Many people working in the cause campaign space are still unaware that the Google AD Grants program is open to registered nonprofits.
The Google Ad Grants offers $10,000 per month in free advertising space from Google.
This can make a massive difference to a nonprofit’s bottom line and the process is not quite as complicated as some may thing.
There are some important things you should know first…
Getting started
- Google for Nonprofits account
You will need a Google for Nonprofits account to access the Google Ad Grants application.
Step 1 is to get verified by Techsoup: without this, you can go no further; it is mandatory to get a token number from Techsoup which will enable you to gain access to the products and services available only for nonprofits.
Step 2 is to active your Google for Nonprofits account. This will unlock a host of Google products and also the Google Ad Grant application.
- Size does not matter
The size of your nonprofit does not matter. Applicant evaluations are measured on a standard set of requirements so you will not be competing with other nonprofits, bigger or smaller.
- No deadline, no pressure
Many small nonprofits may be unsure if they qualify and tend to put off applying. The great thing about the application is that there is no deadline. You cannot blow your chance!
If you need to pause you can easily pick up where you left off once you feel you have the necessary requirements in order. There are no deadlines, even once you have started.
Key things to know about Google Ad Grants
- Website quality
The quality of your nonprofit’s website is very important. In fact, after being a bonafide registered nonprofit, it’s THE most important thing.
Remember, the purpose of Google Search Ads is to send people to your website. So, the quality of the content, the quantity of the content, the user experience and the speed of your site all play a role in how they rate a site.
Read our Five Website Tips for Social Campaigners and NPOs for further insight.
- Be patient with your application but don’t give up hope
Reports vary on the length of time it can take to be fully set up and ready to go.
Techsoup validation: 7 – 11 business days
Google for Nonprofits account setup: Up to 14 business days
Google Ad Grants Pre-Qualification (Part 1): from 2 to 9 business days
Google Ad Grants Account Setup (Part 2): anything from 6 business days to a full month
Application review: Another 10 business days
- How the Google Ad Grants budget works
You don’t simply get allocated $ 10,000 per month. You receive a daily allocation of $330 which is sizable. To spend the full allocation, you do need to have optimised search adverts running. The allocation does not roll over so if you do not spend your daily allowance you won’t spend $10,000 per month.
- Spend more, spend less, it’s all good
The good news is you don’t get penalised for not spending your full budget allocation. Even better news is there have been reports that some big NPOs have overspent and that’s been fine too because grant accounts simply aren’t billed.
- Paid ads do not compete with grant ads
Paid ads will always show before Grant ads, but they don’t actually compete with each other. So, using the same keywords for a paid campaign and for your Grant account can actually work really well. Clicks ads also do not got to the highest bidder.
- Google Analytics and Tag Manager
As with the standard paid Google Ad account, when using the Google Ad Grant account, it is very important to have both Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager installed.
Analytics offers insight into all your website activity, most importantly how users arrived at the site and what they interacted with once there.
Tag Manager lets you track meaningful events such as newsletter signups, contact form submissions, and event signups.
Chat to us if you need help getting your Google Ad Grant sorted and to map out a digital strategy.
Google Ad Grants website.