# Looking for an advice about my Google Ads Progression

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897>\
**Category:** Discussion & Solutions\
**Tags:** solved\
**Created:** [January 1, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897 "2026-01-01T13:29:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AJCompton](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/ajcompton/32/166766_2.png) [@AJCompton](https://onehack.st/u/AJCompton)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/1 "2026-01-01T13:29:28Z")

</div>

Hi everyone, I’ve been quite interested in Google Ads lately. I’m trying to go deeper and learn it by practicing, but the learning sources through the internet seems a bit unorganized and outdated. What kind of course would you recommend me to get in 2026? It can be a certification program. I’d appreciate it even more if it’s not paid. Thanks in advance.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rizal\_Consulting](https://onehack.st/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Rizal\_Consulting](https://onehack.st/u/Rizal_Consulting)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/2 "2026-01-01T15:15:46Z")

</div>

Hola matey. Have you tried [https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/googleads/](https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/googleads/)  
They are supported by google itself and the good thing is, its free.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AJCompton](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/ajcompton/32/166766_2.png) [@AJCompton](https://onehack.st/u/AJCompton)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/3 "2026-01-01T17:26:08Z")

</div>

Hola, in fact I did, but all the courses there gave me the impression that Google is actually promoting its new features rather than having the objective of teaching something; however, those certifications can be valuable for someone and can play a part in their career, but just for me it doesn’t work, thanks though 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheStrength](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/thestrength/32/46753_2.png) [@TheStrength](https://onehack.st/u/TheStrength)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 12:06pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/4 "2026-02-14T12:06:40Z")

</div>

Start with **Google Skillshop** — it’s the official source, free, and the certifications actually carry weight with clients and employers: [https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/intl/es-419\_ALL/googleads/](https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/intl/es-419_ALL/googleads/)

Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, layer in practical experience with these:

- **Idento’s Google Ads Search Course (2026)** — short lessons with 4 real business case studies, which is what you actually need to bridge theory and practice:
- **Coursera — “Publicidad Digital con Google AdWords”** — free in audit mode, covers fundamentals through advanced optimization: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/publicidad-digital](https://www.coursera.org/learn/publicidad-digital)
- **Google’s Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing & E-Commerce** — broader scope but gives you the full picture of how Ads fits into a marketing stack: [https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/certificado-de-carrera-de-google-marketing-digital-e-e-commerce](https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/certificado-de-carrera-de-google-marketing-digital-e-e-commerce)

Also worth bookmarking: **Google Activate** has overlooked free courses that complement Skillshop well: [https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/activate/courses](https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/activate/courses)

When you’re ready to certify, this walkthrough covers the exam process and passing tips: [https://clickomi.com/certificacion-google-ads/](https://clickomi.com/certificacion-google-ads/)

**Pro tip:** Don’t just study — spin up a campaign with a small budget ($5–10/day) alongside the coursework. The #1 mistake people make is completing every certification without ever touching a live account. The learning curve flattens dramatically once you’re optimizing real data.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tarun\_kumar\_Diwaker](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/tarun_kumar_diwaker/32/99477_2.png) [@Tarun\_kumar\_Diwaker](https://onehack.st/u/Tarun_kumar_Diwaker)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 9:55am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/5 "2026-05-13T09:55:55Z")

</div>

> [@AJCompton](#):
>
> Hi everyone, I’ve been quite interested in Google Ads lately. I’m trying to go deeper and learn it by practicing, but the learning sources through the internet seems a bit unorganized and outdated. What kind of course would you recommend me to get in 2026? It can be a certification program. I’d appreciate it even more if it’s not paid. Thanks in advance.

