In the modern digital age, attempting to maintain visibility and relevance in the advertising world can be cut-throat. Well-known businesses and organizations tend to take the top of search result pages due to their larger advertising budget. On the other hand, non-profits tend to struggle to get their mission pushed out to their desired audience due to their limited advertising budget.
Google understands the importance of supporting non-profit organizations so they have created a program to assist with that. If you are a non-profit organization that wants to raise awareness and increase donors from an online platform, then you should apply to be a part of the Google Ad Grants program!
Google Ad Grants essentially are “free money” in the form of Google advertisements to small, non-profit organizations as a way to share your cause. From a wide range of humanitarian organizations to science organizations, Google Ad Grants aim to provide your non-profit with the extra resources to ensure you have a fair advertising opportunity. Whether you want to use that money towards attracting donors, promoting events, fundraisers, or even just spreading the word about your non-profit’s mission, Google Ad Grants act as a valuable tool. Let’s find out more information about Google Ad Grants and if your non-profit is eligible!
What are Google Ad Grants?
You may be wondering: are there any strings attached for free Google Ads? Short answer, no. Think of it as Google handing out donations for approved non-profits to directly impact their advertising and online visibility. Google provides each approved non-profit organization with $10,000 USD a month (daily limit of $329 USD) to use as credit in Ad Grants. This money will help boost non-profits’ ads to the top of the Google search results page based on the keywords used (Google Grants). For the non-profits that understand how to utilize Google Ad Grants, they can expect to see the following benefits:
- Increased traffic to the website, donation, or volunteer page.
- Increased online visibility and reach to a larger audience.
- Increased donations, sign-ups, subscriptions, and more.
Who is Eligible?
Just because an organization is non-profit does not immediately make them eligible for Google Ad Grants. Google wants its philanthropic resources to directly benefit those who may not have the financial resources for advertisement. Since some non-profits have the budget to afford Google Ads on their own without additional assistance, Google has restrictions for which non-profits can benefit from their free resources.
There are minimal risks to implementing and utilizing Google Ad Grants. So, let’s find out who is eligible and how your non-profit can become eligible.
Specifically, non-profits in the following areas aren’t eligible for Google Ad Grants:
- Schools or educational institutions (including childcare centers and universities).
- Government organizations.
- Hospitals or healthcare organizations.
As for the requirements of Google Ad Grants, a non-profit must have the following:
- Hold a valid and current charitable status in your specific country. The U.S. requires a non-profit to be registered as a 501(C)(3) organization. Unsure of your country’s requirements? Check the eligibility guidelines for your country here.
- Must be registered with Google for Nonprofits and TechSoup.
- Must agree to the Terms of Service for Google for Nonprofits.
- Needs to have a functional and informational website recognized by Google.
Before applying, it is important to check that your non-profit meets all of the following requirements. The AdWord funding process is extensive and is limited to non-profits that actually need the resources. Make sure you check all the boxes before starting this process.
How Can My Non-Profit Apply?
Once you have followed the steps listed above, you can start the application process. As long as you are eligible, the application process is very easy. You will first want to visit the Google Ad Grants Get Started page to access the information and links required for the application. Below is a quick summary of how the application process works and what you will need to have prepared for it. If you prefer a visual example of how to apply, visit the link here to receive a video lesson from Google for Education.
- Set up a Google Analytics account for your non-profit.
- Access your TechSoup token. If you have already registered for TechSoup, they will have sent you your validation.
- Login to your Google for Nonprofits account.
- Add your TechSoup token to your Google for Nonprofits account.
- Fill out the Google Ad Grants application form.
Watch the video below to follow step-by-step instructions on how to activate Google Ad Grants.
Tips for Maintaining Eligibility
After your non-profit is accepted into Google’s program, you will need to continue to work on maintaining your eligibility. If you don’t keep up with maintaining your Google Ads account, Google can temporarily or indefinitely suspend your Google Ad Grants. The last thing you would want is to finally get accepted, which can take up to a month, and then lose it because you haven’t maintained activity. Below are Websults top tips for maintaining eligibility with your non-profit’s Google Ad Grants.
- Stay Active. While it can be easy to get complacent with the upkeep of the website and Google accounts, it is extremely important to login and update your information.
- Ad Relevance. Make sure your ads are relevant to your non-profit as well as relevant to your location. Utilize the right keywords in your ads to ensure a positive monthly Keyword Performance Report conducted by Google.
- User-Experience. As we know, Google is all about the user experience. If your Google Ads are receiving less than a 5% click-through rate after their first 90 days, Google will notify your account and give you two months to improve the rate up to their requirement.
Websults Helps Inform Tampa Bay Non-Profits
The Tampa Bay area has a variety of non-profit organizations that may greatly benefit from Google Ad Grants. Just within the greater Tampa Metro area, there are 14,662 non-profit organizations (Cause IQ). While not all 14,662 organizations can qualify for Google Ad Grants, a large number of them are eligible but are not a part of the free program. Here at Websults, we not only aim to improve websites and SEO but the community! We want to inform our local non-profit organizations of the free and extremely beneficial resources out there to bring awareness to their cause. Think of how many people and donors your non-profit can reach by utilizing Google Ads Grants! If you want to hear more information regarding Google Ad Grants, visit their website linked here.
Websults | SEO Agency Located in Clearwater, FL
Google Ads and SEO work hand-in-hand. That’s why Websults wants to help you have the best experience possible when it comes to everything in the SEO and marketing world. As an experienced web development, SEO, and eCommerce agency, Websults will listen diligently to your needs, ask questions to help identify any other needs or future needs, and will work hard to give you a competitive advantage in your industry. Contact Websults for a free consultation.
