, including Adwords.

Why would I want to get Google AdWords Certified?

The AdWords Certifications ensures that you’re familiar with Google’s current best practices in AdWords management. Not only will you become better at managing AdWords accounts and serving clients better; you’ll be able to list this fact as a distinguished professional certification. Being AdWords-certified is an essential step in the journey of any SEM professional. You can also help your agency achieve Partner Status, which may also benefit your career.

What will the program teach me to do?

The fundamentals exam will teach you best practices for managing Google AdWords. There is no such thing as a “practice” account, but an account can be created that is not active (i.e., no keyword bids are entered.) The best practice is to actually manage an account with a small amount of money. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend a huge amount of money in order to gain valuable experience managing AdWords, and Google offers special AdWord coupon deals to encourage people to take the plunge.

What do I need to join the Google Certified Partners program?

In order to join as an individual, you’ll need to get a Gmail account, establish a My Client Center account, and make sure that your Gmail account is linked to your MCC  (My Client Center) account.

What is a My Client Center account?

My Client Center is the front end that allows you to monitor multiple AdWords accounts. This is the interface normally used by an agency or consultant when monitoring client accounts for AdWords. Much of your AdWords work will be taking place from within the MCC interface.

What certifications are available?

Currently, there are five Google Partners certification exams, including:

Fundamentals – The first Google exam covers the basics of AdWords and online advertising as well as basic account management.

Advanced Search – This covers intermediate to advanced level best practices for AdWords campaign management.

Advanced Display – Coverage of advertising on YouTube and the Google Display Network.

Video Advertising – Covers basic and advanced concepts for the YouTube and Google Display networks, such as ad formats, targeting and reporting.

Analytics – Google also offers the Google Analytics Individual Qualification test. This is an excellent addition to the resume of any digital marketer, especially SEO specialists.

Does the program cost money?

No! The program is currently free! There was once a $50 dollar charge, but Google made the program free as of September 30^th, 2013.

What kind of training is available?

Google offers an extensive library of study materials for each of the exams. These walk you through the process of setting up accounts, buying and bidding for keywords, and other pertinent issues in an interactive manner using extensive multimedia (video) elements.

How many hours should I study for the exams?

Our staff here at Didit recommends that a total of 30 hours be devoted to each individual exam. Usually, devoting an hour a day to a module is a good pace, allowing a month of dedicated study to prepare for the fundamentals exam.

Do I have to score 100 percent on the tests?

Thankfully, the answer is no. The fundamentals exam requires that 90 questions be answered with an 80% pass mark (Google recently eased the requirements from 85 percent, which will be good news to many).

Are there sample questions available for study?

Yes! You can find a sample test here, among many other web-based sources for such sample tests.

Should I get tutoring help?

If you’re at an agency, we recommend that you work with your management team – they may already have a procedure as part of the staff development process.

What are the best blogs, communities and other resources for Google AdWords certification?

The best source for info on any of the Google AdWords certifications programs is the Google Partners Community. Beyond this essential info resource, there are many 3^rd party blogs that cover AdWords certification from many angles. Don’t forget the Reddit and Google Plus communities for the topic: these can be very valuable for learning about late-changing features of Google’s digital marketing ecosystem.

Can Non-US Citizens take the Google Certification Exams?

Because one only needs a Gmail address to sign up with Google Partners, non-US Citizens can indeed take the exams. The ability to transact via AdSense requires a US tax ID number, but there are a number of alternative networks set up for non-US citizens interested in using AdSense.

How often do I need to renew my certification?

Normally, Google certifications are good for one year, after which they must be renewed to keep your certificate current.

How do I get coupons for AdWords?

Google regularly offers promotions of AdWords credit to help AdWords professionals start new customers in AdWords. You can find offers here; members of the Partners program also receive other similar offers regularly. These credits can either be used on client accounts or your own, and provide a great way to start making AdWords buys and learning PPC advertising using real dollars, all courtesy of Google.

What online communities exist to support Google partners?

Our favorite is the Google Partners-North America community on Google Plus. This community is heavily participated in by program members, and includes success stories, client challenges, Hangouts On Air and articles that can help any AdWords expert stay on top of their game.

Do equivalent programs exist for Yahoo and Bing?

Yes. Bing has available the Bing Ads Accredited Professional program, which is in most ways similar to the Google Fundamentals exam and applies to Bing Adcenter. Yahoo never seems to have had a program for its ad network, but surprisingly, did host a contributor academy for web writers; this area (as of September 2016) seems to have been decommissioned and taken out of service.