What Is a Google Partner – Illuminating Truth and Deception
As a business owner, you’ve likely seen official badges and statements on some marketing and SEO companies’ websites that declares they are a “Google Partner.”
At first glance, this can seem reassuring when you are seeking out a new partner for your digital marketing initiatives.
However, there are numerous misconceptions about what being a designated “Google Partner” entails, and we’ve witnessed many service providers using the Google Partner designation to mislead many small businesses.
We wrote this article to shed light on what being a Google Partner entails and, perhaps more importantly, what it does not include.
In full disclosure, please note that Igniting Business is a designated Google Partner (for Google Ads), which gives us apt knowledge regarding how the program works. You can verify our Google Partner designation here as well as view my personal Google Ads certification.
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What Is the Google Partner Program
According to Google, “the Google Partners program is designed for advertising agencies and third parties that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses.”
Note that the Google Partners Program only applies to Google Ads. Google does not endorse any other services of a marketing or SEO agency.
Google Partner rewards swag sent to Igniting Business - thanks Google!
Official Google Partners do have access to additional resources focused on education, support, rewards, and promotions. You can view a comprehensive list of these resources and benefits. Additionally, Google grants Google Partners the use of a Google Partner Badge which has strict limitations on its use and application.
Note that being a Google Partner does not give a company a magic wand when it comes to using Google’s Ad platform.
How Does a Company Become a Google Partner
A marketing agency can join the Google Partners program voluntarily. To become a designated Google Partner, the marketing agency must achieve the following requirements (which is summarized and simplified from Google’s documentation):
- Performance – The Google Ads manager account needs to have a minimum optimization score of 70% or higher across accounts and campaigns managed by the agency.
- Ad Spend – Your Google Partners Ads manager account must maintain a 90-day ad spend of at least $10,000 USD across all managed accounts.
- Active Certifications – At least half of the account strategists connected to your Google Ads Manager account must earn a Google Ads Certification. This certification must be maintained and renewed (the certification test is re-taken annually).
Cost for Becoming a Google Partner
There is no cost for becoming a Google Partner as it is an application process followed by ongoing monitoring that you continue to meet the requirements as outlined in the previous section.
That said, a marketing agency certainly must give time and effort to keep their strategists certified as well as ensure their campaigns are operating at a minimum performance level.
How to Verify an Agency Is Actually a Google Partner
If you see an agency claiming that they are Google Partners, make sure you click their badge. Google states that “if you show the Partner or the Premier Partner badge on online materials or in emails, it must link to your company's Partner public company profile page.” Clicking the link and viewing the company’s Google Partner profile will allow you to verify that they are an active Google Partner.
What’s the Difference Between a Google Partner and Google Premier Partner
Once an agency becomes a Google Partner, over time they can become a “Google Premier Partner” which is a designation that is determined by Google annually on a per country basis. The top 3% of performers are evaluated by existing client growth, new client growth, client retention, product diversification (different ad types used), and annual ads spend.
In my personal opinion, the premier program rewards larger marketing companies that manage large client budgets with numerous ad types. From our experience, a Google Premier Partner designation is not always better than a Google Partner, especially when it comes to small business advertising.
For example, since we work with small businesses exclusively, we try to keep our Google Ads budgets as low as possible while delivering the valuable leads our clients need. Additionally, we do not focus on using every single ad type. Instead, we use a smaller subset of ad types that make the most sense for our small business clients’ needs, limited budgets, and campaign goals.
Does Being a Google Partner Impact Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Other Marketing Services
Being a Google Partner does not impact search engine optimization (SEO). If a company offering SEO services touts that they are a Google Partner and insinuates that this relationship can impact the quality of their SEO work, they are misleading you.
In fact, Google specifically states “you cannot show the Partner or the Premier Partner badge on any materials, such as websites, that advertise Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services without a prominent notice saying such SEO services are not verified or endorsed by Google.”
Numerous companies violate this rule and add their Google Partner badge alongside their SEO services, or other unrelated marketing services.
That’s the very reason why where you see the Google Partner badge listed on our website near SEO services, you will also see a disclaimer that states “Igniting Business is a certified and designated Google Partner for Google Ads products. Note that SEO services are not and cannot be directly endorsed or verified by Google.”
Example of Google Partner badge disclaimer
In summary, Google Partners does not apply to SEO services, nor does it give the partner any exclusive insights into how search engines work.
There are strict requirements of how a Google Partner badge can be used. If you see a company or individual violating these terms, you can report a complaint to Google.
Should You Hire a Google Partner to Run Your Google Ads Campaign
If you were deciding between two marketing companies to run your next Google Ads campaign and only one was a Google Partner, yes, I would encourage you to explore services with the Google Partner.
However, being a designated Google Partner does not mean they are amazing at their job. Keep in mind that each company likely has multiple ad strategists of varying skill level and quality control. I would see a Google Partners designation as a minimum requirement for evaluating agencies to run your Google Ads campaign. Once you find a selection of marketing agencies that are Google Partners, then dig into their references, online reviews, and specific strategies for project management.
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