The fastest way to grow traffic for your website, service or product is to use paid search advertising. Platforms like Google AdWords and Analytics are staples of paid search advertising as they offer deep online reach and holistic data overview features. But to get the maximum return-on-investment, you’ll want to work with a certified Google Partner.
For a digital marketing agency, being a Google Partner means you have a history of maintaining Google’s professional standards for client success. The agency must have mastery of Google’s advertising platforms and best practices with record of data-driven results.
How Does an Agency Become a certified Partner?
Google rewards their partners with a patch on their website to show their active partnership status. Google is also highly protective of its intellectual property and is constantly challenging it partners with annual exams and quality assurance audits. There are three main requirements that Google uses to evaluate eligibility1:
- Must Have Google Certifications
The paid search advertising agency must have employees who have earned at least two Google certifications. There are 5 certifications that employees must register and pass an exam for in addition to the mandatory Google AdWords exam.
- Must Meet Spend Requirements
Agencies must show a healthy business history. Google audits spend activity using several indicators to measure business health, such as:
- A minimum of $10,000 in total AdWords spend within the last 90 calendar days.
- Active AdWords accounts in at least 60 of the last 90 days.
- AdWords Manager account must be at least 90 days old.
- History of Paid Search Advertising Best Practices
Google performs audits to ensure that Partners are utilizing the best paid search advertising practices to maximize the campaign performance of their clients. The audit looks for account optimization efforts, such as client retention, frequency of cost-effective actions, and history of client’s return-on-investment.
Google will also audit for active innovation within client accounts. Google Partners are encouraged to experiment with new advertisements, ad groups, and targeting options to find more profitable markets for clients.
What Can a Google Partner Do for Me?
In addition to certifications and experience in Google platforms, Partners have access to exclusive beta features and products for up to a year before they’re made public. This gives marketers a competitive advantage over the competition as they employ innovative new tools, transferring the advantages to their clients.
Partners will also have access to Google Reps when there is a technical issue with a client’s AdWords account. In most other instances, it can take up 3 days before an account is fixed – leading to budget and opportunity losses. As a Google Partner, client accounts are given priority service and issues are addressed immediately.
As Google Partners, Strongpage’s client accounts are managed by paid search advertising professionals who personify Google’s high standard of service. Strongpages offers 9 years of digital marketing experience for clients in competitive industries, from health to technology. To learn more about paid search advertising on Google, contact Strongpages today!
1 “Qualifying for Google Partner status”. https://support.google.com/partners/answer/3126965?hl=en