Starting the New Year Off Right
Jan 2nd, 2008 by msdanielle
So today I got something out of the way that I’ve been putting off for a little while. I took my Google Advertising Professional (GAP) Exam and passed it. Woohoo! It feels good to have that done and filed away.
Passing the GAP exam means that you understand how to navigate the AdWords system, and that you understand the principles of how the system can be used for advertising on Google search. Knowing how to optimize your ad campaigns in your industry for maximum profit is another story.
I’ve been managing PPC for over a year and a half and I figured having my GAP certificate would be a helpful step in my pursuit of managing clients independently. It wasn’t difficult, and only took $50 and an hour and a half of my life to complete.
If you have any questions about the test, let me know. If you’ve taken the test and passed, congrats! You don’t know anymore about AdWords than you did before you took it, but you do get to post a neat little logo on your site saying you’re now an AdWords Pro. </sarcasm>
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nice nice! I want to pass it as well - just been real busy and been pushing it off - bah - BTW where is your button! =P
it takes up to 3 days for the test company to send the results to your MyClientCenter account. don’t worry, i’ll be posting up that baby as soon as i get it
Nice & congrats! I may attempt this this or next week!
sweet. i’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors!
I’ve been meaning to take such tests (not just the AdWords one) for quite a while, but just can’t seem to find the time. I agree that you will not learn anything new, but taking tests such as this one definitely won’t do any harm…and yes, you will be able to show off with your logo
Alan Johnson
for some reason, the only thing that stood out in my mind when going through the learning center was that you can’t use more than one exclamation point in your ad
good luck, it wasn’t very difficult but some of the questions were very specific
Congratulations! On to your MOUS Certification now?
i think next will be the yahoo ambassador one, which should be a breeze. is the MOUS cert easy?
The MOUS can be easy if you know your Office software inside out.
So this is just a little certificate to show off for potentials basically. What I’m saying is that if you’re just in it for yourself like a lot of affiliate marketers it’s not needed but fun to say “ya, i passed the GAP”
Sure, if you are a PPC consultant, you can mention the fact that you have passed the test to potential clients, but it is not exactly relevant, since passing is not that much of a challenge
Personally, I’d say that this test is something you just take for yourself,
Alan Johnson
Congratulations Danielle! Make sure you get your free links
thanks! i get free links?
whats the benefit of me dishing out 50 bucks for nothing but a logo
Credibility, and THAT is worth FAR more than $50
i wouldn’t say it’s “nothing but a logo.” pretty much anyone who wants to recruit new clientele should really have their cert as a basic requirement. it does lend credibility which i agree is very valuable.
Well, let’s face it, $50 is not exactly a fortune if you are serious about PPC and certifications such as this one or Y ambassador are just a way of being sure that you are on top as far as the basics are concerned.
Alan Johnson
Congrats on passing, Danielle. Now it’s time to get that $50 investment back with new clients and lots of extra work. How many other certifications do you plan on getting this year?
thanks jason! gonna try to do the Y! ambassador one this week. that’s all i have in the works for now i think. i’m sure you have a few under your belt, yes?
I have a few MS certifications, yes, but they don’t seem to be worth much in Japan. That said, it’s almost time to update those certs again … yay
Hopefully Google certifications don’t lose relevance with time like Microsoft certs do.
gap cert’s are good for one year…
Wow!Congrats on that. I should be put that in my list.
Danielle,
Congratulations on passing the GAP exam. I’ve not taken it yet, but will this year.
As for its usefulness? Credibility.
Five years ago I wrote an ebook named The World’s Shortest Excel Book. It sold in over 40 countries on the Internet. It made money.
But I used my little ebook as a closing tool on advanced Excel training sessions. Why would people use me for training? Because I was an “ebook author” on the subject.
I call it the evil twin theory. If another Danielle competes for a PPC contract with you, she’s your “evil twin” and has the same background and skills as you do, but you are the Danielle that has the GAP designation, guess who gets the contract?
You get the contract. Congratulations.
Congrats on passing the exam!
Congratulations! I guess that’s one of those things that I should do one of these days, but as long as I’m gainfully employed by day and keeping busy with my own sites at night, I don’t have a whole lot of incentive to do it.
By the way, I’m curious - do you strictly do PPC, or do you also do any kinds of social media marketing?
Congrats! Grab that badge and show it off proudly!
Darin