If you are a marketing professional, you have dealt with advertising in general, and most likely advertising on Google specifically, at some point in your career. Being familiar with Google Ads (aka, previously, Google Adwords) comes in handy for a lot of us. Needless to say, if you are hoping to help clients run better search ad campaigns or do ad optimization, your knowledge needs to go deeper than that. That’s where Google Ads certification comes into play.
What is Google Ads Certification?
Put simply, it is a series of online exams available on Google Academy for Ads that are free to take and that come with their own study guides, also free to access. Each exam has a passing grade of 80% — answering 80% of the multiple-choice questions (or more) correctly earns you a badge of completion that is valid for 1 calendar year. Once you satisfy the certification requirements — passing the Google Ads Fundamentals course and the certification-specific course — voilà, you are Google-certified!
Benefits of getting Google-certified
Just like any other standardized achievement, the certification has several benefits.
The number one is knowledge. Unless you are a pro who’s been working with Adwords for years, you will benefit from the deeper dive into the caverns of advertising with Google. The platform constantly evolves, introducing changes big and small, so even the Adwords veterans will find it worth their time. Search, Display, Shopping, Video and Mobile are all available streams to get certified in.
Two, for companies who wish to become Google Partners, one of the requirements is having at least one team member who is Google-certified. If you are in charge of an agency hoping to one day attain this status, start supporting your employees on their quest for Google knowledge today!
Three, taking the certification exams carries no significant risks. If you do not pass a course, you are free to repeat the attempt in just one day. You may revisit the study guides as many times as you wish. The system also recommends the specific study guides for you to refresh, based on your performance during the exam, which is extremely helpful even for those who pass.
So what’s the point of Google Certification anyway?
But Katya, – you may ask, – what’s the big deal if anyone can do it? Where’s the prestige? Where’s the exclusivity?
Well, yes, anyone can do it… yet not everyone does. Ask yourself why, considering it is free and all. Because it is not a priority for a lot of marketers. Because not everyone is willing to invest the time into it. Not everyone needs to. That’s okay. But if you need this knowledge to be efficient, effective and help your clients the best way you can with Google Ads, then you know what your next step is, prestige be damned.
To recap, Google certification is:
- done online via Google Academy for Ads;
- free of charge;
- open to everyone who wants to get certified;
- available to take and re-take as many times as you need.
Over to you! Have you earned any certifications from Google? If so, what are yours?
