Google Grants: How to get started?

Did you know you can get up to £7,000 per month of in-kind search advertising for your charity or non-profit?

It's true, Google provides this in the form of Google Ad Grants. All you need to do is check if you are eligible and apply.

If you work in a charity, PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising can be a valuable marketing channel. However, the cost and complexity of setting up and running a campaign often hold people back.

So how do you get this “free money” in the form of free Google Ads from Google? This page runs through the main points to help make the process as quick and easy as possible.

Are Google Ads suitable for charities and nonprofits

Yes. Google Ad Grants are the most suitable way for a charity or nonprofit organisation to access Google Ads.

Google Ads are the cornerstone revenue-generating product for Google. The basic text ad plus the auction model that sits behind it is what has made the search company £ billions.

Now charities can access this via Google Ad Grants. This means you have the same powerful set of tools, and the ability to reach people interested in your cause as for-profit corporations.

How much is available with a Google AdGrant?

In the UK, a Google Ad Grant provides up to £7000 per month of in-kind search advertising.

Am I eligible for a Google Ad Grant?

To find out if you are eligible for a Google Ad Grant check the eligibility criteria on Google's site.

At the basic level of eligibility requirements, you will need to confirm your organisation is:

• Not a governmental entity or organisation

• Not a hospital or healthcare organisation

• Not a school, academic institution, or university*

*If it is, not to worry, Google for Education offers a separate program for schools

What criteria do charities and nonprofits in the UK need to meet to qualify for a Google Ad Grant? 

At Albert Road Consulting we focus on supporting charities and nonprofits in the UK. Let's break down the Google Ad Grant criteria for each region.

If you are based in England and Wales you need to:

• be registered with the Charity Commission

• have an income exceeding £5,000

• satisfy the definition of a charity set out in the Charities Act.

If you are located in Scotland you need to:

• be registered with OSCR (Scottish Charity Register)

If you are located in Northern Ireland you need to:

• be registered with NICC (Northern Ireland Social Care Council)

If you don’t have valid charity status, an alternative is to be registered with HMRC as tax-exempt (501 c 3 status) and Gift Aid eligible. This path can be more suitable for not-for-profit organisations that don't hold charitable status.

How to apply for a Google Ad Grant?

• How to enrol with Google Nonprofits?

  Before you set up your Google Ad Grants account, you will need to enrol your organisation with Google Nonprofits. This will provide your organisation with access to the full suite of Google products.

  The section above describes the criteria for Google Nonprofits. So if you meet these you will be fine.

  Google Nonprofits provides a range of products charities can take advantage of. But for now we'll keep our focus on Google Ad Grants.
  
  

• How to activate the Google Ad Grants programme?

  Once your organisation is accepted on to Google Nonprofits you will need to also activate the Google Ad Grants programme. Information on how to do this can be found on Google's Launch a Successful Ad Grants Campaign video lesson

  This lesson is a great place to start and covers the following points:

  1. Introduction to Launch a Successful Ad Grants Campaign

  2. Design a Digital Marketing Plan

  3. Build One Ad Campaign

  4. Start Your Ad Campaign

  5. Create Effective Ads

  6. Track Conversions

  7. Sustain Your Campaigns

• How do I know if my website is suitable for Google Ad Grants?

  Not all websites are suitable for Google Ad Grants. Google has provided details of a website policy.

  This applies to the site you approved during the application process. The main areas are:

  Owned website - This means your organisation must own the domain that users land on when they click your ad. An exception is If you'd like users to land directly on a donation page. In that case you will need to check the page is provided by a verified supplier.

  High-quality website - Google is big on quality. It wants to provide its customers with a good experience, but what does this mean?

  In this case the following points are key:

  1. Your site should make it clear what you do, who you are and your mission. This means having sufficient, easy to read content and clear calls to action. Overall, you need to deliver a high user experience

  2. The content must be unique to you and not lifted from another organisation or website

  3. Site speed and user experience is important. Your site should be fast to load, not have any broken links, and use https

  Commercial activity

  Commercial activity must not be the purpose of your website:

  • If you do have commercial activities, it must be clear how they support your mission.

  • If there is a charge for products or services, it needs to be clear how these funds are used. An annual report is a great example of how to this

  • Your organisation has to serve the public in some way, not just the people who pay for a service

  Google states:

  "Commercial activity must not be the purpose of a Grantee’s website. However, Google Ad Grants ads can be used to drive traffic to products or services that have a fee if the website describes how the nonprofit uses the funds. Grantees can set values for conversions to be able to gauge the total value driven by Ad Grants ads for different conversion types such as ticket sales. This empowers Grantees to identify and focus on their highest value conversions."

  Limited ads on website

  All advertising on your site is to be kept to a minimum including Google AdSense ads or affiliate advertising links.

How do charities maintain a Google Ad Grant account?

The following points are key to maintaining your Google Ad Grant account once it is set up:

• Focus on the outcomes of the activity rather than trying to spend all the budget. Are you getting a steady stream of funding enquiries for example?

• To measure this make sure you have Google Analytics in place with conversion tracking set up - if you are unsure how to do this, we can help

• Improve click-through rate (CTR) by testing different versions of your ad copy

• Test and maintain a good quality score for your activity by updating the ad groups and copy for your search ads

• Check your account at least a couple of times a month and add negative keywords or new keyword ideas to your campaigns

• Make sure your website is maintained to meet the guidelines described above

If this all sounds a bit daunting or like too much work for your current team, you can get some help and work with a Google Ads certified professional.

What is a Google Ads certified professional? 

A Google Ads certified professional is someone who has passed the Google Ads Certification. They should be able to show you a valid copy of the certificate which shows their knowledge is up to date. These need to be renewed every year.