You may have noticed some fancy buttons on our pages for a while now that say we’re a Google Partner. If you ever wondered how we got this designation, let us break it down for you.
As Google says on their support page, “Google Partners is a marketing program for advertising agencies or third-parties that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses.” It was launched in 2013 to provide these third parties the tools to run successful, SEO-focused ad campaigns on Google’s platform.
Here are the benefits we receive from the Google Partner program, and how YOU reap those benefits with us.
Ad Spend (Paying to Play)
As technology marches on, the marketing game is becoming more pay-to-play. Therefore, pay per click should be one part of your overall marketing strategy. Ad Spend metrics are big part of being qualified to be a Google Partner.
We had to run Google Ads for at least twelve months before being able to earn our Google Partner badge. These ads were our own, run through our personal Google account and not a client’s. Even after earning the badge, we still need to maintain a certain ad spend and level of engagement to keep our badge. It can be revoked if we don’t.
This shows that we consistently engage with Google and know the Google Ads platform inside and out. It also shows that we have the means to “spend money to make more money.”
Stay on Top of Best Practices
As a Google Partner, we’re often the first to hear about changes Google is making on its platform. These include new Google My Business trends, like the ones announced last December. And while new changes are a component of staying on top of things with Google, tried-and-true best practices also need to be learned and retained.
At least half of our account strategists need to be Google Ads certified, and that’s only the bare minimum. Each certified account strategist also has to have one certification in each product area with a campaign spend according to Google. These account strategists are anyone on our team who manages Google Ads for you and our other clients. A product area can be search, display, shopping, videos, or any other specialized certification Google offers where we pay to play.
By making Google Partners up their skills on a regular basis, Google ensures that our team knows what they’re doing and is actually implementing Google’s latest optimization practices. That way, we can use Google to position you as high as we can in rankings and keep you at the forefront of your customers’ internet searches.
Putting clients first!
That said, with all the metrics and rankings that Google holds us accountable to, numbers don’t mean anything unless you get real results. You can have the best optimization in the world and never sell. Your metrics (SEO rankings, Google Ad placement, click and open rate for eblasts etc.) could be awful, but if you get a lead or make a sale from a post, blog, or your website, that’s still a win.
The bottom line is this: we use every metric in our toolbox to make sure your pages are seen by your potential customers on Google. However, pay to play isn’t even half the battle. Getting noticed so you can serve your customers and earn their loyalty is the real goal. Google is just a tool to get there.
So get back to doing what YOU do best: engage with your customers and help them with their needs. We’ll take care of the metrics. Contact us today at (248) 684-0500 or visit SmartLinkSolutions.com for a quote! Call now and we’ll waive the set-up fee with a three-month commitment to our Paid Search Management Services!