Getting Google-Certified: Why it Matters with our Director of Client Success Training

After almost 10 years working with business owners for their local marketing solutions, Stephanie Scanlan, our Director of Client Success Training, knows a thing or two about what makes a successful campaign. So, we sat down with her to talk about how the industry has changed, why getting everyone on the Client Success team Google-certified is important, and what businesses should look for in a marketing partner.

Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?

Stephanie S.: Hi, there! A little about me: I’ve been working with ReachLocal [part of the USA TODAY NETWORK] and now Gannett for almost 10 years now. I’ve always had a passion for helping small businesses, and that’s how I got my start here. I’m the daughter of a business owner, and I remember growing up in a house that depended on that business. It really gave me the passion and motivation to work here and try to do my best for our clients.

In my tenure working here, I’ve had the privilege to run numerous service teams that are helping to deliver those great results to their clients. Never a dull moment around here!

For hobbies and interests outside of work, I’m huge into sports. I’ve been a competitive athlete pretty much all my life, so it still plays a huge part!

How have things changed over the last 10 years that you’ve been here in the marketing industry?

It really does feel like a night and day difference in the last 10 years. The biggest change has been the shift to mobile as it continues to grow. Mobile websites, mobile bids [for paid display and search ads], mobile demographics — all of it is now taken so highly into account when optimizing and running a digital campaign.

The business owners themselves are also much more knowledgeable about digital marketing than 10 years ago. They have either run digital marketing campaigns themselves or had them run for them before. It is rare to find someone who hasn’t tried digital marketing before, and just a few years ago that was a more normal occurrence. This has meant we have to change how we approach our clients and be more of a strategic partner.

What about search engines? How have Google and other big search engines changed since you entered the industry?

Another huge change in the last 10 years! When I started, the only creative ad extensions for paid search marketing were call and location. Now there is an ever-growing list that lets you do snippets, call-outs, prices, etc. Google has launched their new accounts manager UI, updated their training portal to Academy for Ads, enhanced their algorithms, and launched new products.

The other search engines have also gone through a transformation. Yahoo and Bing used to be two different UIs and now they are managed through just one. Yahoo has had Gemini, and Bing announced big changes for their search platforms just last week.

You have to constantly stay on top of all of the changes because something new is happening all of the time!

Speaking of Google, All LOCALiQ Client Success Managers were Google-certified as of January 31. Why was that important?

We’re a premier partner of Google, and we want to showcase that status, our knowledge, and our skills to our clients. By having these certifications, our Client Success Managers (CSMs) are in a better place to communicate with their clients about the features and tools from Google Ads. These features and tools allow the CSM to better optimize and run our client’s search marketing campaigns, which in the end produce better results!

Related: LOCALiQ is a Google Premier Partner–What It Means for Our Customers

What did this process look like for all of them to get certified?

The certification is in two parts: Fundamentals and Advanced Search. Both exams have 12 hours of videos and study documents over the entire Google Ads interface and on how to optimize search campaigns. The teams had to go through all these materials before they took the exams. Each exam takes about two hours to complete with a passing score of 80/100. You need to pass both exams to be Google Ads-Certified Individual.

You mentioned that being Google-certified helps CSMs better optimize their clients’ campaigns. How does it do that?

It helps them manage their accounts by being up to date on new Google updates and enhancements. The CSM also better understands how all the elements of Google Ads work together in a more in-depth way. From how you set up the languages to picking locations, you have an upgraded level of knowledge.

Why would you recommend business owners work with a Google-certified account manager for their campaigns?

When a business owner works with a Google-certified account manager they know the person taking care of their paid search marketing knows the ins and outs of how to run a campaign. They’ll be able to rest easy knowing its setup based on how Google recommends, they understand the optimization, and they will be using the numerous tools Google provides. Without the certification, so many of the more in-depth features Google Ads offers can be easily missed.

What else do you think is important to think about when it comes to choosing a marketing partner?

A business owner should look for someone that wants to be essentially an extension of their team. Someone who wants to truly learn about and grow their business. There are so many options available for business owners, and it is key to find someone who doesn’t treat you like a number on a spreadsheet. You are a unique business and you need someone to work out what your unique strategy should be for your growth.

What inspires you most about your team?

I love surrounding myself with hardworking people. They are 100% in all the time to do everything they can to help our clients. It is such a wonderful feeling to know you are working with a group of people who go “above and beyond” as their day-to-day mentality. There really is no substitution for that dedication and hard work. With them going this hard all the time, they push me to work even harder.

Stephanie Heitman

Stephanie is the Associate Director of Content for LocaliQ and WordStream. She has over 10 years of experience in content and social media marketing and loves writing about all things digital marketing. When she’s not researching the latest and greatest marketing news and updates, she’s probably watching reality TV with her husband, reading, or playing with her two pups.

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