Google Professional Vs. Overture Ambassador

Should you become a Google Advertising Professional or part of the Overture Ambassador program?

Let's examine the very different ways in which Google and Overture have chosen to support the third-party professionals who make macro and micro decisions for thousands of advertisers. Third-party professionals, search engine marketers/optimizers, and agencies are critical channels for the pay-per-click (PPC) engines, just as agencies are critical to broadcasters and publishers.

If you're looking for ways to demonstrate you have search engine marketing (SEM) expertise and you don't yet have a reputation, all the more reason to consider joining one of the engine's support programs. Your clients will feel more comfortable knowing you participate in the major search engines' programs for professionals and agencies.

Google's Individual Focus

Google Advertising Professionals recognizes many marketers don't directly buy or manage their search campaigns. Even smaller marketers seek out professionals to manage campaigns. Unlike Overture's Ambassador Program, Google's program is more focused on individuals, not agencies or SEM companies.

To become a Google Advertising Professional, you must agree to adhere to rules as part of the sign-up process. You must also have used and maintained an AdWords account in the My Client Center for 90 days and spent $1,000 on accounts during that period. A mere $334 per month is quite a small budget, particularly when several clients are aggregated together. Finally, you must pass an online AdWords knowledge test. There's a $50 fee for the exam. Don't' fail your test more than twice. If you do, you'll not only have to pay $50 each time but have to wait a month to take the test again. As an aside, at deadline a bug prohibited AdWords account logins from registering if the same login is also used for AdSense. Google's client services team can intervene to facilitate registration.

Google has also addressed multiple-staff-member certification for agencies. According to Salar Kamangar, a product manager at Google:

We recognize that at some companies, multiple people will manage AdWords accounts through the same corporate My Client Center Account. In these instances, we expect that employees will share a My Client Center account. Each individual represented as a Qualified Google Advertising Professional does need to take the proficiency exam. These individuals can register for the exam using the same My Client Center login ID and a different name. 

Google's My Client Center is essentially the traditional AdWords interface but allows a single login to multiple accounts. Reporting is still at a client/login level. From the My Client Center, you can add new clients to the centralized login with their login and password information. Once clients are added, campaign management is expedited.

Overture: More Service, More Spend

Overture also recently announced changes to its support program for professionals who help buy and manage campaigns. Previously, search engine marketers/optimizers participated in the Overture Ambassador program. Now, agencies are included as the lines blur between interactive agencies and search engine marketers/optimizers.

A key element of Google's and Overture's initiatives is the training programs. Overture Ambassador training and certification is geared to companies, not individuals. Google's training is online only, with no additional human support.

Of course, companies comprise individuals, and both search engines know the value of empowering the individuals working on client accounts with information. As with traditional media, the more the media buyers and marketing staff know about available options, the more likely they are to increase budgets.

Overture requires a much larger agency-spending commitment for the high level of dedicated support that comes with being an Ambassador. If you or your agency manage over $20,000 per month in spending for several clients, Overture's program may be for you.

The Ambassador program provides your agency with a rep, along with access to information and technology. The agency must commit to having your team stay up to date with what's new in Overture's systems.

Google and Overture don't restrict their training initiatives to these or other internal programs. Both companies are active at industry trade shows, and both are generous Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) supporters. That group also provides training and information about SEM and search engine optimization.

Other engines are also joining the fray by providing training online and off-. Rick Szatkowski, FindWhat's senior VP/general manager, indicated the FindWhat team is considering rolling out additional support specifically for SEM professionals. Training in best practices, including the ins and outs of each provider's system, is essential for marketing staff and agency professionals alike.

