When you’re looking for a new marketing partner to help boost your online business, it’s important to choose an agency that is a certified Google Partner. This certification ensures that the agency has passed Google Ads (formerly AdWords) product certification exams and are up to date with the latest product knowledge. In other words, they earned it.
Addison Marketing Solutions works directly with Google and we’re a certified Google Partner — you can see our badge proudly displayed below this very paragraph! You can also view our badge in the footer of every page of our website, and click it to view our Google Partner profile. We specialize in Search Advertising, which means we can help your business create and optimize ads that show above the search results on Google Search, as well as advise on keyword strategy and budget planning.
When looking at marketing agency websites, be cautious about websites trying to fool you about their Google Partner certification. Here’s what to watch out for:
- websites that display outdated versions of the Google Partner badge (i.e. badges with a different font)
- websites that display a badge but don’t link to their Google Partner profile
- websites that talk about Google Partners but do not display a Google Partner badge at all
It’s common for many fly-by-night agencies to achieve their certification once, and then allow it to lapse but still claim to be certified in their marketing materials. Google requires recertification on a regular basis. If you have doubts about an agency’s Google Partner status, start asking questions. A lot of questions. These shady practices are so common, in fact, that Addison Marketing Solutions is the only certified Google Partner in Aurora, Ontario that complies with all current guidelines!¹
Being a certified Google Partner brings many advantages for marketing agencies to offer their clients and help put them a step ahead of the competition. For instance, Google Partners often have access to new Google features that are in beta (development) and not publicly accessible. That means Partners can test and implement these new features for their clients before anyone else! Your business can stay a step ahead of the competition with this advantage.
Another reason for being certified and staying certified is that pay-per-click strategies and best practices are always changing. If you’re working with an agency that has never been a Google Partner or has let their certification lapse, they’re working with old information, out of date practices, and strategies that no longer work.
In summary, the Google Partner badge is the most important certification in digital marketing today. Make sure your digital marketing partner is a proud Google Partner and can prove it! Addison proudly displays our Google Partner badge on every single page of our website, and we use our certified status to boost the business of our clients, generate leads, and produce results. But don’t take our word for it – hear what our happy clients have to say!
¹Based on an audit of marketing agencies located in Aurora, Ontario, Canada who are members of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce and comply with all Google Partner badge guidelines as of August 2018
