Reno SEO, Web Design & Internet Marketing

I’ve been working on Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising campaigns for a little over 4 years now. I started dabbling in the online marketing space while working on a side project and quickly realized that I wanted to explore this advertising channel more. Along the way I have learned many things about ad structure, optimization, user behavior and keyword research. I’ve had my fair share of successful campaigns with CTRs and Conversion rates well into the double digits, but I have also had my fair share of flops that struggled to make it to the 1% bar.

A few weeks ago I decided it was finally time I took the Google Advertising Professional Qualification exam. Although I have spent hundreds of hours in the Adwords tool I was nervous about the test. I spent several hours going through the Help Center, taking quizzes and reviewing areas that I do not use all that often, like the API. Google requires that you have at least 90 days of account management under your belt before you can take the exam, but I can tell you it took all of my experience and the additional “cramming” to get through the test. I’m also fairly certain there was at least 3 trick questions in it.

However all the nerves and the extra preparation paid off because I passed the exam! I now get to use the spiffy graphic below on our website, business card and other marketing materials.

What the Exam is Missing

While the exam is a great test of your knowledge of the Google Adwords tool. It is not a test of your ability to create a great campaign that delivers targeted traffic and generates sales. In my mind, only experience can give you that kind of qualification.