Posted BY Kevin Lee | November 19, 2004

当Google广告专家和Overture大使同时摆在你的面前时，你会选择左边还是右边？

　首先，Google和Overture在选择支持第三方专业人员或机构帮助广告客户做出搜索广告决策的思路是一致的，但两者的运作方式还存在诸多不同之处。第三方专业人员或机构，包括搜索引擎营销商或优化师、代理机构等是点击付费（PPC）搜索广告的关键渠道，其重要性不啻于代理商在广播公司和发布商发挥的作用。

　如果你正在想方设法向人们说明你具有搜索引擎营销（SEM）专业技术，但是还没有很高的知名度，这时你最好考虑参与其中一家搜索引擎的支持项目。客户必将非常满意于你参与知名搜索引擎为专家及代理设立的培训考核程序。

　Google专注个人

　Google广告专家专门授予搜索营销商，他们通常自己不会直接购买搜索广告。规模较小的营销商也可争取广告专家的称号，改善操作广告活动的技术水平。与Overture大使程序所不同的是，Google广告专家程序更加倾向于个人，而非代理机构或SEM公司。

　成为Google广告专家的前提是必须接受并同意遵守各项规定，然后才能完成注册过程。此外，你必须在“我的客户中心” （My Client Center）对至少一个AdWords帐户具有90天的使用或维护经验，在此期间所有帐户花费应达到$1，000以上。因此每月预算起码应该达到$334。最后，在交纳$50考试费后，只要通过一项AdWords在线知识测试就可以顺利“毕业”了。注意如果考试失败，必须再次交纳 $50考试费，而且必须等待一个月后才能继续参加考试。

　Google的这项程序也存在某些缺陷。如果同样的AdWords帐户已被用于注册AdSense程序，那么该帐户不可再被用于注册广告专家程序。但这种情况下，可以请求Google客服小组介入帮助完成注册程序。

　据Google产品经理Salar Kamangar介绍，Google还为代理机构推出一种多人认证程序。Kamangar对此解释到：“我们认识到许多公司分配多人负责AdWords帐户管理工作，但使用同一个“我的客户中心”帐户。考虑到这种情况，我们希望所有员工可以共用“我的客户中心”帐户。希望获得“合格的Google广告专家”称号的每个人都必须参加考核测试。他们可以用相同的“我的客户中心”ID加上用于区别个人身份的不同名字参加考试。“

　Google的“我的客户中心”界面基本传承了AdWords传统界面，区别就是允许单个用户名进入多个客户帐户。“报告”服务仍然基于客户/登陆操作。在“我的客户中心”里，你可以用相应的登录名和密码增加新的客户。客户增加程序一经成功完成，客户经理便可进行广告活动的管理工作。

　Overture：更多服务，更高花费

　Overture最近宣布对其广告活动购买管理专家的支持程序进行了改善。Overture的这项支持程序成为大使程序。之前，大使程序的参与者都是搜索引擎营销商/组织。现在随着交互式代理商及搜索引擎营销商/组织之间的界限愈来愈模糊，代理商也加入到大使程序中来。

　Google与Overture这两大程序的主要区别在于培训目标的不同。Overture大使程序的培训及认证针对的是公司，而不是个人；Google的培训侧重个人，并且完全在线完成，没有任何人工支持成分。

　当然公司包含个人，因此两家搜索引擎也都意识到加强个人操作客户帐户能力的价值。在传统媒体行业中，媒体购买者及营销员对业务了解的越多，增加投入预算的可能性就越大。

　Overture对代理商的广告消费额的要求大于Google，这是因为大使代理商能够得到高水平的更加细致的支持服务。如果你或你的代理机构每月为客户消耗的广告消费额超过$20,000，那么就有资格申请Overture的大使程序了。

　大使程序可向代理商提供全面的支持，包括信息方面及技术方面的帮助；代理商则有义务严格要求业务成员随时关注Overture系统的最新内容。

　Google及Overture并不限制其培训程序向对方或其他培训程序开放。他们同时是知名搜索引擎营销专业组织（SEMPO）的大型赞助商，组织主要提供SEM及搜索引擎优化方面的培训和信息服务。两家公司在搜索引擎营销舞台上各尽其能，竞相展示自己的优势。

　其他搜索引擎也效仿大型站点的做法，加入了线上、线下培训的行列。如Rick Szatkowski，FindWhat公司资深副总裁兼总经理就曾暗示FindWhat正在考虑推出一项专门针对SEM专业人员的额外支持项目。

　当然，实践出真知，营销员及代理商的专家们应该注重每个服务提供商培训体系的细节，同时兼顾理论和实践的练习。