In addition to that, there seems to be some confusion around what the different levels of certification are with some people in the SEO community so I thought it would be a good idea to write a post explaining the different kinds of certification and how you go about getting them. In order from easiest to hardest:
Google Adwords Certified Individual
This is the most common form of Google certification and is the easiest to get. According to the Google advice the following is all you need to do in order to become a Google Adwords Certified Individual:
- Accept the rules of use. These basically say things like "don't be evil" but in a few more words.
- Manage at least one Adwords account in an MCC (my client center) for 90 days.
- Have a total spend of at least $1000 (or equivalent local currency) in your MCC during the 90 day period.
- Pass the exam.
The format for the exam is 100 questions in 90 mins and you need at least 75% to pass.
The benefits of being an adwords certified individual is that you get a funky badge like this:
And you also get a professional status page hosted on Google which verifies your status which you can link to (can anyone say badge-bait?!)
Google Adwords Certified Company
A Google Adwords Certified Company is basically a company which contains a few certified individuals and has a much higher total spend in the MCC, here's the requirements from Google:
- Have a billing and mailing address in one of these countries
- Employ at least two individuals who are qualified individuals (see above) - note that they need to be qualified with the same MCC.
- Have a minimum spend defined by the country you're in (see here for a list) - in the US and the UK the required spend over a 90 period for the MCC is $100,000.
The benefits are very similar to above, you get an updated badge like this:
And a similar professional status page on Google as before.
Google Analytics Authorized Consultant (GAAC)
Unlike the Google Adwords authorized individuals and companies, Google Analytics authorized consultants are much rarer. You'll see why in a second when I detail all the hoops you need to jump through in order to become qualified!
Here's the Google page detailing the requirements, I've done my best to summarise below. The biggest change however to the above qualification is that it's not based on an exam or a form you fill out but it's much more like an interview. You need to submit a document detailing all the reasons why you should be an authorized consultant via email to THE GOOGLE. Your email should provide evidence of the following:
- You offer a range of stand-alone Analytics services including implementation, configuration, training and consulting.
- 3 verifiable, paid, expertly deployed Google Analytics projects with at least 3 different clients who Google will contact for references. These case studies should show all kinds of things including, interestingly enough, examples where you have customised the GA code for your clients.
- A proven expertise in web analytics including blogging, speaking or white papers.
- At least 2 employees who have taken and passed the GAIQ test.
- Sending at least one employee to the Google Analytics Authorized Consultant summit (held once a year in Mountain View, CA) at your own expense.
- Providing a report at the end of each calendar quarter detailing all GA projects you have worked on during that quarter including client names and results achieved.
That all said, the benefits are much more tangible for being authorized. There are less than 100 authorised companies world wide! In addition to being a member of this exclusive club you get the following benefits:
- Possible client referrals from Google sales teams
- Elevated technical support for Google Analytics
- Listing on the Google Analytics Partner page
- Invitation to attend annual GAAC summit at Google offices
- Access to an exclusive GAAC web forum to share ideas and technical tips with Google and other GAACs
- A fancy badge like this to display on your site:
Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant (WOAC)
And last on the list is the Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant badge. I think this might actually be slightly easier than the GAAC certification but since the list of authorized companies is smaller I've put this one last on the list.
To get authorized you need to follow a similar process to the GAAC - you need to email Google with a document detailing how you meet a load of criteria defined by Google. I've summarised here, your email should display evidence of:
- Having designed and implemented at least 3 verifiable and successful Website Optimizer experiments with 3 different referenceable clients.Google specifically requests that you provide screenshots of the tests you're running so they're looking for quite in-depth references here.
- Proven expertise including blogging/speaking/white papers etc
- Providing a range of services dedicated to Google Website Optimizer including setup, training, and consultation.
- Being willing to attend and pass Google Website Optimizer technical training sessions at a Google office. (Sessions usually last a few days and are held once per year in Mountain View, CA, USA). It's not explicitly stated but I presume this is out of your own pocket as with the GAAC.
- Being able to commit to launching a minimum of 3 Website Optimizer experiments per quarter.
