Google Ad Grants is the nonprofit marketing version of Google Ads, which is Google’s online advertising platform. Google Ad Grants provides nonprofit organizations up to $10,000 per month of in-kind advertising (not cash), so that nonprofits may promote their causes on Google search result pages

Learn more: Google Ad Grants

All Google Ad Grants accounts are limited to a monthly budget of $10,000 USD, which equates to a daily budget of $329 USD.

Traditionally there has been a bid limit of $2.00 per keyword. However, this can be bypassed by using the following bidding approach: Maximize conversion values.

Learn more: Limits to budget and bids

Ok, here is some of the nitty gritty about managing a Google Ad Grants account, including account structure, performance requirements, and the necessity for conversion tracking.

If you’re going to be managing Google Ad Grants, these are some of the basics.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/117827

Before 2018, Google wasn’t as strict about ad quality for grant recipients. However, some free ads ended up being low-quality, hurting users’ experience and reflecting poorly on Google. As a response, Google set higher quality standards for Ad Grant users compared to those who pay for ads. (Paid advertisers naturally have a reason to create good ads, since it lowers their costs.) This stricter approach can sometimes confuse even paid Google Ads specialists who aren’t aware of the different quality requirements. It’s because the control panel for creating and managing ads is the same for both grant recipients and paying advertisers. In simpler terms, even an expert with paid Google Ads can create bad grant ads if they’re not familiar with the specific quality rules for Ad Grants.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/7404558

In some cases, it’s easier said than done. There’s an inherent tension between creating and managing ads that generate the greatest amount of traffic to your website versus ads that fufill Google’s Ad Quality filters.

Having said that, for most nonprofits, low ad quality is simply a result of insufficient experience and knowledge.

Although there are a number of ways to improve ad quality, they can all generally be categorized under improving ad relevance, better keyword management, and optimizing landing page relevance and performance.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167130

“Ad testing” or “split testing” or “A/B testing” is a comparative process of determining the most effective ad(s).

It’s also how to determine which giveaways, fundraising messages, web pages, social media messages, videos, photos, radio and TV messages, print ads, etc., are the most effective.

For example, let’s say we have two different ads: “A” and “B.”

And let’s say they are both offering the same free giveaway related to your unique, nonprofit story. However, they have different wording.

When we run both ads simultaneously, we’ll find that one ad performs better than the other, which we call the “control” ad.

Then we seek to establish an even more effective ad that will out-perform that “control” ad and become the new control ad. In reality, we are comparing and testing many ads, offers, web pages, etc.

This is a continuous process of optimizing messaging and graphics for your nonprofit story and in the course of a year, we may be comparing and testing hundreds of ads and elements of this entire community building and fundraising system to generate the largest community and greatest fundraising for your nonprofit.

Learn more: https://skyworksmarketing.com/split-testing-what-is-it-where-to-start/

Quality score is a measurement of the combined relevence (and performance) of your ad, landing page and clickthrough rate (CTR). This score is measured on a scale from 1-10 and available at the keyword level. A higher Quality Score means that your ad and landing page are more relevant and useful to someone searching for your keyword, compared to other advertisers.

You can use the Quality Score diagnostic tool to identify where it might be beneficial to improve your ads, landing pages, or keyword selection

Learn more: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118

Setting up ads with Google Ad Grants is not like creating an ad for your local newspaper. (Do newspapers still exist?) It’s a technical process intended to serve relevant ads to a targeted audience who are searching for what you are advertising. In brief, these are not ads everyone will see: they are only intended for specific viewers. Therefore, there are things to know to get your ads approved by Google and to keep them running. Click the following link for more details of keyword limitations.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/4410314

Google Ad Grants is a scaled-down version of Google Ads. On the one hand, that means there’s less to master. On the other hand, some of what is not included in Google Ad Grants is important, which makes it more challenging to get results. Hence, it’s vital to learn the specifics of Google Ad Grants to improve performance.

Read More: Google Ad Grants “Catch”.

Google Ad Grants is an advertising platform. There is an art and science to advertising. Most importantly, marketing stories that work hand-in-glove with Google Ad Grants are critical to its success.  There is also technical knowledge required to best utilize Google Ad Grants. There are many reasons why it may not be working for you, which are the same reasons you should consider Professional Google Ad Grants Management. When used correctly, Google Ad Grants can be the most powerful tool your nonprofit has to forward your cause. (By the way, you are not alone.  The reality is that most nonprofits who use Google Ad Grants without professional management are only using a fraction of its potential). 

Read more: Art and Science of Google Ad Grants

Having Google Ad Grants is like having an advertising debit card that renews itself with $10K at the beginning of each and every month, year after year. However, you still need to know how to maximize that value. Otherwise, you may end up spending very little of the budget and/or attaining very little results for your nonprofit. Alternatively, hiring a professional Google Ad Grants Management Service (such as Nonprofit Fire and others), is the best way to take advantage of Google Ad Grants.

For more information, visit our free and paid services to help nonprofits benefit from Google Ad Grants: Services.

Like advertising in general, effectively using Google Ad Grants is an art and science. You may have a knowledgeable person to execute the technical aspects (mechanical nuts and bolts). However, it’s the “art” of advertising working hand-in-glove with Google Ad Grants requirements and limitations that will determine its ultimate impact. And that is only gained from years of real-world experience.

Stated another way, it’s easy to get caught up in the technical aspects of Google Ad Grants, because there’s much to know. However, the technical aspects represent the easiest part.

The ad strategy is more important. A successfully conceived and executed advertising strategy is like the difference between having someone physically put an ad up on a highway billboard vs the team that developed what the images and text are on the billboard.

The Google Ad Grants Story Triangle is a fundamental strategy that marries the art and science of Google Ad Grants.

Google Ad Grants is a godsend for nonprofits because it is free. But there are limitations. Paid advertising supersedes those limitations.

Although paid advertising is entirely optional for nonprofit community building and fundraising, paid advertising provides many more ways to reach prospects than Google Ad Grants.

The ideal scenario is using a small paid budget in combination with free Google Ad Grants.

How could there be a question about refunds for something that’s free? Well, since setting up Google Ad Grants (free for nonprofits) is very similar to setting up Google Ads (paid), it happens that some nonprofits inadvertently set up Google Ads instead of Google Ad Grants and get charged for the ads. In such case, they may wish for a refund.

Alas, there is no refund.

The solution is, once approved, to set up Google Ad Grants correctly.

More info: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/4387997

Google Ads are assisted by artificial intelligence (AI). In brief, the more data available the better it can help.

This requires that certain things be installed and correctly set up, including conversion tracking, site tags and Google Analytics as well as ongoing testing and optimizing of ads and landing pages.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/13644728

Google Ad Grantees must be organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes.

Extensive legal rules need to be maintained. Here are some basic points that emphasize:

“Google doesn’t donate Ad Grants to organizations that discriminate on any basis in either hiring or employment practices or in the administration of programs and services. Ad Grants does not allow ads, keywords, or destinations that promote hatred, intolerance, discrimination, or violence. Specifically, your ads, keywords, and websites should not promote opposition or anti-sentiment related to beliefs about protected groups, including religion, race, disability, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or other characteristics that are associated with systemic discrimination or marginalization.”

Google Ad Grants users are subject to the same terms and conditions as Google Ads.

Google Ad Grants uers are subject to the same Google Ads Policies.

Therre are specific limitations on political content.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/46103

Here are more common questions and answers about Google Ad Grants.

Learn more: https://support.google.com/grants/answer/9165968