These days, everyone knows the value of having a strong online presence, from sole traders to multinational corporations. Even not-for-profit organisations now need to maximise their visibility on Google if they are to make the most of their fundraising potential, which means PPC for charities has become a major focus for many agencies and non-profits alike.
In this blog, we’ll tell you all about Google Ad Grants, a scheme run by the world’s biggest search engine that allows eligible charitable organisations to receive a substantial amount of free PPC advertising every month. If you are involved in a non-profit that needs to boost its profile, expand its volunteer base or raise more donations, you can’t afford to not learn more about this generous incentive.
Google Ad Grants is a long-established initiative which helps charities utilise up to $10,000 USD worth of in-kind PPC advertising on a rolling monthly basis.
The first thing you might be wondering is if there’s any kind of catch, but the short answer is no! Whilst there are stringent eligibility rules governing who can benefit from grants (more on this later), as well as several things you’ll need to do to keep running free ads, you will not have to start paying later on and you don’t have to own any other fee-paying businesses. Google is obviously a hugely profitable company, and this is simply one of the ways they meet their obligation to give something back to society.
Once your Ad Grants application has gone through all the required steps and has been approved, you can set up your campaign and start running ads. As mentioned, there are certain conditions you’ll have to stick to in order to retain your grantee status – here are just some of the most important:
– Regularly achieve a CTR of at least 5%
– Only run text ads
– Set up conversion tracking
Even a commercial giant like Google needs to be careful when it comes to giving away large sums of money each month; as of August 2019, $10,000 equates to more than £8,000, so it’s no surprise the search engine scrutinises every organisation that applies to join the Ad Grants scheme. For a brief run-down of the main eligibility requirements, see below. Your non-profit must:
– Be a registered charity
– Have an up-to-date, substantial website which can be linked to via ads
– Not be a government-funded entity
– Not be a hospital or other medical group
– Not be a school or other educational institution (although independent charitable arms of such establishments may be eligible)
Don’t worry if your not-for-profit isn’t based in the UK as it may still be eligible for acceptance. From Argentina to Vietnam, Ad Grants is now available in around 50 countries globally and, as the scheme grows, more people from all over the world are benefiting from the great work charities near them do every single day.
If you’re excited by the possibility of getting thousands of pounds of free advertising every month (and why wouldn’t you be?!) and are already thinking about what your campaign focus could be, you’ll want to get applying straight away. You will need to go through five steps before your organisation can start running free ads, however – here’s a quick look at what’s involved:
– Check that your charity is eligible to join the scheme (see the previous section)
– Apply for a Google for Nonprofits account (click here for more info)
– Complete a pre-qualification form for the Ad Grants scheme
– Create your Ad Grants account
– Submit your Ad Grants account for review
Applying for and setting up your account isn’t always straightforward, whilst dedicating time every day to keeping on top of and making decisions about your campaign(s) can feel like a distraction from your regular work. But, that’s where Bluesoup comes in!
Charities like the inspiring Eden Project and the amazing Edukid already trust us to manage their Google Grant accounts, and we’d be happy to discuss yours. The friendly team at Bluesoup can handle all the application, enrolment and management processes for you, meaning you can focus on what really matters to your charity – making a difference.
Click here to send us a message and we can start talking PPC… and SEO, design, and the many other ways we could help!
