Advertiser guide: Working with third parties

Google provides translated versions of the Advertising Policies Help Center, though they're not meant to change the content of the policies. The English version is the official language used to enforce Google Ads policies. To view this article in a different language, use the language dropdown at the bottom of the page.

Introduction to Google’s online advertising

Google Ads helps you connect with potential customers at the exact moment they’re searching for products or services like yours. Depending on your campaign type, you can choose to pay for clicks, impressions, or conversions.

When your ads are live, we provide detailed performance insights so your third-party partner can track what’s working and optimize accordingly. Google Ads offers a high level of accountability, allowing you to clearly understand your return on investment and enabling ongoing campaign improvements for better results.

In addition to Google search, you can also run ads on Google’s network of partner sites (places where you may have seen the “Ads by Google” message)–including YouTube. On this network, you can take advantage of other ad formats, such as image ads and video ads.

Google and third-party partners

We believe that Google advertising can play a key role in your business's success. However, we understand that managing and optimizing a campaign requires time, expertise, and continuous attention, of which some resources may not always be readily available to you. Or maybe you’d just like some help optimizing from an expert.

That’s where our third-party partners come in. There are a lot of different third parties, ranging from large advertising agencies and yellow page publishers to individual web consultants. To help you select a third-party partner, we’ve developed our Partners Program. Approved third-parties who meet the requirements of a Google Partner Program may display that program’s badge on their websites. Two badges that you’ll probably see are Google Partners and Premier Partners .

To confirm that a company is certified within our Partner Programs, click the badge on its website. If the company is certified, you’ll be taken to its profile page on Google.

How to work with a third-party partner

A third-party partner can save you and your business a lot of time and energy. For best results, we encourage you to stay informed, involved, and up-to-speed on your ad campaigns, and let your partner handle the time-consuming work.

Third-party partners will often charge a fee in addition to the cost of your advertising. Remember, their goals are to provide valuable services like managing your campaigns, provide you with reporting, answer your questions, or optimize your campaigns. We believe it’s important for you to understand the total cost of your advertising, including any fees your third-party partner charges. You can use this amount to determine your return on investment (ROI). Here are some quick tips to help you become a smart customer:

Pick one partner. You may be tempted to divide your budget among multiple third parties to evaluate which one drives the best results. You’re welcome to do this, but we recommend that you test them one at a time. Google doesn’t display more than one ad for a business on a page of search results, so you’ll find it difficult to test multiple third parties at once.
Educate yourself. Understanding advertising at an advanced level can take time, but it doesn’t take much time to learn the basics of Google advertising. Review the "Advertising basics" section below. To learn more, visit the Google Ads Help Center . Understanding these programs will help you make more informed decisions with your third-party partner.
Trust experience. If you’re working with a company that has managed hundreds of Google advertising accounts, it’s likely to have developed strong expertise in Google’s advertising products. So, if it mentions that some industries have historically higher online-advertising costs or certain keywords or ads might not work for your business, it’s probably sharing insights based on experience.
Evaluate your performance. Unless you’re focused on branding, the most important aspect of advertising is the return on your investment in it (that is, how many new customers it brings in). So take some time each month to measure what you’re investing, and the results you’re receiving from that investment.

What to watch out for

We believe that it’s important for you to have a great experience with Google advertising. If you don’t, please let us know. Be sure to first work with your third-party partner to try to resolve any issues before contacting us. Many third parties have earned our trust by representing the best interests of their advertisers. But some third parties do not. Here are some activities to watch out for and let us know about:

Not sharing the cost and performance of advertising campaigns: At a minimum, you have the right to know the number of clicks, impressions, and the total cost of your Google ads.
Guaranteeing ad placement, either on a specific advertising channel or in a specific position: It’s not possible to guarantee a specific ad position on Google.com search results pages. Ad position is determined by an auction and changes dynamically with every new search. Some third parties may only charge you if they achieve your desired ad placement, but those that guarantee a specific position (that is, the top position every time a user searches for your keyword) are misrepresenting how Google’s advertising works.
Account setup requirements: The third party agency must set up a separate Ads account for you to represent you fairly.
Claiming to be from Google.Ask this person for their name and to email you from their @google.com email address. Email addresses from @ gmail.com do not prove association with Google.
Harassing or bullying you into signing up: Third parties can't remove your business from the natural or organic search results on Google.com.
Claiming advertising on Google will affect your organic or natural ranking: Advertising on Google has no impact on your organic or natural ranking in the search results; the two are completely separate.
Deceptive pricing: The agency may not use the correct advertising budget as agreed with you. Make sure that you get an official copy of your agreement in writing.

Report a violation of third-party policy

If you believe a third-party partner is violating this policy, report a violation of third-party policy . While we may not respond personally when you contact us about a third party, we will investigate your comments and, if necessary, take appropriate action.

Advertising basics

Average Position: The average position an ad appears in when it's triggered. An average position of 1-8 generally means that the ad is appearing on the first page of search results.
Clicks: The number of times users clicked your ad.
Clickthrough Rate (CTR): The number of clicks divided by the number of impressions, shown as a percentage. A good CTR can improve your average position.
Conversion: The action that your advertising results in, such as a phone call, lead, or sale. This is usually a good metric to use to measure the success of your advertising.
Cost: The total amount you spend with Google advertising.
Impressions: The number of times your ad appeared.
Keywords: The words or phrases you select for Google Ads so that when users search for those words on Google, your ad may appear next to or above the search results.

If you have a question about your Google advertising account and need help, please visit the Google Ads Help Center . You can also find information about promotional codes and billing inquiries .

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