Whether you're an individual or a company, you can demonstrate your proficiency in AdWords by joining the Google AdWords Certification Program. It's a globally-recognised stamp of approval, which showcases your knowledge of the latest AdWords tools and best practices. You can choose from a variety of exams based on what's most relevant to your areas of specialisation. The goal of the exams is to provide you with the knowledge you need to effectively manage Google advertising programs.

Over the last few months we have offered live webinars to help you study for the Google Advertising Fundamentals and Search Advertising Advanced exams. We are pleased to announce that we are now offering live webinars to help you prepare for the Google Certified Partner Reporting and Analysis Advanced Exam. In this three-part webinar series, we will cover the key topics found on the exam and offer a few tips to help you study.

Reporting & Analysis Advanced 1: Advanced Conversion Tracking
Date: October 19th at 12pm Sydney time (9am SG and 2pm NZ)
Description: In this session, we'll review the function and purpose of AdWords Conversion Tracking and explain related terms. We'll also share some best practices for using AdWords Conversion tracking in your AdWords account.

Reporting & Analysis Advanced 2: Google Analytics
Date: October 21st at 12pm Sydney time (9am SG and 2pm NZ)
Description: In this session, we'll discuss which types of data can be found in each section of Google Analytics. We'll show you how you can analyze visitor, traffic sources, content, and goal report data to meet your advertising goals.

Reporting & Analysis Advanced 3: Website Optimiser
Date: October 26th at 12pm Sydney time (9am SG and 2pm NZ)
Description: In this session, we'll discuss how website and landing page testing can help achieve online performance goals. We'll walk you through getting started with Website Optimiser and summarise the differences between A/B and multivariate testing.

Visit the AdWords Webinars for Agencies site to register for these sessions.

In addition to the new webinars above, you can now watch the Google Advertising Fundamentals and Search Advertising Advanced webinars on-demand. The sessions cover the key topics found on each exam and you can access them online whenever it is convenient for you. All you need to get started is an Internet connection and a computer with speakers or headphones.

Google Advertising Fundamentals
- Targeting the Google Network
- Understanding Search Ads Quality
- Optimisation Tools & Strategies
- Selling Google AdWords

Search Advertising Advanced
- Leveraging AdWords Tools
- Performance Monitoring and Conversion Tracking
- Conversion Optimiser Strategies
- Multiple Account Management Tools and Best Practices

View these on-demand webinars in our online classroom.

Please visit the Online Learning Centre for more insight into the topics covered on all exams in the Google Certified Partner Program.

Posted by Kelly Blackford, Agency Training Team

Editors Note: This guest post is from Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar -- a Googler focused on Analytics solutions in Asia Pacific. This new blog aims to share advanced usage tips, and case studies from digital marketers about successfully using Google’s conversion products to increase performance and conversion rates. With specialists sitting in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China, India, and Japan, you will be sure to get a variety of perspectives!

Google Analytics, Google Website Optimiser, Search Funnels, AdWords Conversion Tracking - these are some of our favourite tools for measuring and optimising conversions on websites. These tools help you to maximise your returns on investment whether your site exists to share information, generate leads, or make sales.

Today we introduce the Japan and Asia-Pacific (JAPAC) Conversion Room and Blog. Over the last two years we have seen a tremendous uptake of Google’s conversion products in this region, celebrated many success stories with users, and witnessed the development of local expertise. The JAPAC Conversion Room aims to inspire JAPAC (and global) online marketers towards maximising conversions through sharing success stories and expert tips from this region.

If you are drawn to digital marketing, optimising for conversions, and have an interest in the Japan and Asia-Pacific region, then head on over to the site now and subscribe to all the latest articles.

Posted by Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, Google Analytics Solutions, and James Toepfer, Google Customer Marketing Manager

We're excited to announce the launch of Enhanced CPC, a new automated bidding feature that can help you improve your ROI on your campaigns with manual bidding. Enhanced CPC uses your campaign's historical conversion tracking data to automatically adjust your Max CPC bid based on the likelihood that your ad will convert. As a result, you should receive more conversions while maintaining or reducing your overall CPA and hopefully spend less time managing your Max CPC bids.

How does it work?

Let's walk through an example. Jeff sells model airplane kits and has enabled Enhanced CPC for a campaign that contains the following keywords, each with a Max CPC bid set to $0.30: model airplane, model airplane kits, and build model airplanes. When a user searches for 'model airplane kits,' the AdWords system recognizes that this term has converted well for Jeff in the past, and therefore increases the Max CPC bid to $0.32 for this specific auction. If the likelihood of a conversion is very high, Enhanced CPC can bid up to 30% above the Max CPC. This means that the most that Jeff will be charged for a click is $0.39.

On the other hand, when a user searches on a term that has not converted well in the past, e.g. 'model airplane,' the AdWords system will lower the Max CPC bid for this specific auction to $0.20. By adjusting bids based on Jeff's conversion data, the AdWords system ultimately helps him increase sales while maintaining or decreasing his average cost per conversion.



Enhanced CPC has the unique ability to consider a number of factors when predicting the likelihood of a conversion. A few examples of what Enhanced CPC is able to do include:

* Adjust your bid depending on how well a particular search or display network partner site in the Google network has converted for you in the past
* Recognize when specific words within a keyword (e.g. 'kits') convert well and adjust your bid when users search on variations of these terms (e.g. 'model airplane kits for children')
* Detect attributes such as the user's location, language settings, browser, and operating system and analyze how these attributes may impact the likelihood of your ad converting

How to get started

To use Enhanced CPC, you'll need to first enable Conversion Tracking for your campaigns. Conversion Tracking not only allows you to take advantage of ROI-boosting features like Enhanced CPC but also provides you with valuable insight into how frequently your ads convert into sales and how much you're paying for these conversions.

If you're already using Conversion Tracking, getting started is easy. Simply navigate to the 'Bidding and Budgeting' section of the settings tab for your campaign, and select the checkbox under 'Enhanced CPC.'



Please note that campaigns using Enhanced CPC cannot currently be modified using AdWords Editor. We're working to ensure compatibility in the near future. If you're choosing between Enhanced CPC and Conversion Optimizer as your method for boosting ROI, please read this FAQ for more information on how these tools differ.

Visit the Google Ad Innovations site to learn more about Enhanced CPC.

Posted by Kate Conroy, AdWords Product Specialist
This is a cross post from the Inside AdWords Blog