Google announced significant changes to the AdWords Certification program and how they handle API call pricing.
(1) Google has redesigned their AdWords certification. It launched in 2004 as Google Advertising Professionals (GAP) program and is now going to be known as the Google AdWords Certification program.
(2) Google is pushing the AdWords partner database.
(3) They announced new preferred AdWords API pricing.
A WebmasterWorld thread has eWhisper really doing an excellent job explaining what has changed. Let me quote that part:
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
Update: I asked Google what happens to those GAP certified advertisers, do they lose their certification? Google sent me the following reply:
