How to Pass the AdWords Mobile Exam on Your 1st Try

If you work with AdWords, you may have noticed that Google recently launched a new Mobile Exam as part of the AdWords suite of certification tests. True to form, it was launched without much fanfare, and to date I haven’t found even a single sample question, making it difficult to test your knowledge ahead of the exam.

The test is not overly difficult, but reviewing Google’s study guide materials alone won’t adequately prepare you for the exam. This article assumes you have a working knowledge of AdWords. This post won’t be diving into acronyms or basic concepts. But the available materials don’t do much to connect the dots, and fail to address several questions on the exam. Here’s what you need to know to do well:

What to Expect

Exam Format
The Mobile Exam has the same structure you’ve come to expect from AdWords tests:

90 minutes
70 questions
80% passing score
Valid for 12 months

Key Takeaways
With 70 questions, the exam covers a wide range of topics, but there are some key themes that you should be comfortable before taking the test:

The “full value” of mobile — a mobile device isn’t a shrunken desktop computer. Know what makes it unique.
Optimizing for mobile — even though campaigns target all devices, it’s best to customize bids & placements.
App advertising & tracking — app conversion tracking is not as seamless as it is on the web. Know the challenges & how to re-engage your audience after they’ve downloaded your app.

Measure the “Full Value” of Mobile

The introduction of Enhanced Campaigns in 2013 eliminated mobile-only campaigns from AdWords. The idea was that most people “move sequentially between several screens to accomplish a task,” so combining campaigns made more sense than running identical campaigns for each device.

While it may be true that people use multiple devices to make purchasing decisions, it’s not true that they use each device interchangeably. This is important to understand, and it’s a key focus of the new Mobile Exam certification. Google wants to make sure you’re comfortable spending more budget and justifying higher CPAs on mobile devices, and it will be hard to pass this test without a working knowledge of the backstage benefits of mobile.

Device Types & “Micro-Moments”
Be familiar with how and when people use mobile devices. There are a few specific mobile usage questions involving a Nielsen study which can be found here: https://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/creating-moments-that-matter_research-studies.pdf

Know the types of actions people are more likely to take on mobile (researching, looking up directions, making calls, & using apps), and the types of actions they’re less likely to take (purchasing). Know what “showrooming” means, and how cross-device conversions are measured.

Call Extensions
AdWords gives you several ways to track phone calls, from call-only ads to calls initiated from a website. While calls from location extensions don’t provide detailed data and don’t count as conversions, Google forwarding numbers do (in call extensions or on your site) — and result in rich call reporting data. Be familiar with what circumstances need to be true in order to show a forwarding number via AdWords.

Optimize Advertising for Mobile Devices

For better or for worse (depending on your business needs), computers and full-browser mobile & tablet devices are all targeted from the same campaigns. While you’re limited by the bid multipliers you can use for mobile (and you can’t change tablet targeting at all), AdWords is developing more sophisticated targeting opportunities to reach your audience with a device-appropriate message to help you feel comfortable spending your client’s budget on the very small screen.

Screen Size Considerations
Know the challenges & opportunities of advertising on smaller screens, including the basics of what makes a site mobile friendly and how screen size affects both searching & site usage (hint: you should know what a “touch target” is).

Mobile Bid Adjustments & Strategies
At its most basic level, optimization means doing more of what’s working and doing less of what’s not. Knowing this will help you answer a few bidding questions on the test. Beyond that, know what flexible bid strategies optimize for, and know the formula for mobile bid adjustments: (mobile conversion rate / desktop conversion rate) — 1.

Ad Extensions
There are several questions about ad extensions on the test. Be familiar with AdWords ad extensions and don’t second guess yourself on whether there are separate extensions just for mobile devices (there aren’t).

Branding / Display Ads
Google has created new advertising inventory to appeal to advertisers concerned about the efficiency of the Display Network. Lightbox ads are responsive & automatically resize for every IAB slot, reducing production time & costs. With Viewable CPM ads, advertisers only pay if their ad is “viewable” (on screen) for a certain length of time, meaning that impressions not seen don’t incur charges. Learn more here: https://support.google.com/partners/answer/6209146?hl=en#reach

Mobile Advertising Across Networks
You should have a basic understanding of how to use the Display network, including how to target specific apps or categories. Know your options for targeting YouTube, and be sure to understand mobile video mastheads.

Run, Track & Measure App Advertising

Apps present a unique opportunity for advertisers to connect with their audience (even when users are offline), and to monetize with in-app purchases. Google will be testing you on your knowledge of not only how to promote your app, but how to re-engage people who have already downloaded; expect several questions around why paying for existing customers is a good idea.

App Ads
Know the difference between app extensions and app promotions. There are several types of app campaigns you can use, and the right choice will depend on your goals. Review the difference between app install ads & app engagement ads, and on which networks they can run (including AdMob).

Android & iOS App Conversion Tracking
Android & iOS devices track conversions differently, and use different methods. On Android, the conversion is tracked when the app is downloaded. On iOS, the conversion is tracked when the app is opened for the first time.

Android devices offer 3 solutions for app conversion tracking (codeless, SDK, and server-to-server). iOS does not offer codeless tracking, but allows for install feedback tracking. Know the advantages and why you would use each method. Review https://support.google.com/partners/answer/6209179?hl=en&ref_topic=6208366.

One other note about tracking. While “usage data” sounds rather ambiguous, for the purposes of the test, understand how it’s used in the context of this page: https://developers.google.com/app-conversion-tracking/ios/.

App Remarketing
Most apps are often abandoned after they’re downloaded; remarketing can help you get your users to return. Know the role auto-exclusions play in reaching the right audience. Review the specific techniques you can use to target & re-engage your audience.

Deep Linking
Deep links drive visitors to a specific screen in your app. You’ll find several questions about deep linking: when it’s used, and how it’s structured. Be sure to study: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/6046977?hl=en.

3rd Party Integration
App advertisers are not beholden to just one ad network, and each network has its own SDK. Rather than managing 20+ SDKs, many advertisers use a 3rd party tracking solution with a single SDK & dashboard.

GA App Reporting
Be familiar with the key reporting areas found in the Mobile App Overview report in Google Analytics https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2621230?hl=en.

Taking the Exam
Because the test is open book, you should be able to pass with a basic understanding of AdWords, Google’s resources, and the material above (using the links if you need more information). You’ll find that some questions are “gimmes” — if an answer looks obvious, don’t over think it.

Ideally, this guide will not only prepare you to for the exam, but will give you more context around the opportunities and challenges of mobile. Understanding the main ideas about advertising for mobile will help you work through the test a lot more quickly than trying to locate & verify each answer.

Best of luck on the test!