Godfrey announced today that Melinda Bauer, media planner and buyer, has passed two rigorous exams, achieving Google Qualified Individual status.

In addition to passing the Fundamentals exams, Bauer also passed the Display Advertising Advanced Exam in the newly updated Google AdWords Certification program.  The Advanced Exam covers intermediate-to-advanced best practices for advertising on YouTube and the Google Display Network.

Google enhanced its Advertising Professionals program and updated it with the Google AdWords Certification program in April 2010. The advanced exam Bauer passed is one of four new exams that Google added when it updated the AdWords program. Under the new guidelines, an individual must pass the Fundamentals exam as well as one of the four new advanced exams in order to become qualified.

Other changes to the AdWords Certification program include certifications at both the Individual Qualification and Certified Partner levels, reduction of the required amount that advertisers must spend, and a redesigned Certified Partner badge, which includes a “Click to Verify” icon that enables advertisers to view the partner’s profile page for additional information.

“Continued education is an important value at Godfrey, and we are pleased to announce that another member of our staff has achieved Google Individual Qualification,” said Chuck Manners, president and chief executive officer at Godfrey.

Godfrey is a Google Certified Partner, and as a result receives comprehensive, strategy-focused training and certification on the latest tools and best practices for managing AdWords programs on behalf of its clients.