Google cozies up to ad agencies

Google has moved to ingratiate itself with advertising agencies, creating exclusivity for the people who hold the purse strings to multimillion-dollar ad budgets. Late Tuesday, the search company introduced Google Advertising Professionals, a program that gives marketers added conveniences, training and clout within its search-related ad network. Agencies and search-engine marketing firms will now be able to manage several accounts on behalf of advertising clients from one master account. They also can train and take an annual proficiency exam to become a certified "professional" and to display a related logo.

Google's chief rival Overture Services, owned by Yahoo, has recently improved its advertising tools, too.