This article addresses frequently asked questions about the Google Partners program.
General questionWhat is the Google Partners program?
1. Why are certain users who are not part of my company being shown on the 'User certifications' page?
The User certifications page shows all admin- and standard-level users in your Google Ads manager account or any account linked to your company’s manager account. Any of the users shown on this page can earn a Google Ads certification in one of the eligible certification areas (such as Search, Display, Video, Shopping and Apps), and the certification can count towards the certifications requirement. Learn more about the User certifications table
2. How does Google define an account strategist?
We define account strategists as employees of your company who manage Google Ads campaigns on behalf of your clients.
3. How does Google determine the number of account strategists that we need to have certified?
The number of account strategists that you need to have certified is our best estimate based on a number of factors, such as users’ access levels, association with Google Partners-registered Ads manager accounts and linked sub-accounts, and email domains.
You can inform us of how many account strategists you have in your company by going to the Company details page from your 'Partners program' tab and selecting from the drop-down menu. We define account strategists as employees of your company who manage Google Ads campaigns on behalf of your clients. Learn more about how we estimate the number of account strategists in your company
4. We give our clients corporate email addresses. Will this create a problem for us for the new Google Partner badge certification requirement?
No. You can inform us how many users in your company are account strategists and should be certified based on their day-to-day work by going to the Company details page from your 'Partners program' tab and selecting from the drop-down menu. We define account strategists as employees of your company who manage Google Ads campaigns on behalf of your clients. Learn more about how we estimate the number of account strategists in your company
5. What Google Ads certifications count toward the Google Partners certifications requirement?
Ads certifications are professional accreditations that Google offers to individuals who demonstrate proficiency in basic and advanced aspects of Google Ads.
The following Ads certifications count toward the certifications requirement:
- Google Ads Apps
- Google Ads Display
- Google Ads Search
- Google Ads Video
- Shopping ads
You can access the Ads certifications in the Skillshop Google Ads certifications page.
1. Am I at risk of losing my Google Partner badge if I do not have a high optimisation score? Do I need to apply all recommendations and have a 100% optimisation score to be a Partner?
2. What are the criteria Google currently uses to evaluate partner accounts and campaign performance?
To make the Performance requirement more tangible, transparent and actionable, we’ll be using an optimisation score. Learn more about the badge requirements
Learn more about optimisation score
3. What is the minimum optimisation score an account needs to maintain? What is the timeframe you will be evaluating?
To meet the Partner requirements, your Google Partners registered Ads manager account needs to have a minimum optimisation score of 70% – you’re in control, with the ability to apply or dismiss recommendations based on your own assessment and your clients' goals. Learn more about optimisation score
We check the requirements on a daily basis. We will inform partners if they no longer meet the 70% minimum optimisation score, or any of the other requirements. We give partners a period of time to meet the Performance requirement before they are at risk of losing their status, during which time we will provide them with the tools to meet the requirements. After this period, partners who lose their status will be able to regain it when they meet the requirements.
4. Sometimes the recommendations surfaced aren't relevant to our client's business objective. How should I balance the need to apply recommendations as a part of the optimisation score threshold and the need to put my client's interest first?
We understand clients may have nuanced requirements or multiple goals, which is why we’re not requiring an optimisation score of 100%. Partners will continue to have the control and autonomy to make the right choices for their clients, with the ability to apply or dismiss recommendations based on your own assessment and your clients' goals. You’ll notice a score uplift by applying and dismissing recommendations.
Note that recommendations surface based on expected performance improvements to your customer's goals and we constantly improve our eligibility criteria. If you decide to dismiss a recommendation because it's not currently relevant for your customer, be sure to provide feedback and note that the opportunity may resurface if it is still relevant for the account.
5. When I go to the Recommendations page in Google Ads, I notice this message: 'All of the recommendations for your campaigns can't be displayed because you have more than 1,000 accounts. Select a lower-level account to view recommendations'. How do I find my optimisation score to help my company meet the Performance requirement?
Go to your Partners program page in Google Ads, find the Badge status card, and click on 'View details'. On the Badge status page, you will find details about your optimisation score in the Performance section. If you have met the 70% optimisation score, you’ll notice that indicated. If you haven’t, you’ll learn how much you need to improve your optimisation score in order to reach the 70% threshold.
Next, go back to your Recommendations page and select a lower-level account from the top navigation bar. From the Recommendations page, you can apply or dismiss recommendations across all accounts. Recommendations with a higher score are predicted to have the most impact on your performance.
