Google Closing Partners Certification Portal in 2018

Written in 2017 for Universal Analytics. Kept online as published — the screenshots are historical, the concepts still apply. For current Google Analytics 4 training see the GA4 Course.

For those of you who are certified with Google Analytics, or looking to obtain your certification, I wanted to call your attention to a new platform that Google will be rolling out on January 16, 2018.

Google is moving certifications from Google Partners to the Google Academy for Ads. If you are already certified, you should have received an email from Google with details about the switch (and how to transfer your certifications).

If not, hopefully this email triggers you to check out the new portal before the cutover date.

For years, we have been able to take our exams and store results in Google Partners - so this switch represents a significant change to how certification works.

It also represents a new batch of content produced by Google to help you learn how to use their platforms. Their tagline suggests this is "Fast and easy training from Google."

Now let me start by saying that Google's content is free, so you have nothing to lose by watching it. But I also want you to watch these videos with a discerning eye.

You know what else is free, fast and easy to watch? Television Commercials! 

Nothing good comes free, fast and easy. In the online marketing space, or life in general.

Good things take time. For example, Analytics Course is neither fast nor easy to complete. The majority of our students do not pass our beginner quiz on their first try.

But a funny thing happens when things are slow and hard. You work harder to achieve results. Nearly everyone who fails the beginner quiz in Analytics Course will go back and try it again. And on the second or third try? They pass the quiz.

Better yet, they begin to understand the concepts of Google Analytics more clearly. They revisit lessons to better understand the answers.

They turn information into knowledge. And that's really cool!

In 2018, I'm considering developing a certification program that goes above and beyond what Google provides. It will be hard. Not everyone will pass. But those who pass? They will have a badge of honor (and a badge for LinkedIn).

I realize that not everyone on this list would be interested in a certification program, especially since the Google program is already so recognizable.

But I am curious if anyone out there would be interested in this type of advanced certification program?