How To Become A Google Ads Specialist: 9 Online Courses

Are you looking to become a Google Ads specialist? As a seasoned Google Ads expert and data analyst, let me walk you through everything you need to know to launch a successful career managing Google Ads campaigns.

With over 90% of searches happening on Google, businesses of all sizes are turning to Google Ads now more than ever to reach new customers and drive sales. Becoming a Google Ads specialist is one of the hottest digital marketing career paths out there.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my insider knowledge and hard-won lessons from managing over $5 million in Google Ads spend to help you gain the skills, experience, and confidence to become a Google Ads pro.

Here‘s what we‘ll cover:

What does a Google Ads specialist do day-to-day?
Why should you consider a career as a Google Ads specialist?
What skills does it take to succeed in this role?
Top online courses and certifications for mastering Google Ads
Tips for gaining crucial hands-on Google Ads experience
Additional resources to become a Google Ads expert

Let‘s get started exploring how you can become a certified Google Ads specialist and potentially make a great career out of it.

What Does a Google Ads Specialist Do?

As a Google Ads specialist, you‘ll be responsible for managing and optimizing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns across Google‘s vast network of search, display, YouTube, shopping, and more.

Specifically, your day-to-day duties will likely include:

Setting up and structuring new Google Ads accounts: You‘ll organize accounts into campaigns, ad groups, and keywords to target your ads effectively.
Conducting keyword research: Identifying the optimal mix of keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for is crucial for campaign success. I rely heavily on Google‘s Keyword Planner tool.
Creating and optimizing text, display, shopping, and video ad campaigns: You‘ll craft compelling ad creative tailored to different audiences and place it strategically across various ad formats.
Developing targeted ad groups: You‘ll group ads by product, service, or audience segment for improved campaign structure.
Managing daily budgets, bids, and other campaign settings: Google Ads is a dynamic platform, so you‘ll need to stay on top of monitoring and optimizing to get desired results.
Analyzing performance data and making ongoing optimizations: You‘ll use metrics like click-through rate, conversion rate, ROI, and more to identify opportunities to improve campaign performance.
Providing reporting and recommendations: For stakeholders and clients, you‘ll synthesize results into digestible reports and outline optimization strategies. Communication skills are vital.

In short, as a Google Ads specialist, you‘ll use your expertise in PPC and the Google Ads platform to help businesses connect with their target audience and drive measurable results from their ad spending. It‘s a data-driven role that requires sharp analytical abilities, strategic thinking, creativity, and excellent communication skills.

And since Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day and runs over 30 million AdWords auctions per second, you certainly won‘t be bored!

Why Become a Google Ads Specialist?

Here are some of the top reasons I would encourage any analytics-minded person to pursue a career as a Google Ads specialist:

Skyrocketing demand. Google Ads is a $150 billion industry growing at over 15% per year. Businesses of every type need specialists who can effectively manage their PPC campaigns.
Highly competitive salaries. Based on experience, Google Ads specialists can earn $45,000 to $90,000 per year on average, with the potential to earn well into six figures for those with 5+ years under their belt.
Flexible work options. Many Google Ads specialists work remotely as freelancers or with PPC agencies, offering you flexibility you may not find in other marketing roles.
Transferable analytical skills. The data analysis, research, and optimization skills you build are highly valued across digital marketing.
Fast-paced environment. With Google Ads, no two days are ever the same. You‘ll love the constant learning and challenges of this fast-changing platform.
Ability to showcase results. Unlike some marketing roles, you can directly see the results of your Google Ads work, helping businesses expand their customer base. Very rewarding!

If you‘re analytical, data-driven, and interested in managing millions of dollars in ad spend, becoming a Google Ads specialist can be an ideal career path. The job outlook is very bright given businesses‘ increasing reliance on Google Ads for growth.

Key Skills You‘ll Need

While Google Ads may seem complex at first glance, developing expertise as a Google Ads specialist is completely achievable with consistent practice.

