Are you trying to drive site visitors to your nonprofit’s touchdown pages with out breaking the financial institution? The Google Ad Grant program will assist you do precisely that! After finishing the Google Grant software course of, you’ll obtain $10,000 each month to spend on Google Adverts.

Whether or not you’re an advocacy group trying to increase petition signatures or an animal shelter aiming to increase volunteer signups, Google Grants can empower your nonprofit to broaden its attain, improve its search visibility, and drive conversions at exponential charges. So long as you meet the entire Google Grant necessities and observe the correct steps, you’ll get your software authorized very quickly.

On this information, we’ll dive into the fundamentals and steps of find out how to apply for Google Grants! Right here’s what we’ll cowl:

At Getting Attention, we’re a Google-certified Google Advert Grant Company dedicated to serving to nonprofits take advantage of the Google Advert Grants program. We all know precisely find out how to apply for Google Grants and get authorized on the primary strive. Let’s begin our journey by answering among the most typical questions that nonprofits have about this system.

Google Grant Utility FAQs

Earlier than diving into the required steps for making use of for Google Grants, let’s run by a couple of of the most typical questions that nonprofit professionals have after they first begin trying into this system.

What’s the Google Grant?

The Google Ad Grants program allows nonprofits to accumulate useful search engine advert area for free of charge. The grant provides eligible organizations with $10,000 in Google Advert credit each month to place towards driving site visitors to their web sites’ most vital content material.

Since Google generates more than 80% of desktop search traffic in america alone, this program has the potential to spice up your nonprofit’s visibility and generate extra help on your trigger. All you must do is observe the required Google Grant software course of and get authorized.

Google Grants can profit nonprofits in quite a lot of methods, together with:

• Growing conversion charges
• Attracting new donors, volunteers, and different prospects
• Engaging and strengthening relationships with present donors
• Advertising a number of advert campaigns concurrently
• Analyzing and monitoring marketing campaign efficiency
• Studying the wants of on-line supporters and the way they like to have interaction

Action Against Hunger is one in all many nonprofits which have benefited from this system, driving 158,000 guests to its web site and elevating over $66,000 in simply 12 months because of Advert Grants. Nonetheless, the Google Grant has a number of particular tips that decide a company’s eligibility to take part in this system.

How do I get a Google Grant?

There’s a fairly prolonged Google Grant software course of that your nonprofit should observe, from verifying eligibility to creating related accounts to producing your first advert marketing campaign.

The objective is to verify that you simply’re a reliable nonprofit that may profit from this system and promote content material customers will discover useful. To avoid wasting time and make sure that your software will get authorized the primary time round, take into account getting steering from a Google-certified Google Grant experts like Getting Consideration.

How lengthy will it take to use for Google Grants?

The precise Google Grants software itself doesn’t take lengthy to fill out or get authorized. Nonetheless, you’ll want to finish some pre-qualifying steps which will take a while.

As an example, in case you’re already registered with Google for Nonprofits, the Google Grant software course of will seemingly take anyplace from 2 to 14 days. In any other case, you’ll want to use and await for approval for a Google for Nonprofits account first.

4 Steps to Apply for Google Grants

To set you up for fulfillment, let’s discover every step within the Google Grants software course of in additional element:

1. Examine your Google Grants eligibility standing.

To qualify for a Google Advert Grant, your group should meet a number of standards. Examine your eligibility upfront to make sure that the effort and time you put money into the applying course of repay.

On condition that this system is on the market in over 50 international locations, make sure to find the precise tips of your present location. In america, the next is required to be eligible:

• A present and legitimate charitable standing, which in america means registering as a 501(c)(3) group with the IRS.
• A purposeful web site containing useful content material that’s related to the nonprofit’s mission.
• Adherence to Google Grant program insurance policies, together with registration with Google for Nonprofits.
• An SSL (Safe Sockets Layer) certificates, indicating that your on-line area is safe.

Outdoors of those eligibility necessities, there are particular varieties of nonprofits which can be ineligible, regardless in the event that they meet the above necessities. These embody:

• Authorities entities and organizations
• Hospital and healthcare organizations, although nonprofits working in the healthcare area (equivalent to breast most cancers analysis or Alzheimer’s consciousness organizations) are nonetheless eligible
• Faculties, tutorial establishments, and universities, although philanthropic arms of instructional establishments nonetheless qualify

In case your group falls inside one in all these ineligible classes, take into account conducting additional analysis into related initiatives that do apply to your nonprofit. For instance, Google for Education affords separate advantages for instructional establishments.

Nonetheless, in case your group does not fall into one of many above classes, you’re free to use for the Google Advert Grant! For instance, if your church is trying to attain out to the group for extra congregation members, take into account making use of for this program.

Further Google Grant software necessities

When you’ve evaluated your preliminary eligibility, you’re nearly prepared to start out shifting by the Google Grant software course of. Nonetheless, there are a couple of extra necessities you need to meet earlier than you formally get began.

Among the most vital Google Advert Grant necessities embody:

• Having a fully-functional website to which the advertisements positioned on the Google outcomes web page will hyperlink.
• Guaranteeing your web site doesn’t already include revenue-generating advertisements, equivalent to Google AdSense.
• Being able to handle Google Adverts campaigns, that means you’re in a position to consider key phrases for relevancy, accuracy, and timeliness regularly.

