woman on laptop with notebook next to het and google ad grants on the screen

How Can Google Ad Grants Best Help Your Nonprofit?

Do you work for or have a 501(c)(3) nonprofit? Is there an aligned purpose within your organization? Do you have a functioning website with informational landing pages? 

These are just a few of the questions that will help paint a picture for us paid search professionals here at Media Cause who want to help support your nonprofit with Google Ad Grants.

 

What is Google Ad Grants?

Google Ad Grants is a Google program that provides qualifying nonprofits with $10,000 of free ad spend each month. Totaling to $120,000 of free ad spend a year, Google Ad Grants prove to be one of the most helpful marketing tools on the market. And yes, small organizations can still compete with larger organizations due to the ability to target specific locations and users with relevant keywords on the Google Ads platform. Being registered as a charitable organization in Google’s country list and having a high-quality functioning website are just some of the things your organization can do to make sure you are eligible for Google Ad Grants.

 

What’s Next?

So, you’ve finally been approved for Google Ad Grants, but how do you make sure you are in the best position to maximize the free ad spend provided by Google? 

Digital marketing can only be as good as the product it advertises. In the world of nonprofits, most often, the product is your mission statement and action-oriented programs. Your overall goal should be to use digital advertisements to sell your audience on your mission and the mission-based programs you offer.

It is important that your website clearly reflects the mission of your nonprofit. Your audience shouldn’t have to decipher through industry jargon or poor website navigation just to find a reason why they should care about your nonprofit. Slow website speed is another factor that could affect the amount of time users spend on certain landing pages, affecting your website’s user experience. Ultimately, that will result in a loss of a potential conversion and lower the conversion rate of your website. 

 

What are Keywords? 

Once you’ve perfected the structure of your nonprofit website, you are now in a position to start creating campaigns and relevant keywords for your Google Ads account. Without going too deep into the details of campaign creation, it is helpful to understand the importance of creating good keywords and know how those keywords relate to your website. 

A keyword is a term or phrase that is used to target users (your desired audience) who are making intentioned search queries on search engines like Google. When a user searches for a related keyword in your ad account, your ad will be shown. One of the most common mistakes of keyword creation is to create keywords YOU want to show for and not the ones you should be showing for. For example, you may want to use “worksheets” as a keyword, but if your desired ad landing page only contains “lesson plans,” your ad may not be shown as often as a competitor that includes the term “worksheets” in their landing pages.

Google’s Keyword Planner is a great tool for keyword research and seeing average monthly keyword searches across the Google platform. Organizing your keywords and making sure they are most relevant to your website landing pages are great ways to ensure that your ads are most relevant to the user. Doing this will boost the chances of your ads being shown over your competitors.

Overall, keywords are complex, as there are multiple factors that go into where your ad is shown, like location targeting, keyword bidding, and keyword types. Having a broad understanding of keywords and how they relate to your website is the key to successful ad campaigns.

 

Get READY… Get SET… LAUNCH!

Now that you have a READY website that is both keyword and user-friendly and a SET of keywords that you are confident in, you are now in a position to LAUNCH a stellar campaign. 

Make sure to explore Google’s FAQ on Google Ad Grants for more information on eligibility requirements, and good luck! Our team is always available for help with any Google Ad Grant implementation or setup, at any stage of the process. For more information, get in touch with us here or download our free resource below.

The Ultimate How-to-Guide to Google Ad Grants