- Elevated technical support
- Co-marketing opportunities
- A listing on the Website Optimizer Partners page
- A fancy badge, as always:
So now you know what it means to be "Google Authorized" - and you can safely debunk the myths of being "SEO Google Approved". Also - I'd love to hear from anyone who is an Analytics or Website Optimiser authorized consultant. Are there benefits that aren't listed on the site? Have you seen Google actually pass you any leads?!
Thanks for compiling this in one place, Tom. One warning, though, about the Google Adwords Certified Individual program, especially for individual consultants and small shops. The spending requirement isn't just for the 90 days, it's ongoing.
I got certified a year or so ago with just a couple of core clients doing PPC. About 2 months later, one of my clients had a major budget crisis and we mutually felt they should cut back on paid search temporarily. This brought me below threshold and Google immediately dropped my certification the next month.
I've never heard of this before in a certification program - usually, you'd at least get 12 months, after which you may have to renew or they could re-evaluate. I also found no mention of this in the original Google documentation. Unfortunately, the clear message it sent me was that Google isn't interested in developing qualified, responsible administrators of its programs - Google is interested in pimping us out to get as much ad dollars as it can.
Edit: BTW, I don't mean that to insult any Google certified companies or individuals. There are a lot of good practicioners who worked hard for the recognition and deserve it. I just wish Google appreciated those practicioners more.
That's a good point Pete - and the same is true of the company level, the required spend is over any 90-day period, not just the inital period. It can be a pain, especially if you have seasonal spending clients.
Funny to note, Google doesn't think $$$ cuts both ways.
wowowo
Just today I transfered all my clients out of my personal MCC into an agency MCC at the suggestion of my Google rep.
Are you saying that in 90 days I will then lose my personal GACI?
That would surely suck! or am I reading your post wrong?
That may be a bit more complex, especially since your Google rep suggested it, but my understanding is that, if that budget is no longer tied to you, you would no longer qualify for certification and it would be revoked. Ask your rep, though - they should know best on that.
ah and at this current point you cannot transfer the certification you have to resit the exam once your new account has reached the required levels.
Agreed. It is all about the $$$ on one side and Google branded marketing on the other.
There's an opportunity here though for people to call out why they're NOT Google badged--privacy concerns for their clients, customer conscious ad spend, irrelevant qualification metrics--and lay down the gauntlet of their brand against any qualified individual.
Have you seen Google actually pass you any leads?!
We've had an authorised consultant recommended to us (I work client-side). I'd assume Google are making similar recommendations to other companies.
That's very interesting to hear. Following on from the above comments are you US based?
Also - did Google recommend a range of companies or an individual one?
Thans for sharing!
We're UK-based and one UK company was mentioned.
Cool thanks for stopping by erikau. It's interesting to hear stories like these as they make it easier to justify the ROI involved in becoming certified as an agency.
Google recently "gave" us a WOAC to work with for free - paid by Google. They walked us through setting up GWO, they created a treatment for an existing landing page, etc...I think it was 30 hours of work they were assigned to do.
To be honest it was nothing impressive. I'd already set up GWO campaigns before and we've attended EVERY marketing experiments webinar for the past 1.5 years. And our control beat their treatment... The landing page creation software we use does automatic a/b testing so we don't use GWO much at all.
I don't know what the purpose was - to get the WOAC client some possible new business or to get us using GWO more.
That is interesting - Google paying for a consultant to help you out... Anyone heard of this in any of the other areas?
I'm pretty sure it was primarily because of our 6-figure per month adwords spend.
unofficially yes they have a lot of internal resources if you are spending the right amount on Adwords...
I also thought that was the role that was requested of GAAC partners at times for larger accounts
Hi Bradley, what is the software you mentioned? Would love to have a look
@Erikau
Would it be terribly impolite to ask if you/your agency has a large Adwords spend with Google? Or is referral this purely on the back of being certified?
We do have a large spend
I work for a GAAC qualified company and I find it massively helpful to both myself and my analytics team. Some of the key benefits would be:
- Closed forum for customisations, tips and help from other GAACs worldwide.
- New business, we get a steady flow of leads through the GAAC
- Client assurance - being backed by THE major player in our industry can give clients confidence in our service
- And I get to go to San jose once per year!
