What is a Google Partner and why Varn are one
As Google put it:
“Every business should have the help it needs to succeed on the web. Every day, agencies and web professionals work with businesses big and small to bring us closer to that reality… Our vision is simple – build true champions of the web and support them with resources, training and support to help businesses succeed online.”
So the basic idea is to provide online marketers with a training programme that results in qualifications that you as a business can recognise and trust. You can then hire your online marketing and advertising agency or professional based on their Google certifications and Google’s seal of approval.
This seal of approval is not easy to achieve. For an agency to achieve partner status they have to meet the following list of requirements from Google:
- Certifications: companies must demonstrate an advanced knowledge of AdWords by employees having passed at least two AdWords certification exams.
- Best practises: companies need to actively demonstrate to Google that they are maximising their clients campaign performance and utilising best practise recommendations.
- Spend: Google only give accreditation to companies with a healthy level of online marketing activity and they check the amount of AdWords Spend to do this.
So what do you need to look out for? Agencies and web marketing companies who have earned the Google Partner status are listed in the Google Partner Search. You can search for Google Partners to work with based on location, industry, budget and specific services offered:
The search results will present you with relevant Google Partners, listing contact details, website, location, industries and countries served and their credentials based on qualifying individuals having passed exams and gained certifications. Here is Varn’s partner page for example:
And, this the badge you need to look out for which clarifies an agencies’ Google accreditation status:
The badge tells you that Google recognises that “their business is healthy, that their customers are happy, and they use Google best practices.” So basically don’t hire anyone without it! If an online agency hasn’t bothered to gain these Google qualifications and becomes accredited you know that they won’t be providing you with the best online marketing service possible. For any more information please give us a ring on 01225 863047.
