Five Steps to Get Your Google Ad Grant Set Up For Success
Google Ad Grants is an incredibly powerful tool for nonprofit strategy, and best of all, it is free (if you are a qualifying 501(c)3). Previously we have discussed what it takes to qualify, sign up, and use Google Ad Grants. If you have started using the ad grants, the process may come across as challenging and successful use of the funds too hard to come by. Don’t let that stop your organization from securing $10,000 a month in Google Ads credits. This grant program is incredibly helpful to a successful nonprofit strategy, and with the right knowledge, your nonprofit can develop a successful Google Ad Grants strategy. This blog will cover three steps for making better use of the ad grants, so your organization feels less in the dark when using this awesome program.
1. Research
Keywords are the stepping stones of online search. Keywords are used by searchers to find what they are looking for. Similarly, keywords are how websites allow searchers to know the information they seek is on their page. When we want to know where the nearest ice cream shop is, we don’t search for pizza. The ice cream shop’s keywords will not be all about pizza. They will use terms like ice cream, waffle cones, sundae, etc. Websites can ensure they connect with the right audience by using the proper keywords. These distinctions may seem elementary, but understanding the relationship between what your audience is searching for and the content you place on your website is crucial to succeeding in creating website content and Google Ads.
So now that you know keywords are important, where do you start? Your goal is to determine what your audience is typing into the search box to find you. Keyword tools may be the first place you want to go, but there is a stop to make along the way. Start with Wikipedia. Using the ice cream example, search ice cream on Wikipedia. By working your way through the Wikipedia page, you can generate a list of starting points for your keyword research. Wikipedia alerts us to words like gelato, cartons, pints, ice cream truck, sundaes, etc., and it prepares you to then turn to a research tool like Ubersuggest, Moz, Ahrefs, Semrush, or even the Google Keyword Planner included in your Google Ad Grants account.
Once you have chosen your research tool, use your list of keywords that you found are relevant to your cause through Wikipedia and your own experience. By plugging these into the research tool, you will be given search information for that term but also relevant keywords that relate to your cause. Once the keyword search tool populates, find keywords that offer a blend of relevancy, search volume, and reasonable competition.
2. Optimize Your Content for Search
Building off of your now complete keyword research, you must now utilize what you have learned to build content that will bring in visitors. While Google may put your links in front of visitors, you need to make your content attractive in order to get clicks, maximize visitor’s time and pages per visit, and avoid bounces. Additionally, the better the content, the more likely your website will increase in ranking for certain keywords naturally. All of this means more impressions and ideally, more donations.
When deciding what content to craft, consider your keywords. Turning to ice cream again, you may know that the keyword “how to make ice cream” receives 2,000 visits and month. You could then craft a blog on how to make ice cream and use that keyword throughout. It is important to note that you want to use keywords that actually get at the core function of your organization. “Homeless shelter” might get a lot of traffic, but that keyword doesn’t get at what your nonprofit does if you provide hygiene essentials to impoverished families. While you build up your website’s capacity to compete with higher-ranked sites, target long-tail keywords (keywords with several terms) as these often provide a balanced mixture of monthly traffic and ease of difficulty.
3. Track Your Progress
Google Ad Grants make this step easy for you, but you still need to make sure you set it up and take advantage of the conversion tracking tool. This tool is available in your Google Ad Grants or Google Analytics account. We will leave the guide on set up to the experts at Google. Once set up, you will know whenever someone completes your “conversion.” This could be joining your email list, giving a gift, or becoming a member. Whatever it is, be sure to utilize strong and clear calls to action to drive conversions.
When you know what keywords are working to create conversions, you can target this and closely related traffic more heavily. Once you know your core keywords that attract the right audience, devote your keyword research and implementation efforts, bid strategies, and strategic content to these areas of success.
These three tips may take time to implement and require consistent work, but they will nevertheless increase your Google Ad Grants success and drive more traffic to your cause. By providing the right keyword database, your ad grants strategy will grow to be more refined and successful. With strategically created content and knowledge of how the system works, the effort will become less stressful, and soon you will craft search-focused content efficiently and with great results. Once you have established these practices, maintenance becomes less overwhelming, and you will not have to recreate the wheel every week when blog day rolls around.
Need help developing your marketing strategy? Whether it is using Google Ad Grants or making the most of your marketing budget, our experience directing nonprofits includes successful marketing campaigns that support capital campaigns, membership programs, and increased visitor numbers. Learn how we can help you today.