Hey, thanks for stopping by. It's really useful to agencies considering putting in the effort to get certified that you do actually get leads through it. And a holiday to San Jose can't be bad ;-)
To chirp in here with some enterprise client side info, being certified for Adwords might make the difference between getting that contract and not getting it, but it definitely isn't the be all and end all, or crown, if you will. To put it another way, we may not even consider you, if you are not qualified.
As an SEM, I do not know why Google would take away certification, and I agree that the 90 day interval should be lengthened, or other measure should be introduced. Especially given current economic conditions. It really does come off as a money grab for Google.
I would say either make the bar higher initially, and remove cost expectations alltogether afterward, or reduce monetary expectations after an individual or company has passed the initial requirements.
You should run an update of this post. I'm not sure if things have changed, but now you only need 1 certified individual for a company certification, and a spend of $10k instead of $100k. Thanks for the info though, it was very helpful.
hey tom, thanks for the post. i read about all those on google's site, but they have everything spread out, not in one place. so, thanks again!
I agree - an update would be very valuable! I know the GAIQ test has received updates recently and I think it would be useful to document the changes in AdWords.
Thanks for the post it was very informative.
As the GAAC and WOAC both require attendance to a conference in the States, I have to wonder how much support you would get in other countries if you hade these qualifications,a nd if it would be as worth it out side of the states (for instance, would UK companies contact Google about these services for them to even pass on the leads, and would there ever be support available in the right time zone).
Would love to hear from any of the Non-US based companies in particular (not that I think I would ever have the patience to get through half of those hoops).
Some of the requirements seem a bit arbitrary, and, err, extreme.
In my opinion, it's better to have stringent certification requirements than have every SEO charlatan getting "certified".
I absolutely agree. The higher the standards the better.
Um, no kidding, like you have to be making a truck-load of cash in order to afford an ad word campaign or have a huge client. My clients so far have been cheapskates, not wanting to even pay a few hundred bucks for a beautiful website. What if I don't have a grand for a basic ad word campaign or can't get a client to do it? Guess I just don't get to be adword certified, huh? Thanks for the shiv, Google. You can spy on everything I do online with impunity and free reign, and charge thousands of bucks to become Google Certified. Good for you.
I got qualified for adwords a while ago, and posted a blog post about my experience with it here on SEOmoz. I would definately recommend getting qualified, even if just for the learning curve.
It is also a good carrot to dangle in front of clients that you will give them $100 in free adwords credit.
good post.
Now I need to look into getting qualified with the others also. thanks
Just so I don't sound too crabby on this post, I will say that I thought the online training was very worthwhile, both for Adwords and Analytics. Google has put a lot of time into those training materials, and they're 100% free - I highly recommend them, even if you aren't considering certification.
Great Detailed post. Very informative. To get a hang of the questions which appear in adwords exam check https://googleadwordsmockexam.com/sample-question-call-to-action-google-adwords-fundamental-exam/
I wonder why they don't give badges for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification? Especailly since they already give one for the Adwords Individual...what's the point of even taking the test in that case?
There is one that someone did up on photoshop, my legal advice from Google was not to use it, there is no badge being used at this stage, which I think is a waste.
You also have to be careful of how you describe yourself on your website regarding passing the GAIQ exam.
Thanks for the post Tom!
I think I'm feeling a little different to the majority of commenters. I see it as a challenge.
Why would they make it easy? If it was that easy then everyone would have it and it just wouldn't be such an achievement!
I think it shows that the company are serious and won't settle for the average but fight to overcome to mountains and show determination - cause at the end of the day isn't that what SEO is all about - a fight to the top!!!
I agree that such a qualification shouldn't be easy, but many of these things aren't necessarily about demonstrating knowledge. For instance, are you less knowledgable because it is unrealistic for your company to fly you half way round the world, are you less knowledgable because your clients will not authorise disclosure of their confidential information to Google?
I think these are the areas where people find the requirements unrealistic, and I don't think anyone is saying that it shouldn't be difficult.
