Google offers many free resources for anyone who wants to use them, regardless of whether you’re a personal blogger or a marketer working with multiple clients. To be noticed by Google’s search engine, you need to understand how the search engine and other tools work to make your site better and grow your audience. One such resource is the Google Analytics Certification.
Google Analytics is one of the company’s most valuable tools. It provides insights into your website’s traffic, winning keywords, bounce rate, conversions, and other measurable metrics. As a marketer, your knowledge of Google Analytics has virtually endless benefits. But as helpful as Google Analytics is, it has a significant learning curve for beginners.
That’s why there’s a Google Analytics Certification, complete with courses and an exam to help you learn how to use it and feel confident in doing so. The certification is free for all users, can be completed on your schedule, and is valid for 12 months.
Do I Need a Google Analytics Certification?
You can use Google Analytics without certification. However, you may never understand the array of insights available to you if you try to figure it out on your own. The certification process can assist you as you navigate the platform and learn to use Google Analytics to develop and improve your plan for your website.
Having the credential certainly won’t hurt your resume, either. The Google Analytics Certification can help you stand out as a marketer to your clients. It could even win over potential clients who want to know they’re working with someone who fully understands how to analyze their websites.
How to Get Certified
The Google Analytics Certification process consists of courses and an exam.
Certification won’t be an easy task for some, especially if you’ve never used analytics software before. However, Google lays out the process in a way that’s flexible to your learning pace and style. You can take as long as you need to complete the courses before moving onto the exam.
Here’s how to get certified:
Take Google Analytics Courses
Screenshot via Google Analytics Academy
You can find the courses you need for Google Analytics Certification in the Google Analytics Academy. You can choose to take any courses offered in the Academy for free to boost your understanding of Google Analytics.
However, there are two courses that Google suggests you take before taking your certification exam. Although you’re not required to take the course, you should consider completing them to help you pass the exam.
Google Analytics for Beginners
Screenshot via Google Analytics Academy
This course bundles all the basics of Google Analytics into one package. It’s a must if you’re new to Google Analytics, but even those who have dabbled in it before can learn new information.
Google Analytics for Beginners walks you through your dashboard, how to set up your sites, how to find specific traffic information, and how to navigate various metrics. You’ll also learn how to get basic reports that you’ll need to shape your website strategy, like acquisition and audience reports.
Advanced Google Analytics
Screenshot via Google Analytics Academy
This course takes your Google Analytics learning a big step further with more in-depth navigation through the platform. The information you’ll get from Advanced Google Analytics can completely transform your knowledge as a marketer.
The most significant benefit of this course for marketers is its ability to dig into advanced reporting, like creating custom reports, and strategies, like dynamic retargeting. You’ll also learn how to set filters, track behavioral traffic events, and customize your Google Analytics dashboard to give you the most relevant, detailed information for your website and goals (or those of your clients).
Take the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) Exam
Your last stop is getting your certification by passing the Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ) exam. It’s not as scary as it sounds. If you took your time getting through and understanding the course material, you should have no problem making it through the exam.
To sign up for the GAIQ, click here. Then, click on the Google Marketing Platform Certification Exam and scroll down to the GAIQ. Google estimates that the exam should take you about one hour, so make sure you have some time set aside. Once you start, you need to complete it within the required time limit.
Upon passing the GAIQ, you’ll receive your 12-month certification, dated from the date you completed your exam.
Adding another credential to your name never hurts, but the benefits of passing the GAIQ move beyond a flashy qualification. The certification process tests your knowledge of Google Analytics, a tool that no digital marketer should be without.
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