The person is learning Google Ads and finds most online resources unorganized and outdated, looking for a good course (free preferred) for 2026. [onehack](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897)

The main recommendations were:

1. **Google Skillshop** (free, official) — supported by Google itself and free, though the original poster felt it reads more like a product promotion than genuine teaching. Still valuable for certifications. [onehack](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897)

2. **Coursera** — “Digital Advertising with Google AdWords” (free in audit mode) covers fundamentals through advanced optimization, and Google’s Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing & E-Commerce gives a broader picture of how Ads fits into a full marketing stack. [onehack](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897)

3. **Google Activate** — has overlooked free courses that complement Skillshop well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Astrid](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/astrid/32/174869_2.png) [@Astrid](https://onehack.st/u/Astrid)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/looking-for-an-advice-about-my-google-ads-progression/315897/6 "2026-05-22T22:26:54Z")

</div>

Yo, those “Best Google Ads Course 2026” lists are recycled trash — most were written before Performance Max ate the platform. Real path below, all free, zero fluff. Skip Skillshop being your finish line — that’s the trap.

> 🎯 **The actual cheat:** 65% of eligible nonprofits never claim their free **$10,000/month Google Ads grant**. Volunteer to run one. Real account, real money, real portfolio — for free. Walk into an agency interview with that on your CV and watch them sit up.

> **💸 The $10K/month cheat code — Google Ad Grants**
>
> Google Ad Grants gives any approved 501(c)(3) up to **$10K/month** in free search-ad credit. Most never apply. That’s your account.
> 
> **Links:**
> 
> - 🔗 [Google Ad Grants — official](https://www.google.com/grants/) — what it is, who qualifies
> - 🔗 [Getting Attention’s 2026 playbook](https://gettingattention.org/google-ad-grants/) — operator-grade strategy doc
> - 🔗 [Big Sea step-by-step apply guide (2026)](https://bigsea.co/articles/get-google-ad-grants-nonprofit/) — paperwork walkthrough
> - 🔗 [Able & Howe — the 65% stat + suspension reasons](https://ableandhowe.com/learning/how-nonprofits-can-get-10k-a-month/)
> 
> **Grant account constraints (these force discipline regular learners skip):**
> 
> | Rule | Limit |
> | --- | --- |
> | Min CTR | **5%** (account suspends below) |
> | Default max CPC | **$2** (lifted with conversion-max bidding) |
> | Campaign types | Search only — no Display / Shopping / Video |
> | Keywords | No single-word, no overly generic |
> | Daily cap | $329 |
> | Approval time | 2–4 weeks |
> 
> **The move:** Email 10 small local nonprofits with neglected websites. Pitch free setup. 9 won’t reply — that’s fine, that’s the game. The 1 that does is your account.

> **🎓 Free 2026 curriculum — this exact order**
>
> | # | Resource | Time |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | 1 | 🔗 [Surfside PPC’s 2025 playlist (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCKZKQoSq6y7e9dy4nLV3v3iX4kF1awcd) | ~15h |
> | 2 | 🔗 [Discosloth Beginner Guide to PPC](https://www.discosloth.com/beginners-guide-to-ppc/) | 1h |
> | 3 | 🔗 [Search Engine Journal PPC 101](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ppc-guide/) | 2h |
> | 4 | 🔗 [HubSpot Paid Search PDF (50 pages)](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file-27769824-pdf/docs/the-beginners-guide-to-paid-search.pdf) | 1h |
> | 5 | 🔗 [Kirk Williams’ master list — bookmark](https://zatomarketing.com/blog/how-to-learn-ppc-free-courses-books-blogs-and-communities) | ongoing |
> 
> **Why these:**
> 
> - **Surfside PPC** = Corey Ferreira. 150K+ subs. No upsell mid-video, no “buy my course” pitch at minute 30. Real account walkthroughs.
> - **Kirk Williams** = [Top 25 Most Influential PPCer 10 years running, 2016–2026](https://www.ppcsurvey.com/top-50-most-influential-ppc-experts-2026). His list updates monthly. Don’t try to read it once — bookmark it.
> 
> **Bonus free courses (sign-up wall, but free):**
> 
> - 🔗 [HubSpot Academy — Paid Search](https://academy.hubspot.com/lessons/introduction-to-paid-search-advertising)
> - 🔗 [SEMRush Academy — PPC Fundamentals](https://www.semrush.com/academy/courses/ppc-fundamentals-course-with-joel-bondorowsky/)
> - 🔗 [Optmyzr PPC Townhalls (free webinars)](https://www.optmyzr.com/ppctownhall/)
> - 🔗 [Paid Media Pros YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@PaidMediaPros)

