Five reasons to apply for a Google Grant

A Google Ad Grant gives eligible charities and non-profit organisations $10,000 per month of free in-kind advertising with Google Ads. That’s $120,000 (over £100,000) of free advertising for your charity every year.

When a Google Ad Grant is implemented and managed well, it can completely transform a charity’s online presence and website success. For example, one of our clients saw a 200% increase in website traffic and a 25% increase in membership sign-ups immediately after the Ad campaign was launched. Eight years later, the figures remain steady at 50% more visitors and 72% more sign-ups than before the Ads were implemented.

Those figures speak for themselves, but in this article we explore in detail five good reasons why your charity should apply for a Google Ad Grant.

1. It’s free!

It won’t cost your charity anything to apply for a Google Ad Grant, and if awarded it gives you instant access to spend up to $10,000 USD per month on keywords and key phrases that relate to your charity’s activities. There is no ongoing fee to Google, and the budget is reset every month for you to maximise your exposure.

2. Increase your website’s exposure

By bidding on keywords and key phrases that relate to your charity’s activities, you can ensure your website appears in the results and is seen by users who are making relevant searches in Google.

3. Promote your campaigns and events

As well as focusing on your charity’s activities when selecting your keywords, you can also use the adverts to shine a spotlight on the specific campaigns and events you are running to increase exposure, and in turn, boost donations or sign-ups. The advantage of Google Ads is that they can be planned and implemented for instant exposure as soon as you make an advert live.

4. Support your organic SEO

Organic SEO is vitally important for your website, but an active Google Ad Grant campaign can support your organic SEO efforts. By bidding on keywords and key phrases that you are working to increase your rankings for, the additional budget afforded by the Grant can reinforce your site’s organic SEO and help you to reach higher placement in those key search results.

5. Increase conversions

Increasing relevant website traffic is extremely positive for any charity website, but the most important measurement for success is the increase in conversions.

When implementing the Google Ad Grant campaign, it is important to establish your website goals, whether it is to increase donations, membership sign-ups, email newsletter subscriptions or event sign-ups.

Ensure that the page you send traffic to from your advert shows content and a call to action that support the goals you have set.

We have seen many of our charity clients achieve great success from implementing this method with us. If you have been awarded a Google Ad Grant, it is extremely important to ensure you constantly evolve it by optimising your keywords and manage the technical requirements that Google recommends.

Adept are an approved Google Partner and we provide a full service, working with charities throughout the Grant application process and the ongoing management of their Google Ads campaign. If you are thinking about applying for a Google Ad Grant and looking for some support, please call Ben, Lucy or Mike on 01603 340750 or email hello@adeptdesign.co.uk.