Google seems to always have been puzzling with the role of Agencies in its business model. When Adwords started Google first was targeting the big advertisers, but soon after the self service model was introduced, the SMB’s became the pool of opportunity.
During time the Adwords system gained improvements and new features on a very regular basis. Remarketing, ad extensions, Display targeting, bid modifiers, enhanced campaigns are just some features that were introduced. One can image that the average advertiser is puzzled were to start.
Google realized that and introduced concepts like Adwords Express and Dynamic Search Ads to automate and reduce complexity. But for the medium sized advertiser who has a budget large enough to care, but too low to be daily active in the account, an agency can be a really good alternative. It’s just an old economic law that started when the economy of trade was replaced by the economy of money. People could specialize in a certain profession, so that services from others could be bough with money. The whole economy was better off, because of the specialization the knowledge, education and investments in technology increases.
Google has been always a bit hesitating towards agencies. This was reflected in phenomena like reps, no reps, vertical reps, key client reps, clumsy certification tests etc. As an agency you always had the feeling you were at a party where you were not invited. This changed slowly but evidently the last two years. Google introduced Google Engage and started training agencies and supporting them with sales support, coupons, technical support and more important the feeling that the role of the agency was respected.
With a transition from Google certified, via Google Engage now to the new Google Partners the feeling is even more positive. Google seems to take agencies serious now. You can really see that Google invested time and money in the new program. Google does not only seem to raise the bar for Partner Agencies, but also for itself in this new program. Let’s see how this new ‘elan’ can boost the role of agencies in the Adwords ecosphere!