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Many Google Ads agency partners learned this week that they will lose their dedicated agency representatives on April 1st. Google has stated that the changes have been made.
Why is the change being made?
Google’s agency rep program goes through a review every quarter. They said that this change isn’t related to support limitations during the coronavirus crisis. Google Ads has been sending notifications to advertising that ‘’some support options may be delayed or unavailable’’ due to changing work schedule of support specialists in the early part of last month in Google Ads interface.
It does not appear to be related to the recent overhaul of the Google Partners program eligibility requirements. Google also stated that the change is not linked to whether an agency has the status of a premier partner.
How does it affect small and mid-sized agencies?
‘’We recently made changes to Google representative support for our small and mid-sized agency partners,’’ a Google spokesperson mentioned in a statement. ‘’These changes are not related to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. They are part of the routine review where we evaluate our support level for all agency partners. Status as a premier partner does not impact their agency representative status.’’
People who have lost their dedicated agency support are being directed to general Skillshop training, blog posts and the Help portal. Google ended support through social platforms at the start of 2020, instead of directing advertising to an online form.
Why should we be concerned?
Support has always been a problem with Google Ads. However, dedicated agency teams have often been helpful. But now, most small and mid-sized agencies will have this benefit of the partner program. The timing of the announcement has shocked many stalwarts in the industry. Jeff Ferguson, CEO of Fang Marketing, came to know this week that his agency, which had premier partner status, is losing its dedicated representatives.
Ferguson is deeply concerned about his clients in healthcare and food delivery which can’t launch campaigns as their names are mistaken with companies that have mistaken for other companies that are gaining during the coronavirus outbreak.
