Making the most of free Google Ads for charities

You’ve heard the term, but still don’t really know what Google Ads are…

It might seem daunting, but Google Ads do what they say on the tin. With a Google Ad, organisations can get their website shown as an advert when someone makes a relevant search. This can boost an organisation’s visibility to its key audiences by creating click-through moments just when someone is searching for a topic related to their cause.

Not just there by happy accident, advertisers research the keywords buyers are using and bid on them - paying per click (PPC) to feature at the top of a given search query. It’s a simple premise but the process can be quite complex. Hundreds, if not thousands of organisations are bidding on the same words. To get top spot, you need to work Google’s algorithms. That means you want a strong bid (the amount you’re willing to pay per click) and a high ‘Quality Score’ (a relevant ad, strong conversion and account history). Get the combination right and Google Ads can push thousands of new visitors to your website and help you gain much-needed visibility for your fundraising appeals, campaigns, events and shop pages.

Want to find out more about how the bidding process works? We love this infographic by WordStream.

Sounds great, I heard charities and non-profits can get Google Ad Grants? 

You’re absolutely right. The Google Ad Grants programme is designed to help more people connect with causes that have a positive impact on the world. To be eligible, your organisation needs to meet (and continue to meet) a set of defined criteria. Do this, and qualifying not for profits can build and manage their own ad account with a monthly budget of £7,500. That’s a free yearly budget of around £90,000 to drive more traffic, increase donations and raise awareness of your charity’s cause. Imagine! But with digital skills something of an Achilles heel for the sector, not everyone is making the most of them.

Fair point. How can charities make the most of Google Ad Grants?

Typically, a Google Ad Grant ad will include four lines of text (including a headline) that links to your website. As for any business, charities can use keywords to target their ads and choose a set of terms related to the services they’d like to advertise. Then, when people search on Google using the words or phrases picked, you’re entered into the bidding process with successful ads generally shown just below those of full-paying advertisers.

As you might suspect, there is a lot that goes into creating successful ads and campaigns - but here are some of the key elements all ‘newbies’ to the world of Google Ad Grants should be aware of:

• Audience segmentation: Quality scores are based on relevant and successful ads, so yours needs to target a specific group. The more you know about them, the more ‘on point’ your Google Ad will be!
• Keyword selection and grouping: Understanding the search terms people use is essential. Website analytics will help you discover the real words and phrases people type into Google. Combine this with research that analyses keyword search volume, competition and average PPC. This will help you find the right long-tail keywords and create the ‘groups’ you need for each campaign.
• Geo-targeting: Google Ad Grant accounts must have geo-targeting to show ads to specific locations. It might sound strict, but it makes sense to have your ad displayed in the regions and countries where people will find your information useful.
• Copywriting: There isn’t much space, so make the most of Every. Single. Word. Spend time crafting copy that turns your keywords into a must-click proposition!
• Landing pages: Not only is your website key to securing (and keeping) your Google Ad Grants in the first place, Google gives a higher Quality Score to ads that convert - so make sure your landing page gives potential buyers (supporters) everything they need.

It doesn’t stop there. As well as regularly maintaining your account and meeting the ongoing eligibility criteria, it is important that your Google Ads grow and evolve – using data to find and build on what works. If your ads are of consistent low quality and the conversion rate aren’t high enough, Google’s filter will stop them from participating in the auction, no matter how high you raise your bid (remember, to get the top spot you need a strong bid and high-Quality Score). You may even lose your grant!

It’s starting to sound like a lot of hard work…

Don’t panic. We know that charities and non-profits don’t always have the time and resources to put into Google Ad Grants. That’s why the Access Group offers a suite of tools and resources to help make accessing and managing your ad account as easy and effective as possible.

• Want to find out more? It’s always good to do your homework so why not download our ‘Ultimate Guide to Google Ad Grants’ or read some of the articles and resources available on our website.
• Need help signing up? Did you know that the Access Group are one of seven companies in the UK certified by Google under the Ad Grants Certified Professionals scheme to help charities apply for and manage their ads (and we’ve got a 100% application success rate).
• Want to make the most of your grant? Our Ad Grant Tool uses Artificial Intelligence to collect meaningful data and learning. It then uses this information to manage your ads and maximise return on investment, with some recipients seeing their website traffic increase by over 500% and monthly donation income rise by over 800%!

Whether your objective is to increase online traffic, recruit more volunteers or attract more donations, the results could be truly transformational. Access helps hundreds of organisations make the most of their Ad Grants programme. So go on. Take the leap. Launching a Google Ad Grants campaign doesn’t have to be the end of you. With Access by your side, there is no reason why your charity can’t hit the top spot.