Out with the old and in with the new – Google Certified Publishing Partner Program replaces AdSense Certified Partnership
The Google AdSense Certified Partner (GASCP) program ceased to be an active program, and was ‘sunset’ – a rather nice term for ‘retired’ – on December 31, 2015.
However, publishers can still seek out qualified help by choosing a partner from the program’s successor, the Google Certified Publisher Program.
What’s the difference?
This new and improved program is called the Google Certified Publishing Program (GCPP). Members of this program have been trained and tested using comprehensive resources developed by the Google publishing team. So the successful partners are qualified in a broader range of publishing solutions than GASCP members. The new GCPP partners are experts in AdSense, of course, but also in other monetization solutions including Doubleclick Ad Exchange (AdX) and Doubleclick for Publishers (DfP). These Google Partners are qualified and trusted to help publishers grow their income and support technical aspects of serving and trafficking ads.
What if I am working with a Certified AdSense Partner who is not yet a Certified Publishing Partner?
You can still work with a company that was part of the GASCP, and they can still advise you on AdSense aspects. However, they will not be qualified to support you in the other, more complex, Google publishing solutions like AdX, DfP, and their certification will not be part of an actively supported program. More importantly, these other solutions may well suit your monetization goals better than using AdSense alone, so working with a qualified Google Certified Publishing Partner is a smart move.
How can I tell the difference?
This badge is no longer a sign of certification on an active program run by Google to support their publishers.
Here’s the new badge, which may only be displayed on the site of a qualified Google Certified Publishing Partner, and tells you the company has graduated from an intensive training program that meets strict eligibility and quality criteria.
Becoming a Google Certified Publishing Partner is a rigorous process- only 29 partners worldwide have made the cut so far. These partners have shown expertise in the publishing solutions offered by Google and a commitment to ongoing training, support and a solid regard for a healthy advertising ecosystem. You should check whether the certified AdSense partner you were working with has made the grade to become a Certified Publishing Partner. A full list can be found here.
What are the benefits of working with a Certified Publishing Partner?
Many independent publishers cannot access certain publishing solutions unless they work with a GCPP qualified partner. A GCPP can give anything from basic advice on how to use the publishing solutions to a fully integrated, App based solution (as with Ezoic.) Using the Ad Exchange and Doubleclick for Publishers brings many benefits, not least making your inventory available to a wider range of premium publishers on the real time bidding auction, thereby likely increasing the prices paid for advertising on your site.
The advertising space continues to evolve – even the fast-growing mobile arena is segmenting quickly as mobile users are trending toward consuming internet data (and thus ad interaction) via Apps rather than mobile browsers. Keeping up with the changes can be hard for publishers to manage on their own, so Certified Publishing Partners can help shoulder this burden, leaving publishers free to concentrate on what they do best – focus on the user – by generating quality, relevant content.
