Search, Performance Max, smart bidding, conversions, audiences, creatives, attribution.
Before starting, we run a 1-minute tech check — microphone, ambient noise, connection. If your setup isn't good enough, the test is fully refunded.
Stop listing Google Ads on your resume and prove it: ace a 15-minute AI-driven oral exam on Search, Performance Max, and smart bidding to earn a verified badge.
The Plume Google Ads badge certifies your ability to run paid campaigns across Google's full ecosystem: Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display, and YouTube. In 15 minutes, an AI examiner challenges you on real-world situations — turning around an underperforming account, picking the right smart bidding strategy, making conversion tracking bulletproof. Claude Opus then reads the full transcript and produces a 0-to-100 score with a level (Novice, Proficient, Advanced, or Expert) based entirely on what you actually said.
Unlike a Google Skillshop certification earned by memorizing a multiple-choice quiz, this badge is based on a dynamic, adaptive oral exam. The AI digs into your answers: mention tROAS and it will ask how you handle a learning phase with sparse conversion data. Bring up Performance Max and it will probe how you structure asset groups and interpret the limited insights Google provides. There is no way to bluff your way through — you need real hands-on experience. The detailed report delivered after each session breaks down exactly where you're strong and where you have room to grow, across dimensions like tracking rigor, smart bidding judgment, and PMax strategy.
This badge is built for Google Ads specialists in agencies or in-house, freelance consultants who want to stand out when pitching new clients, marketing managers who own significant ad budgets, and candidates who want a credible, shareable proof of expertise. Whether you're managing $5,000 or $500,000 a month, the badge reflects your actual skill level — not what you checked on a job application.
Here are the concrete dimensions the AI examines during the 15-minute oral.
Command of match types, the campaign / ad group / negative keyword hierarchy, Quality Score levers, and segmentation strategies to maximize ad relevance and lower cost per click across diverse verticals.
Structuring asset groups by product theme or audience cluster, using audience signals to steer Google's AI without over-constraining it, reading available PMax insights, and catching drift through search terms reports.
Choosing the right strategy — tCPA, tROAS, Maximize Conversions, or Maximize Conversion Value — based on data volume and business objective, managing learning phases that wobble, and adjusting targets without triggering a reset.
Setting up enhanced conversions, comparing GA4 import vs. native Google Ads conversions, implementing Consent Mode v2 in basic and advanced mode, and importing offline CRM conversions to feed smart bidding with cleaner signals.
Building and layering in-market, similar, and remarketing audiences, activating Customer Match with first-party data in a cookieless world, and segmenting by customer lifetime value for tROAS optimization.
Reading key metrics (ROAS, CPA, Impression Share, Search Lost IS budget vs. rank), building Looker Studio dashboards connected to Google Ads and GA4, and using Ads scripts or tools like Optmyzr to automate alerts and bulk changes.
Making the case for or against Google Ads based on search intent, industry, and budget maturity, and articulating how Google Ads fits alongside Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, and SEO in a full-funnel media strategy.
Connecting Google Ads with GA4, Google Merchant Center, CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot), and product feeds for Shopping and PMax, then using data-driven attribution insights to reallocate budget across campaigns.
Final scoring is performed by Claude (Anthropic), which reads back the full transcript and applies this weighted criteria grid.
Ability to describe specific, concrete actions on account structure, match types, bids, and creatives. The examiner checks that you have actually run campaigns in the interface, not just read about them — vague answers about 'optimizing performance' score low here.
Quality of your conversion tracking setup — enhanced conversions, Consent Mode v2, offline imports — and your understanding of how tracking gaps break smart bidding. Can you detect a broken tag before it corrupts two weeks of learning-phase data?
Relevance of your strategy choice given conversion volume, margin structure, and business objective. Includes how you manage learning phases, set realistic targets, and read early warning signs when a strategy is drifting.
Ability to pull actionable signal from PMax's limited reporting, use Looker Studio or third-party tools to monitor accounts at scale, and prioritize the changes that will move the needle most in a given week.
Ability to position Google Ads within a broader media strategy, make channel arbitrage decisions backed by attribution data, and advise a client honestly when Google Ads is not the right fit for their situation.
A Plume session takes about 20 minutes, from tech check to badge delivery.
Plume runs a quick mic and connection test before you start. No software to install — everything runs in your browser. You say a few words to confirm audio quality is solid before the AI examiner begins the session.
The AI asks you to introduce yourself and describe your most recent or most complex Google Ads engagement: account type, budget managed, campaign mix, and results. Your answer calibrates the difficulty and focus of everything that follows.
The AI examiner works through 5 to 7 questions on your Search campaigns, Performance Max experience, smart bidding choices, tracking setup, and stack integration. Questions adapt to your answers in real time: mention tROAS and it will probe your learning-phase management; describe a PMax campaign and it will dig into your asset group structure and audience signals.
