Google has unveiled a series of changes to how the company works with advertising and PPC agency partners using the AdWords search engine marketing platform.
Perhaps the biggest change is that the Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) program, which provided training and certification for PPC advertisers, will be replaced by the new Google AdWords Certification programme.
According to the company’s VP of Global Agency Development, Penny Price, this will make it easier for advertisers to find certified PPC agency partners to work as well as offering “better training and more rigorous certification in AdWords proficiency.”
The new program features new training materials, a more challenging set of certification exams which aim to test practical knowledge rather than recall, as well as advanced level exams to highlight competency in specific areas of search engine marketing via AdWords. These include search, display, reporting and analysis. There is a redesigned Certified Partner badge with a new ‘click to verify’ element – a link to the partner’s profile page for more detailed information on their certifications.
Certified partners will also be able to opt-in to the new Google Partner Search feature – an online directory that allows advertisers to search for partners by a variety of criteria. These include location, experience within a particular budget range, types of services provided and the industry verticals that an agency specialises in.
Additionally, Google has introduced a preferred AdWords API pricing model for certified partners. Those who qualify will get free use of the API based on managed client spend. Price says that Google hopes this will “encourage agencies and developers to experiment with new strategies, expand the functionality of their tools and build more comprehensive client campaigns without worrying about increased costs.”
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