Based on my experience, here are the most important skills and qualities to emphasize and develop:

Analytical thinking: Strong analytical abilities are absolute must-haves in this role. You‘ll need to derive insights from volumes of performance data to make smart optimizations.
Attention to detail: Managing large campaigns with thousands of keywords and ads requires meticulous attention to details. Overlooking small things can tank results.
Statistical analysis chops: You‘ll need to analyze click-through rate, conversion rate, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, attribution, and many other metrics to assess effectiveness. Brush up on your statistical analysis skills.
Creativity and writing skills: Writing effective, compelling ads and landing pages that drive clicks, engagement, and conversions will be one of your primary focuses. Tap into your inner Mad Men.
Strategic thinking: You‘ll need sharp strategic skills to structure campaigns, choose targeting methods, set bids and budgets, and test new approaches. Creative strategies get the best results.
Project management abilities: Juggling multiple accounts and campaigns for different clients takes stellar organizational and time management skills. Use project management techniques to keep everything on track.
Communication and presentation aptitude: Summarizing campaign performance and presenting recommendations via reports and presentations is key. Strong writing and public speaking skills will set you apart.
Tenacity for learning: With Google launching over 10,000 new Ads features every year, you must constantly keep your skills sharp. Learning agility and perseverance are critical.

Developing these abilities takes consistent dedication over time. Completing in-depth training courses combined with hands-on practice can quickly get you job-ready.

Top Google Ads Certifications and Courses

While Google does not require certification to become a Google Ads specialist, investing in some formal training is highly recommended. Completing respected courses and certifications demonstrates your applied skills and knowledge to employers.

Additionally, going through course assignments gives you a "testing ground" to gain that all-important hands-on experience in a risk-free environment before managing live campaigns.

Here are my top recommendations for Google Ads courses and certifications based on the quality of the training:

1. Google Skillshop

Google Skillshop should be your first stop. Offered directly by Google, Skillshop provides excellent free online courses, certificates, and training materials on Google Ads.

Some of the most helpful Google Ads courses include:

Google Ads Foundation – Covers account setup, campaign creation, bidding, budgeting, and measuring results
Google Ads Measurement – Dives into metrics, connecting your Google Ads and Analytics accounts, and attribution models
Smart Bidding – Explores how to leverage Google‘s automated bidding strategies
Responsive Search Ads – Optimizing ad elements and feed for automated ad generation
Shopping campaigns – Details product listing ads and campaign optimization

Each course includes video lessons, knowledge checks, and downloadable cheatsheets made by Google‘s own product experts. You can earn a certificate for each course by passing an assessment to validate your skills.

Length: Self-paced; Approximately 2-5 hours per course

Price: Free!

Highlights: Official Google training, certificates for each course, and no cost. These courses are a must.

2. Google AdWords Certification Course on Udemy

With over 600,000 students enrolled, this highly-rated Udemy course is one of the top Google AdWords certifications available online.

The intensive 17.5-hour course teaches you to:

Set up & organize AdWords accounts
Conduct keyword research and choose keywords
Create targeted ad groups
Design high-converting ads
Implement tracking and conversion pixels
Analyze campaign performance
Use negative keywords, quality score, and bid adjustments for optimization
Remarket to website visitors
Improve campaign ROI

Taught by a leading industry expert, the $200 course is updated frequently and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Earning the completion certificate is a great way to demonstrate your applied AdWords abilities.

Length: Self-paced; 17.5 hours of on-demand video
Price: $200
Highlights: Extremely popular course, taught by industry expert, and certificate upon completion

3. Google Ads Certification on Coursera

If you‘re new to Google Ads, Coursera‘s Google Ads certification is a beginner-friendly option worth considering. Created in partnership directly with Google, the program includes:

Foundations of Google Ads – Account setup, campaign creation, and structure
Search Campaigns – Optimizing search network campaigns
Display & Video 360 Campaigns – Creating YouTube, Display, and App campaigns
Shopping Campaigns – Product listing ads and feeds
Google Ads Measurement – Metrics, attribution, and connecting Google Analytics
Optimize Ad Performance – Optimization strategies and tools

Spanning about 6 months of 5 hours per week, you‘ll get hands-on practice running Google Ads campaigns with a practice budget. You can audit the courses for free or pursue the official certificate for a $49 monthly fee.

