What are the limitations of Google Ads Grants?

By: Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach & Jason King, Google Ad Grants Expert

Google Ad Grants is a remarkable program that offers registered nonprofits $10,000 per month in free advertising. However, many organizations struggle to use this resource effectively. Jason King, a Google Ad Grants Certified Professional, shares his best tips and insights to help nonprofits achieve success.

Understanding Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants allows nonprofits to run keyword-based search ads, meaning your ads will appear when users search for specific terms relevant to your cause. This program is limited to search ads only; you cannot run display or shopping ads.

Common Google Ad Grants Challenges and Solutions

Many nonprofits face challenges when using Google Ad Grants due to outdated support documentation and evolving program rules. Here are some common issues and how to overcome them:

• Low Impressions: Often caused by incorrect bidding strategies. Instead of "Maximize Clicks," prioritize "Maximize Conversions" to focus on driving meaningful actions on your website.
• Niche or Local Focus: If your nonprofit is highly specialized or locally focused, reaching a broad audience can be challenging. Consider long-tail keywords and local targeting options.
• Competition: Keywords related to donations or specific industries like legal services or financial advice might be highly competitive. Look for less common keywords or consider using a paid account alongside the ad grant.

Common Misconceptions about Google Ad Grants

• Unsold Inventory: While ad grants ads generally appear below paid ads, you can still outshine competitors by optimizing your ads, click-through rate, and keyword quality scores.
• $2 CPC Bid Limit: The $2 bid limit only applies to manual bidding strategies. By using "Maximize Conversions" or other automated strategies, you can bid higher and increase visibility.
• Frequent Login Requirement: While regularly logging in and making changes is recommended, Google now prioritizes ad quality over the frequency of changes.
• Ad Grants for Donations: Ad Grants are more effective for list building and audience growth. Consider using remarketing in a paid account to target those audiences with donation requests.

Maximizing Your Ad Grant: Tips from Expert Jason King

• Conversion Tracking: Set up conversion tracking to measure the real-world impact of your ads. Connect to Google Analytics 4 and create custom events to track specific actions on your website.
• Keyword Quality Score: Monitor your keyword quality scores and aim for scores of 6 or higher. Focus on improving landing page experience and ad relevance to increase visibility.
• Strategic Keyword Selection: Avoid single-word keywords or terms like "donate." Choose keywords that align with your nonprofit's goals and target audience.
• Audience Targeting: While possible, audience targeting in Ad Grants can limit your reach due to lower impression share. Use it strategically with dynamic search ads for potentially better results.

Google Ad Grants Help

If you need expert guidance on Google Ad Grants, consider Jason King's Google Ad Grants course or individual Google Ad Grants consultancy sessions. You can also seek help from the Google Ad Grants forum.