Here at Impression, all of our marketers possess a range of digital marketing qualifications. This includes the Google Ads qualifications, Bing Ads Accredited Professional Status and the Facebook Blueprint certification (more info on how to pass that here). But in this post, I’ll give you some top tips for passing your Google Ads exams. Unlike the Facebook Blueprint, anyone can take the online tests for free and receive accreditation at the end.
Tip 1: Start with the basics
If you head to Google’s Academy for Ads you’ll find a wealth of courses and qualifications. These include the Shopping Ads Certification, Digital Sales Certification and Campaign Manager Basics.
It may be tempting to just get stuck in with whatever course is most relevant to your job role or your company. But I’d advise passing the Google Ads Fundamentals course first. If you work agency-side, you’ll be taking a step towards diversifying your client service offering (either now or in the future). If you work in-house, you might want to start advertising on a new channel in the future – and if so – you’ve already got the knowledge foundations in place. Plus, it’s great for your personal development too – get that qualification on your LinkedIn profile!
Tip 2: Use the study materials
Even if, like me, you feel that you spend more time inside the world of Google Ads than in your own bedroom, it’s still worth taking a – however brief – look over the study materials.
Everyone has their own PPC style – mine’s writing pun-filled Facebook ad copy. But, as much as this is a good thing, it can mean that some best practices slip out of our minds from time to time.
If you really don’t have time to look over them all, then you can just pick a couple of areas where you feel you are the weakest and revise those. The individual sections range from 3 – 16 minutes in duration.
Tip 3: Rome wasn’t built in a day
With hundreds of courses available, you could earn more certifications than you could shake a stick at.
But, if you are keen to get those Google gains, I would advise spreading out your studying. Trying to cram too much new content into one day (or even a couple of days) can lead to a brain burnout and you won’t be able to retain much new info (take it from someone who failed their Google Ads Search Certification on 3 consecutive days during their first week as a PPC marketer).
Equally, once you’ve passed your exams, they are valid for exactly one year, after which point you will need to retake the exams to continue to be accredited. If you’ve passed several on the same day (or even within the same week), they’re all going to be up for renewal at exactly the same time, and most of us probably don’t have the time to sit them all in one go!
It may be that when you first sat the exams, you did so because there was a lull in your usual business. Or maybe you were just starting out with Google Ads. A year on, your schedule will probably be looking quite different (hopefully you’ll be busy managing a tonne of super-successful Google Ads campaigns)! So, thinking about this, it’s a top tip to stagger sitting your exams across a few weeks at minimum. That way, you can manage the workload better when it comes back around.
Tip 4: A sneaky second tab is your friend
While the resources provided within the Academy for Ads are really useful, I often found it more helpful to have Google Ads open in another tab. That way, you can click through what you’ve just read in the UI to consolidate your knowledge.
There’s also video resources on Youtube that you can access if you want something explained in a different format.
Tip 5: Ask for help
Unlike Facebook, there’s no strict checks of your environment while you sit the exams. The only constraint when taking the exams is the time, but I found the allocated time for all exams more than sufficient.
So this means, if you get stuck, you can reach out to more experienced friends or colleagues for help if needed.
And if all else fails, all the answers are available on one webpage or another. Just stick the question into the search bar.
A word of warning: do not, under any circumstances, pay someone to tutor you for the exam or pay to download the answers. The exam is comparatively easy, and all the answers you need are out there for free. Invest that money into your PPC campaigns instead!
The Google Ads exams are a great foundation and entry point into paid marketing. But, digital advertising is an ever-changing industry, so once you are accredited, it’s a good idea to keep up with the latest industry developments.
Our top recommendations for doing this include the below blogs:
- Our own (see here!)
- PPC Hero
- WordStream
- Search Engine Land
But, if all that seems like a bit too much effort, then the PPC team at Impression will be more than happy to help. You can make an enquiry via our website.
