Many businesses are looking for professional digital marketers who have a Google certification in Singapore. This is driven by the fact that it is becoming much harder to get organic traffic to their websites. The next best way to bring get enough traffic from search engines is by investing in PPC ads.
For an inexperienced entrepreneur who has a multitude of tasks to do, they prefer hiring a person conversant with managing and optimising PPC ads for increased traffic.
With that said, there are standards that clients will look at, and top of the list is a Google AdWords certification. A Google certification in Singapore will not only work for your benefit, but it will also raise the professionalism of your agency in Singapore. It will also be necessary if you are looking to get a job in the highly competitive digital marketing and advertising industry in Singapore.
This means that you have to work harder to get your Google certification in Singapore. In this article, we break down how you can become certified and help your company earn the Google Partners badge.
Benefits of Having Google Certification in Singapore
Google offers a whole suite of marketing, advertising, and analytics certifications, including AdWords and analytics certification. A Google certification is a indication that Google recognises you as an expert in online advertising and marketing as well as in using the various programs and white hat strategies to increase traffic and conversion rates.
The benefits of having a Google certification in Singapore are:
- Help your company earn the Premier Google Partner badge
- Demonstrate your expertise
- Boost credibility and popularity
For this reason, you should make being certified by Google a top priority to increase your chances of getting more PPC-based clients for your company. Besides the benefits, read about the reasons why you should get AdWords certification.
Overview of Google AdWords Certification
In the past, the Google certification program was a standalone program and charged a fee to take exams. However, this changed with the creation of the Google Partners program, and in 2018, the Partners program evolved with the migration to Google Academy for Ads.
Anyone can sign up for the Google AdWords Partners program. However, to get proper certification; you need to pass the Fundamentals exam and at least one specialised exam such as the Google AdWords exam in Singapore. The exams include:
Fundamental Exam
This exam covers the basics of Google AdWords that include optimisation and management of digital marketing campaigns
Specialised Exams
Specialised exams focus on testing your knowledge on creating, managing, measuring, optimising, and managing advertising campaigns. You can choose to specialise in any of the following fields:
- Video advertising
- Mobile advertising
- Display advertising
- Search advertising
- Shopping advertising
The exams are timed and you should attain a score of at least 80% to pass. Fortunately, the exams are free and all it takes is an investment of time.
If you fail to make the pass mark, you may retake the exam after a week. Google will send you a printable certificate on your Google Partners account after meeting the requirements. The Google certification in Singapore is valid for 12 months and agencies receive a Google Partner or a Premier Google Partner badge while individuals get a certification.
How to Go About Google Certification in Singapore
The migration from the Google Partners program to Google Academy for Ads continues to pose challenges for many individuals and agencies in Singapore. Google certification is a mandatory requirement for entry-level advertising and search marketing roles. Agencies too want to improve their service to net in more customers.
For this reason, we have prepared this guide to help you earn your Google certification in Singapore.
Step 1: Select or create Your Google Account
If you work with an agency or company, you need to use your work email for your Google certification. Individuals, on the other hand, can use their existing or open a new Google account that will be tied personally and publicly to their certification. This can be either a Google account that is linked to a personal account or Gmail account.
Step 2: Join Google Academy for Ads
Our experience with other Google products has proven to us that you could encounter login difficulties if you are logged into multiple Google accounts. Therefore, ensure that you are not signed it to another Google account in the device you are using.
Now, you can log in to the account and start the process of joining Google Academy for Ads. Click on the “Get Started Now” button, and accept the permissions as well as the terms of service.
After this, you will see an option of sharing your Google Academy for Ads with a company or agency in Singapore. This allows you to affiliate your account with a Google Partners agency account, and you should then select the “Yes” option.
However, if you have no affiliations with a Google Partners agency, select the “No” option and skip step 3 and 5, and proceed to get your Google certification in Singapore.
Step 3: Connect With Google Partners (Optional)
Connecting your Google account with a Google Partners certified company will give credit to the company, among other benefits. However, this will require that you upgrade your profile.
Click on the photo icon or initial in the right top corner of the page, then “My Profile.” The reason for this process is to validate and connect you to the Google Partners certified company.
You will need to provide a work email that corresponds to the email domain of a company affiliated with the admin of your Google Partners account. After this, Google requires that you verify the email address once you are done with updating your profile.
This two-step process requires the authorisation of a Google Partners admin within your company.
Step 4: Prepare For Exams
A simple search on Google will show basic education materials as well as extensive content on Google Academy that will help you prepare for the exams necessary for Google certification in Singapore. You can find the tutorials and assessments by clicking on the “Google Ads” tab on the dashboard on Google Academy’s homepage.
