What Certifications or Qualifications Should an Adwords Specialist Have?

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Question # 4 - What certifications do you hold? What are your qualifications?

The first thing to remember about this question is certification does not always equal qualification. Most companies who are serious about PPC management will have a Google Adwords certification and in many cases also be certified by Yahoo! and MSN (I would not even consider working with a company that does not have at least a Google Adwords certification).

But, just because a company has a Google Adwords certification is not a reason in and of itself to hire them. Of the certifications that are offered by Google, Yahoo! and MSN, the Google Adwords certification is the toughest to get. To get certified by Google, you have to learn a lot about how Adwords works (which in our experience takes about ten hours of study) and then take a 90 question test. The test is actually pretty tough but really is more about the in’s and out’s of Google Adwords than it is about how to actually help people make money with Google Adwords.

To truly understand how to help businesses make money with Adwords or any other form of PPC advertising literally takes years. It is not a practice that is easily mastered and just because somebody has studied for a few hours and passed one of these exams certainly does not qualify them to take your business into their hands. So, it’s important that any company you are considering have these certifications, but these should not be taken as qualifications.

As far as qualifications, the only one that really matters is experience and a proven track record of results. Any company that you hire should be able to prove to you that they have a good depth of experience and success working with companies in your exact situation. And, that the person who will actually be working on your account on a day to day basis also has this experience and has achieved these levels of success.

Ask for references of clients who have businesses like yours who they have helped succeed. Also, ask them if there are clients who they have worked with who have not succeeded. If they tell you that all of their clients have succeeded, they are either lying or have very little experience. Not all businesses succeed and not all Adwords programs succeed either (or meet expectations) — that is the real nature of the risk of this investment you are considering.

But, for good companies who are selective about the clients they take on, the majority of their clients should succeed and they should be able to point you toward many clients who have succeeded.