> **⚠️ Skillshop's dirty secret — read before you certify**
>
> 🔗 **[Google Ads Skillshop](https://skillshop.withgoogle.com/)** = the official cert. Search, Display, Video, Measurement (GA4), AI-Powered Shopping, App. Each ~3-4 hours, annual expiry. Take it — but know what it is.
> 
> Kirk Williams puts it bluntly:
> 
> > _“I find Google Ads has a bit of ‘propaganda’ included in its training courses. Google may communicate strong approval for a certain activity, that may not be as guaranteed as Google would lead a beginner to believe… difficult to know if it is actually a best practice used by an account manager, or simply something Google wants to be utilized more for their own benefits.”_
> 
> **Translation:** Skillshop teaches the menu. It pushes features that make Google more money — not necessarily features that make YOU more money. The override knowledge (when to ignore Google’s recommendations) is the actual job, and the cert won’t teach it.
> 
> **The play:** Skillshop = checkbox sticker. Surfside + Kirk’s list + operator forums = the actual curriculum.

> **🪤 Hidden-data tools certs skip (free n-gram stack)**
>
> Since September 2020, Google **hides 10–30% of your search terms** under a “data privacy threshold.” Even certified people don’t know this. N-gram analysis surfaces patterns the standard report buries.
> 
> | Tool | Cost | What |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | 🔗 [Pemavor Search Term Miner](https://www.pemavor.com/solution/search-term-miner/) | FREE | Upload CSV, get n-gram report |
> | 🔗 [Pemavor Keyword N-Gram Analyzer](https://www.pemavor.com/solution/keyword-n-gram-analyzer/) | FREE | Generic n-gram on any text + KPIs |
> | 🔗 [Nils Rooijmans’ updated script (patched Mar 2025)](https://nilsrooijmans.com/updated-google-ads-script-brainlabs-search-query-mining-for-n-gram-analysis/) | FREE | Brainlabs’ search-query mining tool, actively maintained |
> | 🔗 [Google Ads Open Research n-gram](https://googleadsopenresearch.com/research/advanced-ngram-analysis/) | FREE | Upload CSV → analysis emailed back |
> | 🔗 [WordStream’s copy-paste script](https://www.wordstream.com/blog/n-gram-google-ads-script) | FREE | With beginner walkthrough |
> | 🔗 [Adalysis n-gram (30-day trial)](https://adalysis.com/blog/n-gram-analysis-the-secret-to-scalable-search-term-management-in-google-ads/) | TRIAL | Automated, built-in |
> 
> > 💡 Run n-gram once a month on your account. You’ll catch waste patterns nobody else sees. You’re operating above 80% of “Search Certified” people on day one.

> **🧨 Operator scripts — your real textbook**
>
> A Google Ads script = a JavaScript file doing what a PPC operator does manually. Reading them = reverse-engineering what real operators actually optimize. No course teaches this layer.
> 
> **Read these like a textbook:**
> 
> - 🔗 **[Brainlabs-Digital/Google-Ads-Scripts](https://github.com/Brainlabs-Digital/Google-Ads-Scripts)** — 144 ⭐, 190 commits, award-winning agency open-sourcing their working library.
> 
> - 🔗 **[saidtezel/google-ads-scripts](https://github.com/saidtezel/google-ads-scripts)** — tested + verified standalone scripts
> 
> - 🔗 **[Nils Rooijmans’ personal repo](https://nilsrooijmans.com/)** — 400+ scripts, free access list
> 
> **Can’t code yet?** Paste any script into ChatGPT/Claude and ask for a line-by-line explanation. Free tutor, every script.

