What is Google Partners? How to Become a Google Partner?

Are you a marketing agency or other online consultant agency managing Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) accounts? Do you have access to all the resources Google has to offer? If you are not using Google Partners, you are losing a lot. 

Google Partners is the program that provides in-depth training in all areas of Google Ads. As well as study guides, you take an exam to get certified in each section. There are six sections in Google Ads (AdWords) training; Basics, Advanced, Display, Video, Mobile and Shopping. After passing the Fundamentals and Advanced exams, you earn your Google Ads certification. After passing the other four exams, you will earn Google’s Advertising Specialist certification.

Google Partners, also known as the Google Partner Program, is a program for agencies, digital marketing professionals and online consultants who manage Google Ads accounts.

It is a Google service. We can also define it as a training and certification program provided by Google.

If you are planning to market your products and services in the digital environment, you will see many benefits of conducting your work with Google Partners agencies. Digital marketing is developing day by day, leaving us in amazement. Google Partners agencies both guide you and plan how to use your budget most efficiently. We will detail these benefits in the rest of our article, now let’s explain how to become a Google Partner.

How to Become a Google Partner?

A digital marketing specialist or agency must meet the necessary criteria in order to be included in Google Partners and become a business partner. These criteria are as follows:

• Company Profile
• Certification
• Ads Spent 
• Google Ads Skills

Let’s explain them in detail one by one:

Company Profile

First, you need to create a company profile and add it to Google Partners. In your company profile, you need to enter basic information such as the name of your agency, the services you offer, and your contact details. When signing up for Partners, you should create both a personal and a company profile.

Certification

In order for your agency to meet the certification criteria, at least one of the members associated with the agency must be AdWords certified. In order to become AdWords certified, that member must pass the AdWords Basic Level exam. These exams are as follows:

-Search Advertising

-Video Advertising

-Mobile Advertising

-Video Advertising

-Shopping Advertising

Ads Spent 

There must have been a total spend in AdWords of at least $10,000 (or its equivalent in local currency) in the last 90 calendar days. There must also have been spending activity for at least 60 of the last 90 days, and the AdWords admin account must have been active for at least 90 days.

Best Practices

It should be seen in your agency’s managed accounts that you are an expert in the core subjects included in the Google certification exams and that you have run successful campaigns for your clients.

At the end of all this, as in the image below; You will see the text This company has been awarded the Google Partner Badge. 

What are the Advantages of Being a Google Partner?

After successfully completing the Google Ads product certification exams and having the latest product knowledge, you will receive a Google Partner badge. You can add this badge to your website, business card or other promotional tools. This way you can show your customers that Google recognizes you as a partner. It’s an important badge and you can make sure your customers give it to you. If we talk a little more about the advantages of Google Partners:

• You get a general understanding of Google applications.
• You get certified by increasing your knowledge.
• Your customer’s trust in you ratio increases.
• Google keeps you at the forefront in general and you join the ranks of reliable agencies.

What are the Advantages of Working with Google Partners?

Due to the developments in technology, you need to take part in these platforms to promote your products and services in the digital market and increase brand awareness. The way to keep up with these developments is not only through advertising on Google. You need to show your ads to the right target audience. Otherwise, you will waste both your time and money. Therefore, the most beneficial way for you and your brand is to work with Google Partners. Working with a Google Partner has many advantages:

• You stay up to date with the latest developments in online applications.
• Your company’s reputation will increase and you will always be ahead of your competitors.
• Reduces your costs.
• Ensures that your advertisements reach the right target audience.
• You can see the marketing activities of your competitors and take action accordingly
• It allows you to manage your marketing budget efficiently.
• You will rank high on Google with the right keywords and the right targeting.

Working with Google Partners provides all the advantages mentioned above. Since it will relieve you of time and cost, you will increase your quality by focusing more on your company and your products.

Last but not least;

Details about the new conditions to be applied as of June 2020 were sent by Google to all partners via e-mail.

The terms of the Google Partners Badge will change in 4 months, in June 2020. Google recently notified all partners of this development with the phrase “you have been given enough time”.

As it is known, it is free to join the Google Partners program. When the necessary conditions for the program are met, the Google Partners Badge can be obtained. When you are entitled to receive this badge, which has a blue color, you can add it to your website; you can emphasize that you have this badge by using it in marketing and advertising activities.

When a 3% success level is reached, a red badge called Google Partners Premiere is awarded. This badge is awarded to the companies that do the most work in processes such as customer acquisition, customer spending, customer ad performance, and customer retention.

Current Google Partners Terms

• At least 1 certified Google Ads professional in your account
• Achieve at least $10,000 in Google ad spend in 90 days
• Customer acquisition, regular spending, high performance, customer retention in the last 18 months

Terms as of June 2020

Here’s how Google describes the requirements for becoming a Google Partner as of June 2020;

• At least 50% of the company’s eligible users must have updated certifications from Skillshop.
• To demonstrate that your company has a good level of activity, you must meet an ad spend requirement of $20,000 in 90 days across the accounts you manage.
• You must meet the performance requirement by using Google Ads effectively to create campaigns and run them appropriately to maximize results, and you should go to the “Suggestions” tab to see actions you can take to improve its performance. Note: Rejected suggestions related to the company performance requirement are not taken into account when evaluating the optimization score.”