Are SEO agencies flaunting a “Google Partner” badge legit?
Yes and no.
The Google Partner program actually exists.
Yet Google also sells endorsements to SEO companies.
Can you allege a special relationship to Google?
You may know me, it’s hard to stay unbiased after all the issues I had with Google.
Nonetheless this time I decided to write an endearing article.
Yet it’s really difficult given this type of hypocrisy. Why?
To this day Google explains to business owners interested in search engine optimization services that you have to
“Beware of SEOs that (…) allege a “special relationship” with Google (…).”
Yet they somewhat changed their mind in 2013!
Google sells endorsements to SEO agencies ever since. How do I know?
I got approached by an SEO agency that flaunted such an endorsement.
At first I was like “whoa, this must be fake!”
Then I clicked the link on their site to their Google Partners profile.
There it was. Google really endorsed them.
Apparently the generic Google Partners badges have replaced the old “Google Adwords certified partner” or “Google Analytics certified partner” ones.
It’s obvious now that the badge also encompasses not only Google ads services but is an overall endorsement.
The partial screen shot above shows the services of one of the agencies listed in my area.
Google itself lists SEO agencies as partners in their directory as you see above.
I’ve found this one on the first page of Google search when searching for [google partner seo] on Google in August of 2025.
Pay now and forever to get endorsed!
How do you get a Google endorsement?
You have to pass at least two online exams that are available a click away from your Google Partners profile.
Apart of that you need to (as the ToS says below point 9. b. V.):
“reach a minimum level of managed spend in the accounts within your MCC;”
In plain English you need to buy enough Google Ads to get endorsed as an SEO company by Google.
Evidently that’s a very popular offer because Google promoted it with “5,000” partners from the start in their directory.
Google used fake testimonials to promote the Google Partner program
I wonder then why they needed an apparently made up testimonial on their homepage to promote it:
You might have guessed it! 279digital.com does not exist.
The URL lead back to the Google Partners homepage.
Judy Nam herself exists all right but she works for Google marketing:
Get a paid link from Google!
Another direct benefit of the Google Partners program for SEO is that you get a link from Google on your partner profile.
The endorsement is not crippled by the so called “nofollow” attribute.
Sadly it’s not just the link exchange you have hoped for.
Someone who wants such a Google Partner badge needs to spend a lot on Google Ads per month according to Google itself:
Your Google Partners registered Ads manager account needs to maintain a 90-day ad spend of $10,000 USD across managed accounts.
Is this worth it for an endorsement from Google and a paid link? Well, it depends.
When everybody else has that badge you may look like an amateur when you don’t show one!