> **📚 Books + podcasts worth your time**
>
> **Books:**
> 
> | Book | Author | Why |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | 🔗 [_Unlevel the Playing Field_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QMTY7PN/) | Frederick Vallaeys (Optmyzr founder) | AI-bidding-era playbook |
> | 🔗 [_Digital Marketing in an AI World_](https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Marketing-AI-World-Futureproofing-ebook/dp/B07QNMKK2L/) | Vallaeys | Futureproofing |
> | 🔗 [_Advanced Google AdWords_](https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Google-AdWords-Brad-Geddes-ebook/dp/B00K49GO4S/) | Brad Geddes | Older, mechanics still teach |
> | 🔗 [_Ponderings of a PPC Professional_](https://zatomarketing.com/ppc-marketing-book/) | Kirk Williams | The philosophy lens |
> | 🔗 [_Ultimate Guide to Google Ads_](https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Google-Perry-Marshall/dp/159918673X/) | Marshall + Todd + Rhodes | Foundational best-seller |
> 
> **Free podcasts (keep current):**
> 
> | Podcast | Cadence |
> | --- | --- |
> | 🔗 [PPC Ponderings](https://zatomarketing.com/blog/ppc-ponderings-podcast) — Kirk Williams | ongoing |
> | 🔗 [Paid Search Podcast](https://paidsearchpodcast.com/) — Schaeffer + Rothman | weekly |
> | 🔗 [Marketing O’Clock](https://marketingoclock.com/) — Greg Finn | weekly news |
> | 🔗 [ppc.zone](https://www.ppc.zone/) — multiple hosts | ongoing |

> **🌐 Where to ask shit when you're stuck**
>
> | Community | Where | Vibe |
> | --- | --- | --- |
> | 🔗 [r/PPC](https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/) + 🔗 [r/googleads](https://www.reddit.com/r/googleads/) | Reddit | 24/7 help-desk, FREE |
> | 🔗 [Google Ads for Savvy Digital Marketers](https://www.facebook.com/groups/googleadsdigitalmarketers/) | Facebook | Largest open group, FREE |
> | 🔗 [Elite Media Buyers](https://www.facebook.com/groups/EliteMediaBuyers/) | Facebook | Cross-channel paid operators, FREE |
> | 🔗 [#PPCChat](https://www.themarketinganu.com/podcast) | Twitter/X + podcast | Tuesdays 12pm ET, FREE |
> | 🔗 [Foxwell Founders](https://foxwelldigital.podia.com/foxwellfounders) | Slack | Paid, DTC-heavy, high signal |
> 
> > 💡 **How to ask:** Screenshot the account, name what you tried, name what happened. Vague questions = vague answers. Specific ones = gold.

> **🗓️ 90-day path: zero to portfolio**
>
> | Week | Move |
> | --- | --- |
> | 1–2 | Surfside playlist + free PDFs |
> | 3 | Pass Skillshop Search Certification |
> | 4 | Email 10 local nonprofits — pitch free Ad Grants setup |
> | 5–6 | Application + Goodstack verification (~2–4 weeks) |
> | 7–10 | First campaigns live, watch search-terms daily |
> | 11 | Run Pemavor n-gram on month 1 data |
> | 12 | Read 3 Brainlabs scripts from the Reporting folder |
> 
> **Day 90 deliverable:** 1 cert + $10K/month real account + working n-gram workflow + reading practice in operator scripts. Portfolio piece nobody else applying for the same junior PPC role has.

> **🪄 Freshness test — kill any course that fails this**
>
> Before paying for OR watching anything, scan the table of contents for these three things:
> 
> - ✅ **Performance Max** diagnostics (became default 2022 — you can’t escape it)
> - ✅ **AI-Max for Shopping** + AI-generated assets (2024–2026)
> - ✅ **GA4** (Universal Analytics killed July 2023)
> 
> **2 of 3 missing → 2-3 years stale → trash it.**
> 
> That’s the test. Use it on every “Top 10 Google Ads Course” list you see.

* * *

> 🎯 **Simple-pimple:** “Top 10 Google Ads Course 2026” lists = recycled trash. **Surfside PPC** for fundamentals → **Skillshop** for the sticker (with the propaganda warning) → **Google Ad Grants** for the real practice account → **Brainlabs scripts** for the operator ceiling. 90 days, free, no bullshit.

That’s the cheat code. Go break something. 🪄