Yeah except this fight isn't really all about hard work/knowledge. A lot of it is funds and time. Smaller firms typically do not have time or money. Typically time and money only goes to big companies who are major spenders.
Being based in Bulgaria and working mainly with Bulgarian clients all but the Adwords Individual sound mission impossible to me. I even need a visa to go to the States for Christ's Sake!
How about the Google Analytics Individual Qualification? https://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20090303_analytics-iq.html
Good point thanks - I missed that one. It seems less authoritative than the others however. You don't even get a badge for passing it!
But you do get a printable certificate, unlike the Adwords Certified Individual qualification.
Nice if you like to frame things and hang them on the wall...
Hi,
I recently passed the Google Adword test. At the end of the exam, there is a mention that you have to retake the exam every year in order to keep your status as Adwords qualified individual.
In order to become an Analytics consultant, you have to go at the summit in CA at least one time as one of the requirements. Is it mentionned somewhere that you have to go there every year in order to keep your status ? For someone who don't live in US, it can be impossible to go there often. Thanks,
I thought it was every two years, or at least it used to be when I took it in 2007, my status in my Pro Center is still Active.
Does the criteria of attendance to Mountain View for WOAC certification still apply?
This makes it prohibitive for many. Surely other head Google offices can undertake this role?
Since Google changed the Adwords 'Qualified Individual' certification a couple of months ago, they cunningly removed the badge from the benefits of the programme.
I think badges (for use on websites) are only for certified companies and partners. The idea seems to be that individuals can only promote themselves to companies on their CV/Resume by linking to a profile page (or showing their paper certificate!). Google seems to want to avoid individual consultants approaching clients directly so, have stopped issuing the badge for use on a consultant's website.
It would be great if I'm wrong but Google did confirm this to me by e-mail. Info: https://adwords.google.com/support/select/professionals/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=170436
Hi..
I have been going through many blogs and websites regarding GAIQ. I am planning to appear for the certification.
Regarding GAAC, it says that atleast 2 GAIQ employees need to be present, but I could not find out how to mention the company name while signing up for GAIQ. My company is interested to apply for for GAAC, so it would be sponsoring me for the GAIQ certification, but could anyone suggest me how to put the company's reference while signing up?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Piyush
Interesting article. I'd be curious to learn about the other content provider networks and how the certifications vary. What is your perspective on the importance of certification as it relates to your ability to provide quality work as well as the prospective client's impression of your abilitly based on a badge on your site?
I have found a ridiculous number of "certified" consultants to be completely inept and lacking in strategic thinking. I guess I would argue that just because you have a bunch of badges that doesn't necessarily guarantee the client a successful outcome.
How to Apply for Google Website Optimizer Authorized Consultant
Great Post.
I find the whole concept of getting "certified" very interesting. I bet it'll become more and more important to various companies like the Fortune 500 to have Google qualified individuals or firms working with/for them on projects or in the long term.
Thanks for the references
You can check my result here: https://www.starttest.com/9.0.0.0/transcriptview.aspx?r=1&code=I0069F15FFB75F7640861EA64F97CF4620B39EA11
I can help you guys pass these exams to get the Adwords certification fastly
Drop me a pm to my gmail: nhinquattran
I can pass Analytics IQ test also
..
Great summary here for Google Certifications. The optimizer and analytics certification probably won't be happening for me anytime soon :(
Dear Sir,
I am Pretty interested to give Google Ad-words Certification courses. Can You please Suggest me What Are the individual requirement For This in Details So that i can attend This Exam.
ThanksRam chandra Dash
Hi Tom,
The minimum spend eligibility for Google Adwords Company Partner Program is wrong.
Seems like a typo !
Also you missed "Google AdWords Authorized Agency" which should also be covered in this post.
i liked the post though.
Thank you
This post is three years old, and requirements do change over time.
Thanks Tom for the informative post :)
What I am really surprised at is the selected number of companies registered as "Authorized Website Optimizer Consultants". Out of the thousands and thousands of web developement companies around the world only 30 or so get this title, Neat !
Gaurav
Seems like a golden business opportunity if your willing to jump through hoops and you are outside the US.
Maybe you could be the sole Google authorised provider of some of these in your country.
