Like I referenced above, Love and Science is a Google Partner. In fact, we’re a step above: a Google Premier Partner (top 3% of all Google Partner agencies by performance), and we’ve been one for 8 of the last 9, or 9 of the last 10 years – I can’t remember and don’t feel like digging through records to find out. While I don’t know the specifics on how long we’ve been there, what I do know is that we’ve easily hit that threshold year after year by basically doing whatever we personally think makes sense from a marketing perspective (and jumping through a few really minor hoops on an annual basis – more on that later). And that’s just looking at Premier – to be a run of the mill Google Partner Agency is even easier. Let’s take a look at what these partner statuses require. 

Google Partner & Premier Partner Definitions

These statuses are specific to Google Ads performance, so if you’re just really good at managing Google Business Profiles or something, you’re out of luck. Also, I’m really only talking about Partner and Premier Partner here, but there are actually “three tiers of partnership” for agencies managing Google Ads: Member, Partner, and Premier Partner. The Member status is so basic (you essentially just tell Google “we are here!,” and you automatically make the cut). 

The other two, the two I’m talking about, have at least some barrier to entry. Both Partner and Premier require an agency to: 

• Pass certification exams annually
• Meet performance thresholds
• Meet spend thresholds

Premier takes it one step further: you have to be a Partner agency whose performance is amongst the top 3% of agencies in your country (that’s us). 

Performance Thresholds

The required thresholds are a bit ambiguous at times. There are some cut and dry ones, but then there are some weirder ones too. 

Here’s how the requirements break down for standard Partner status: 

• At least 50% of your agency’s account strategists/managers have to pass annual certification exams, with at least one passing grade in each product area that they offer exams in (Search Ads, Display Ads, Video Ads, Shopping Ads and App Ads). 
• Your Ads Manager account has to maintain a 90-day ad spend of $10,000 across managed accounts. 
• Your manager account’s overall, Google-defined optimization score needs to be 70% or higher. 

For just about any normal ads-providing agency, these are a cakewalk. The most difficult portion is the certification exam, and that’s just because you have to remember to take it. These are not difficult tests if you have any hands-on experience with Google Ads. Each exam has a limit of 1.5-2 hours or so, but that’s about how long it takes me to complete all of the exams with a perfect score without any study or “test prep” whatsoever. 

The spend requirement shouldn’t be a problem unless you literally have 0 clients, and the optimization score can easily be gamed just by acknowledging Google’s recommendations – it doesn’t matter if you accept or decline their recommended changes, just choosing resets the clock. 

Now when you move on to Premier, the definitions get a whole lot squirrelier. The minimum requirements for Partners remain, but now you have some much more nebulous checkboxes as well on your way to being considered “top 3%” material. Google says the Premier calculus includes (but is not limited to): 

• Existing client growth: Ability of partners to grow their existing clients, measured by year-over-year ads spend growth and ads spend among existing Google Ads clients.
• New client growth: Ability of partners to acquire new clients, measured by year-over-year ads spend growth and ads spend among existing first-time Google Ads clients.
• Client retention: Demonstrated ability to sustain client business, measured by the percentage of clients with active Google Ads spend who are managed by the partner and are retained year-over-year.
• Product diversification: Demonstrated investment in product mix beyond Search, measured by the percentage of non-Search spend in YouTube, Display & Video 360, Display, Apps, and Shopping each calendar year.
• Annual ads spend: Investment in Google Ads or Google Marketing Platform, measured by spend across managed accounts each calendar year

So, really, you have no idea if you’re on track to make Premier status until Google doles out their final ruling each year. Just keep on keeping on, and hope that your hard work is rewarded. 

Does Google Partner Status Even Matter?

I’m of two minds on the subject. On one hand, it’s so easy to get an agency to at least Partner status, I feel like agencies who don’t meet the threshold must just be unbelievably lazy and/or disconnected. Is it possible to work with a killer agency that isn’t a Google Partner? Of course! But that question of “why not” would always haunt me – just get your act together and get the freaking certifications. 

HOWEVER, it’s so easy to get an agency to at least Partner status that there have to be countless Partner agencies who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing and could completely waste your money and screw you over. Could you find a killer agency who’s just a Partner? Sure thing! Could you also find a Partner agency who absolutely blows? Sure thing!

What About Premier Partners?

I think the second point on the Partner argument is where Premier comes in: you’re weeding out 97% of agencies right out of the blocks, whether they’re screwups or decent agencies who just don’t quite cut it. 

I would rather take my chances on the 3% of agencies who showed enough initiative to get on the program, meet the requirements, and beat out the vast majority of other agencies that tried to do the same. Yes, you could still contract with the worst performing of the top 3% (they don’t tell you where you rank once you make the cut), but it’s probably not just a group of gluttonous debauchers managing your hard earned ad spend. 
If I had to give you one final word of advice, I would say work with Love and Science. We’re landing somewhere in the top 3% of agencies every single year without even trying to appease Google. Even if we’re somehow last place within that 3% (I’m certain we’re not), wouldn’t you  rather work with the worst of the best than the best of the worst?