The AI asks you when you would steer a client away from Google Ads, or how you have adapted your practice to recent shifts — the rise of PMax, the shrinking of exact-match exclusivity, generative AI for creatives, and the move to data-driven attribution. This question tests whether you can zoom out beyond the platform.
Claude Opus reads the full transcript, assigns a score from 0 to 100, and determines your level: Novice, Proficient, Advanced, or Expert. You receive your shareable badge URL, a detailed breakdown report by evaluation dimension, and a private audio recording of your session.
Your score out of 100 translates into a level a recruiter can grasp at a glance.
You know your way around the Google Ads interface — creating a Search campaign, picking keywords, writing a responsive search ad. But you haven't yet managed accounts with meaningful budgets, navigated a smart bidding learning phase, or set up advanced conversion tracking. The oral reveals gaps in smart bidding strategy and Performance Max.
You manage Google Ads accounts day-to-day — Search, Shopping, occasionally Display — with budgets in the low thousands per month. You can diagnose a Quality Score problem, adjust tCPA targets, and spot the main leaks in an account. You have some Performance Max experience but your ability to read PMax insights is still limited.
You run multi-campaign accounts with significant monthly budgets ($30k+), command smart bidding strategies and their learning phases, have deployed Consent Mode v2 and enhanced conversions, and structure PMax asset groups with a deliberate logic. You know when to let PMax scale and when to protect budget with high-priority Search campaigns.
You design complex account architectures — multi-country, multi-brand, brand/non-brand separation — import offline CRM conversions to feed smart bidding with cleaner data, automate with Ads scripts or tools like Optmyzr, and advise clients on channel allocation using data-driven attribution. You shape the strategy, not just execute it.
No degree or years of experience required to take the badge. Here are the profiles it makes the most sense for.
A verified badge carries far more weight than a self-declared skill when you're responding to an RFP or pitching a new client. It gives prospects an objective read on your level before the first call, and removes the 'can you prove it?' moment from the conversation.
You manage multiple client accounts and want an objective credential to support a move into a senior or lead role. The detailed report also pinpoints the exact dimensions — smart bidding, tracking setup, PMax strategy — where you can focus your next skill-building sprint.
You own your company's Google Ads budget without an agency layer and want external validation of your practices — whether to make the case internally for more budget, or to benchmark yourself against the market.
You've completed Google Ads training and need a credible signal on your resume or LinkedIn profile to land your first role or internship. The badge proves you can talk about real campaigns, not just repeat course material.
You run your own Google Ads campaigns to control acquisition costs. The badge's detailed report tells you exactly where you're leaving money on the table — broken tracking, miscalibrated bids, or a PMax setup that's burning budget without enough signal.
Where and how your Google Ads badge will help you day to day.
An e-commerce brand with $80k/month in ad spend is comparing three consultants. You share your Google Ads Advanced badge URL with the full breakdown report. The decision goes your way before the first call even happens.
A recruiter screens 40 applications for a senior paid media manager role. Your Google Ads Expert badge, with a score of 89/100 and report highlighting your smart bidding and Consent Mode v2 mastery, moves you to the shortlist immediately.
An agency runs the Google Ads badge across its entire paid media team to map real skill levels, design targeted training, and decide who can handle the highest-value accounts. The per-dimension report replaces a subjective HR evaluation.
You're leaving an agency after five years to go freelance. Client work is under NDA, so there's no portfolio you can share openly. Your Plume Google Ads badge is the one objective proof of your level you can show every prospect from day one.
You just finished an intensive 12-week Google Ads bootcamp. Before applying for jobs, you take the badge to confirm your new skills hold up under a real examiner — and to give hiring managers a concrete signal to act on.
A SaaS CMO wants to know if the in-house growth team can run Google Ads without an agency. Badge results show a Proficient level — solid for Search management but not yet ready to own a $60k/month PMax-led account. The roadmap is now data-driven.
A few minutes to check you have everything you need.
At the end of your session you don't just get a score — here's everything that awaits you.
Get a precise score out of 100 and a certified level (Novice, Proficient, Advanced, Expert) assigned by Claude Opus based on your actual Google Ads knowledge across Search, PMax, smart bidding, tracking, and strategy.
A structured breakdown highlights your strengths and gaps across every evaluation dimension: hands-on campaign management, tracking rigor, smart bidding judgment, insight extraction, and strategic thinking. Use it to plan your next skill-building focus.
The audio from your 15-minute session is stored securely and accessible only by you. Replay it to review how you communicated under pressure, or use it to prepare for a follow-up session or a real job interview.
Get a public URL for your badge to share on LinkedIn, your website, or in a client proposal. Recruiters and clients can verify your score and level directly — no intermediary, no guesswork.
Discover related skills you can validate with Plume.
A 15-min oral exam with an AI, a shareable badge for your recruiters.
Choose this badge · €19.99