We recommend that you go through the academy’s content, especially if it is your first time to take the exams. Preferably, should set aside at least four hours to go through the written and video tutorials. At the end of each module, you are required to pass the sample question in order to progress to the next module.
The sample questions are in the same format as the questions in the actual exam. Even if you have taken the exam before and have Ads experience, it is necessary that you polish up your knowledge by going through the tutorials.
Step 5: Pass the Fundamentals Exam and one Additional Exam
In order to receive certification, it is required that you should pass the Google Ads fundamentals exam and at least one specialisation exam of your choice. Google will then award you a certification in the chosen area of specialisation.
Display and search exams are the most popular exams in the roster, but Google is advocating for YouTube and video advertising exams. However, there is nothing hindering you from tasking more than one exam.
The only penalty for failing to hit the 80% pass mark is to wait at least seven days before retaking the exam. With that said, you should ensure that you at least pass the Fundamental exam. There is a chance you could still a Google certification in Singapore certified while awaiting to retake the exams you did not pass.
Beyond the Google AdWords certification in Singapore, you can undertake other certifications. They include:
Google Analytics Certification in Singapore
Getting Google Analytics certification is equivalent to AdWords certification. The process is similar to that of the AdWords certification and includes:
Step 1: Sign Up To Google Partners
Only a person with the Google Partners account can undertake the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam to get certified. The best thing is that opening the Google Partners account is free and straightforward.
Step 2: Prepare For the Exams
Google has provided revision materials to help you prepare for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exams. We recommend that you go through all the content offered to excel in your Google Analytics Individual Qualification courses, which include:
- Google Analytics for Beginners
- Advanced Google Analytics
Step 3: Take the GA Individual Qualification Exam
The GAIQ exam is modular, which means you can undertake the exam one topic at a time. To start taking exams, follow this procedure:
- Sign in to Google Partners
- Click on “Certifications”
- Click “See Exams”
- Hover on the exam of your choice and click on “Exam Details.”
- Click “Take Exam”
The exam will start in your browser. You will have 90 minutes to complete and submit the exam. Similarly, you need to score at least 80% to pass, if you fail, you have to wait at least seven days before you can retake the exam.
After you pass, you will get a GAIQ certificate, and your Google Partners profile will be updated to reflect your new status.
SEO Certification in Singapore
Google does not offer Google SEO certification in Singapore. The reason for this is that it is against Google’s search engine principles to use SEO to manipulate search results. If you are a beginner and want a certification in SEO, you should look to SEO Training Course by Moz.
If you have a moderate level knowledge in SEO, you can then opt to go for Advanced Search Engine Optimisation Certification Training. However, you should be willing to pay $999 for the training.
However, you could go for Hubspot’s Free SEO Crash Course. It comes with a pre-made SEO template that gives a systematic tutorial on how to use it.
With that said, if you were looking to get a Google certification in Singapore to get a job, this might not be the best option. You need to show a potential employer that you have what it takes.
There are two ways that you can achieve this:
- Build a website and optimise it
- Take a job optimising someone else’s website and does not require Google certification in Singapore
Basic Optimisation
Let us shift gears and look at various ways of mastering basic search engine optimisation (SEO).
Keyword Research
The keywords must be relevant to your topic and should make up at least 1% of the total word count in your article. One way of hacking keyword research is by typing your topic and wait for what Google’s auto-completing feature will bring up.
You could also use a tool such as Google Keyword Planner to identify the best short tail and long tail keywords in your niche.
On-Page Optimisation
On-page optimisation deals will the content that users interact with on your website. The on-page content should be unique and should add value to your readers. This includes everything from images to videos, infographics, and more.
One of the goals of on-page optimisation is to ensure that you have quick page loading speeds. Otherwise, you will have high bounce rates if your page takes too long to load.
Link Building
Link building is one of the guaranteed ways to excel in SEO. Links are the best way to increase your ranking on search engines. The goal here should be to expand the influence of your content, earn attention, and have other websites linking to your site. The experience you get from link building could help you pass the exams required to attain Google certification in Singapore.
Conclusion
A Google certification in Singapore is one of the requirements if you are looking to get into the digital marketing and advertising industry. It is also crucial that professionals in the industry get the certification to increase trust in their online marketing and advertising skills.
With that said, you can always find a third-party course that will help you prepare for tests related to Google certification in Singapore.
Besides this, if you run a digital marketing and advertising agency in Singapore, you need to encourage your staff to be certified as this will fast track your journey to becoming a Premier Google Partner.
Contact us today for digital marketing services in Singapore. We also offer a number of custom digital marketing courses that will make you a better marketer.