Quiet a stick to beat the opposition with if you are pitching for work.
Thanks for the article......What is the difference between the exam for the "Qualified Individual," and the GAIQ test?
Also Tom, I could see a nice partner post to this going on the Distilled blog for clients along the lines of 'What is a Google Qualification and What Does It Mean?'
I know you're not doing much else so shall we say by tomorrow? :P
Personally (as some have noted above) I'd love to see Google roll out the support and mandatory conference attendance to other countries.
It would give the qualifications themselves more appeal to non US agencies/individuals and perhaps give them more weight. To be honest as Hannah says it just seems like a 'nice to do' but if clients don't really understand it or value it, then it isn't really worth the cost.
Thanks Tom,
It was informative article to me. I was aware about How to get Certification of Google Adwords Individual.....
but I was not aware about other certification such as GACC, GAAC and WOAC that how to get all those certificates.... But you provided useful information about all those certifications...
Being based in the UK, GAAC and WOAC just seem like a huge commitment to make - at my agency we view it as a 'nice to do', but to be honest I'm not sure you'd see a return on your investment in terms of new business. Hence we've not committed to getting these qualifications.
Like Tom, I'd love to hear from anyone who has got the qualifications - did you get new business?
I've spoken to a GAAC and he told me being on the list was 'like sitting on a gold mine'.
I've just passed the GAIQ and am now hoping to get more analytics clients on board to get started on our path. It is a very long road though!
Very inofrmative post and some great points in the comments - thanks for bringing up the question, Tom! Still unclear whether the GAP individual certificate is valid for a year or two though...Would love to see similar post on Google Reseller Programs as well. Cheers!
I think there is one simple quesition that needs to be asked - does spending the same ammount of money required to become "certified" on acctually advertising your practice make more sense than chasing down accreditation!!!??
Google is really becoming the old "microsoft" we never really liked or trusted faster than microsoft ever did!!
Viva Bing!!
At least we know whole heartedly that these guys are in it for the money!
As nice as it would be to hold a Google Certification, I think they are asking alot. I understand that you need the expertise to hold the certification, but really you have to commit to using the Google Optimizer and put more money into Google Adwords? That is one heafty certification for $100,000. Is it really worth all the hoops you need to jump through so you can say you are Google Authorized/Certified? Even living in the states, I am hesitant.
I've not been passed any leads - as I'm not GAAC quall'ed, but I did find a GAAC company listed on the Google page for a customer and they're now doing business.
So I suppose for them it was worth all the hassle.
Wow, all the hoops you have to jump through.
After a quick glance I did not see any mention of the two tracts Google makes available for AdWords, including one test for sales, and one more intensive test for management.
I also established Authorized ReSeller status which gave free access to both tests, and after passing allowed me to be a trainer for other employees.
The sales test was interesting as it showed you a different angle on how they positiion thier product and what they expect of those who represent thier product. We had about an 80% success rate for our sales staff (and 100% for fulfillment ops).
Same rates for MSN AdExcellence.
I recently wondered how many different badge accredidations I could gather. These will definitely require some forethought.
Looks like my SEOmoz badge and SEO Expert Quiz score will have to do for now.
Wouldn't be banking on those for credibility.
The SEO Quiz is just a bit of fun, right? It's often broken and you can take it over and over, are the questions even different if you do?
Would be great if you could update this blog with the present information regarding certifications from Google. The link with anchor text "one of these countries" is no longer working. Thanks for the nice post!
Really great article but like much have mentioned the times and certifications have changed a bit again agree like many this is a much needed certification for those wanting to highlight their expertise with a Reputable source. Thanks for all of your inputs as I have read through them all to help determine and confirm that they are mandatory for me to have eventually no matter what the qualifications.
Great post, looks like it generated some great comments and discussions, the other point is if you are interested to learn more and based in USA, EpikOne is a grat GAAC training partner to learn more.
There are also great Adwords seminars partners who run courses in various parts of US, these companies who have got to this level are not fly by night operations and work very hard to keep their certification and training levels high.
I suggest attending a training session in person the classroom experience is a great way to learn and much more fun way to learn.