How to Earn a Google Analytics Certification

Google Analytics certification is an in-demand resume-booster. Learn to optimize website performance to start earning more today.
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Updated on April 5, 2023
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  • You can complete a Google Analytics certification in under a week as a resume booster.
  • Google Analytics certifications provide valuable insight into website performance.
  • Earning a Google Analytics certification can open new careers or promotion opportunities.

Google Analytics helps companies collect data to gain powerful insight into web traffic, marketing campaigns, user interface, and more. Earning a Google Analytics certification can give you an edge to succeed in a competitive job market and may help you get a job as an SEO specialist or market research analyst.

What Are the Requirements for a Google Analytics Certification?

There are no minimum education requirements to earn a Google Analytics certifications. Even high school students can earn their Google Analytics certification.

Google calls its Google Analytics certification the Google Analytics Individual Qualification. To become qualified, you'll have to pass an exam. Google Analytics certification is valid for 12 months after passing the exam. To maintain your qualification, you'll need to retake the test annually.

The exam consists of 70 questions. There are both multiple-choice and true/false questions.

Test takers have 90 minutes to complete the exam. A passing score is 80% or greater, so you need to answer at least 56 questions correctly.

You can opt to take a series of free courses offered by Google to help you prepare for the exam. It takes about 4-6 hours to complete the preparation courses.

Google divides the preparation courses into four topics:

  • Google Analytics for Beginners
  • Advanced Google Analytics
  • Google Analytics for Power Users
  • Getting Started with Google Analytics 360

Google notes that these courses pertain to Universal Analytics, which will stop processing data on July 1, 2023. Courses to learn Google Analytics 4 to apply for certification next year are already available.

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What Skills Will I Learn With a Google Analytics Certification?

Google Analytics certification builds in-demand and immediately practical skills you can apply to any profession or company with a website.

A few skills you'll learn through the preparatory courses for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification include how to:

  • Follow the Customer Journey: Understand what brings people to a website, how long they stay, and where they leave the website.
  • Track Marketing Performance: Discover which ads or landing pages bring the most customers.
  • Split Test Websites for Performance: Discover which colors, layout, font, or design encourages people to spend more time on a website.
  • Optimize Posting: Time product launches, blog posts, and other information for when the site receives maximum traffic.

Google Analytics certification provides essential insight into how a website performs and where it can improve. Skills learned during these courses are useful across multiple industries.

Is a Google Analytics Certification Worth It?

Getting a Google Analytics Individual Qualification is worth your time. The average total time to complete the optional pre-exam courses is 4-6 hours. The Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam is free to take. The preparatory courses and Youtube tutorials are also free.

Navigating Google Analytics and understanding data is valuable to any company. Earning a Google Analytics certification will give you an edge in a highly competitive job market. It can open the door to higher pay or a higher starting salary and new opportunities for career advancement.

What Jobs Can I Get With a Google Analytics Certification?

Here are some in-demand jobs a Google Analytics certification can help you get:

Data Analyst

U.S. Average Annual Salary: $62,840 (Payscale, as of May 2022)

Data analysts collect, clean, and analyze data to solve problems and make decisions that can help guide a company's direction. They use data to give organizational leadership insight into trends or answer specific questions. Google Analytics certification is highly useful for this career. A bachelor's degree is not always required, although many companies may ask for a degree.

SEO Specialist

U.S. Average Annual Salary: $48,480 (Payscale, as of May 2022)

SEO specialists focus on optimizing website performance and ranking on search engines. SEO specialists create strategies to increase website visitors. They use Google Analytics to assess site performance and drive traffic. Google Analytics certification may be sufficient for SEO specialists. A bachelor's degree is not always required, although many companies may ask for a degree.

Market Research Analyst

U.S. Median Annual Salary: $63,920 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2021)
U.S. Projected Job Growth 2020-2030: 22% (BLS)

Market research analysts analyze data to identify opportunities and trends, such as new markets for products or services or new product offerings. Google Analytics certification would likely be useful for this career. Most companies require a bachelor's degree.

Marketing Manager

U.S. Median Annual Salary: $133,380 (BLS, as of May 2021)
U.S. Projected Job Growth 2020-2030: 10% (BLS)

Marketing managers create campaigns and promotional material to generate interest in products or services. They use Google Analytics to monitor campaign performance, split test ads, and improve marketing campaigns. This career may require a bachelor's degree in addition to a Google Analytics certification.

How Much Money Can I Make With a Google Analytics Certification?

A Google Analytics certification will add value to any resume. The exact salary for any job will depend on the specific position, industry, experience, educational background, location, and additional qualifications.

SEO specialists earn around $50,000 on average, while data analysts and market research analysts earn a little over $60,000 typically. Becoming a manager can provide a significant salary boost in some instances. As of May 2022, Payscale reports that individuals with a Google Analytics certification make an average salary of $58,000.

Adding the Google Analytics certification can make an applicant stand out in many professions. It demonstrates an understanding of website performance useful to many business sectors.

Frequently Asked Questions About Google Analytics Certifications

How much does it cost to get certified in Google Analytics?

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Google Analytics certification is free. You will need to invest 4-6 hours of study time preparing for the exam if you choose to take the optional preparatory courses. The courses and training videos are available to anyone free of charge. The Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam is also free.

How do I get a Google Analytics certificate?

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To get a Google Analytics certificate, you must pass the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam. The exam consists of 70 questions. A passing score is 80% or higher, which means you must answer a minimum of 56 questions correctly.

The Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam tests students on a wide range of information to assess familiarity with Google Analytics. The question format is multiple choice and true/false answers.

How long does it take to be Google Analytics certified?

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Completing the preparatory courses for the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam takes 4-6 hours. The exam takes up to 90 minutes. If you don't pass the exam, you can retake it the next day.

That means an average student can get Google Analytics certified in under a week by completing preparatory courses and taking the exam. To keep certification active, you must retake and pass the exam every 12 months.

Is the Google Analytics certification free?

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Yes, the basic Google Analytics certification is free. Anyone can take the Analytics Academy courses and earn a Google Analytics certificate. There is also a Google Analytics demo account where users can test and understand how Google Analytics works.

The Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam is also free of charge.

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