Length: 6 months at 5 hours/week
Price: Free or $49/month for official Google certificate
Highlights: Official Google certificate, self-paced, hands-on practice

4. Google Ads Training Course on LinkedIn Learning

For organized video courses, LinkedIn Learning has an 11+ hour Google Ads certification course taught by Corey Morris, LinkedIn‘s head of SEO Education.

Core topics covered include:

Structuring accounts, campaigns, ad groups
Keyword tools and research strategies
Text ads best practices
Display ads and targeting options
Setting bids and budgets
Analytics integration and reporting
Performance analysis and optimization tactics

LinkedIn Learning is a solid choice for visual learners looking for structured, easy-to-absorb video lessons.

Length: 11+ hours of video content
Price: $29.99/month for LinkedIn Learning subscription
Highlights: Taught by industry expert Corey Morris, visual/interactive elements

5. Google AdWords for Beginners Course on Udemy

If you‘re brand new to Google Ads, Udemy‘s Google AdWords Beginners Course provides the perfect introduction.

The 8.5-hour course was designed specifically for AdWords beginners and covers:

Navigating the Google Ads interface
Setting up your first account and campaign
Keyword research and match types
Creating and optimizing text ads
Setting campaign targets and budgets
Initial campaign launch and tracking
Understanding reports and metrics

With supplemental study guides and cheat sheets, it‘s a great starting point for Google Ads newcomers.

Length: 8.5 hours of on-demand video
Price: $200
Highlights: Entry-level focus, downloadable materials, certification upon completion

Gaining Hands-On Google Ads Experience

While courses provide the foundational knowledge, hands-on experience running real Google Ads campaigns is absolutely essential to become a true expert.

Here are some of my top tips for getting crucial hands-on practice:

Set up a Google Ads account for your own business or side project. Starting on a small scale lets you learn the ropes without much risk.
Offer to manage Google Ads for a friend‘s business. You‘ll gain experience managing real budgets and optimizing for performance goals.
Complete the case study assignments in your courses. Treat them like real-world projects.
Find an internship at a digital marketing agency. Agency internships let you work on large, complex business accounts. Invaluable!
Volunteer to help a nonprofit with their Google Ads account. Many nonprofits need pro bono help managing their PPC campaigns.
Set up experiments and mini-campaigns. Test different ad variations, keywords, landing pages, etc. to build knowledge.
Follow or chat with Google Ads specialists on social media. Twitter has an active Google Ads community who share advice.

Hands-on experience is where you really begin connecting the dots. Don‘t be afraid to dive in!

Additional Tips for Launching Your Google Ads Career

Beyond courses and experience, here are some bonus tips I recommend to fast-track your Google Ads specialist career:

Obtain free Google Analytics certification. The platforms work hand-in-hand, so this helps demonstrate your well-rounded skillset.
Master Google‘s free tools like Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and the Google Ads interface.
Tune into Google Ads podcasts and communities. The Google Ads Podcast and PPC Chat are two of my favorites to stay on top of updates.
Read blogs, guides, and documentation published by Google. Tons of gems!
Follow Google Ads experts on Twitter and LinkedIn. People like Frederick Vallaeys, Brad Geddes, and Hannah Tripp are very generous with their knowledge.
Use Google Skillshop‘sBadge feature to showcase your Google Ads certifications on LinkedIn and resumes.
Highlight data analysis and research skills from any past internships or roles when applying for Google Ads jobs.
Join a professional community like the American Advertising Federation which offers training scholarships and networking opportunities.
Consider getting certified in Google Analytics and Facebook Ads to diversify your skillset. Display and video ads are also good to know.

With dedication and persistence, you can gain the skills and experience needed to manage large, sophisticated Google Ads accounts – and potentially turn it into an amazing career that allows you to work remotely from anywhere.

I hope these insider tips help you feel equipped and inspired to begin your journey into the fast-paced, high-demand world of Google Ads management. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to help fellow aspiring Google Ads specialists any way I can.