Doing as a lot preparation as you possibly can upfront will assist you transfer by the precise software a lot faster.

2. Create a Google for Nonprofits account.

The following step is to register for a Google for Nonprofits account. Past Advert Grants, Google for Nonprofits affords an array of benefits for rising consciousness on your mission. Among the most helpful perks you’ll obtain embody:

• The YouTube Nonprofit Program, which empowers nonprofits to unfold the phrase about their group by visible storytelling. Utilizing movies as a technique for telling your nonprofit’s story will encourage empathy on your trigger, type connections inside your group, educate mass audiences, and way more.
• Google Earth and Maps, which helps share compelling information visualizations and spotlight your group’s impression.
• Google Workspace, which affords complimentary entry to Google’s most helpful apps, equivalent to Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, and Meet.

If this looks like a proposal you possibly can’t refuse, observe these steps to efficiently apply for a Google for Nonprofits account:

1. Go to the Google for Nonprofits registration page.
2. Comply with Google’s non-discrimination statements.
3. Fill out the following varieties, together with contact and group data.
4. Submit your request and await a response!

Whenever you request a Google for Nonprofits account, Google’s verification associate, Goodstack, will confirm your group’s eligibility.

Be sure to’re signed in with an electronic mail deal with that you simply verify regularly once you create your Google for Nonprofits account. No matter deal with you employ is the place Google will ship updates about your account, which additionally embody any outreach about your Google Advert Grants account when you get it up and working.

3. Put together your web site on your Google Grant software.

Whenever you apply for Google Grants, they’ll require you to submit your web site, then they’ll consider it to make sure you have helpful content material that customers will discover reliable.

Google will run by a checklist of conditions concerning the standard of your web site earlier than approving your software. Past getting your Google Grant software authorized, enhancing your nonprofit’s web site will assist you develop way more useful advertisements that customers will truly work together with.

Let’s discover a couple of web site optimization ideas that may maximize your software possibilities.

Embody your EIN and mission assertion

Google requires you to have a transparent description of your group, its mission, and its actions in your web site. Doing so isn’t solely essential for getting your Google Grant software authorized, but it surely additionally improves your credibility with web site guests and helps them decide whether or not their values align together with your work.

Whereas Google doesn’t require you to show your EIN (within the case of U.S.-based nonprofits), doing so doesn’t pose any safety threats. It merely reveals that you simply’re a registered 501(c)(3) group to anybody who could be contemplating donating, volunteering, registering for an occasion, or sharing any delicate data together with your crew.

You’ll be able to show your EIN by together with it in your web site’s footer, so it is going to mechanically present up on each web page of your web site with out interfering together with your web site’s design.

Implement the correct safety measures on your web site

To meet the Google Grant requirements, your nonprofit’s web site must be safe and reliable. The primary method to do that is by securing an SSL (Safe Socket Layer) certificates. This encrypts any information that’s transferred in your web site, so if somebody’s donating, their cost particulars, identify, deal with, and another delicate data they share will mechanically be encrypted.

You’ll be able to verify whether or not an internet site is encrypted by trying on the URL. If the net deal with begins with https as a substitute of http, that signifies that it’s SSL-certified. Google Chrome will even mark websites that don’t have an SSL certificates as ‘Not Safe’ within the deal with bar. Not having an SSL certificates is a fast option to flip guests away out of your web site, since they’ll mechanically take into account your web site to be untrustworthy.

Moreover, having an SSL certificates is an efficient method to enhance your natural site visitors. Based on Google’s Transparency Report, Google Chrome customers on Home windows, Android, and Mac all spend over 90% of their looking time on HTTPs websites. Google, amongst different serps, makes use of SSL certification as a rating issue. Not having an SSL certificates can truly damage your rankings!

To obtain an SSL certificate, Hubspot recommends that you simply confirm your web site’s data by ICANN Lookup, generate the Certificates Signing Request (CSR), validate your area by submitting your CSR to the Certificates Authority, and set up the certificates in your web site.

Optimize your web site

General, your web site must be visually engaging, simple to navigate, and crammed with useful content material. To optimize your web site and maximize your Google Adverts conversions, deal with these main areas:

• Touchdown pages. Your touchdown pages are the most typical pages you’ll promote through Google Adverts. This may embody your donation form, volunteer signup web page, or occasion registration web page. Because you’re driving site visitors to those pages, you need to optimize them to encourage customers to truly fill them out.
• Load occasions. 40% of users will abandon your site if it takes greater than three seconds to load. You’ll be able to quicken your load time by compressing your pictures, decreasing using third-party plugins, and minimizing the quantity of pointless code in your web site.
• Navigation. Preserve guests in your web site by solely placing your most vital pages in your navigation menu and take into account together with a search function for all different content material.
• Branding. If a person clicks a hyperlink and thinks they’ve by some means ended up on one other web site, that may come throughout as untrustworthy. Make sure that each web page in your web site aligns with your nonprofit’s brand by together with your official colours, emblem, and voice.

Is your nonprofit’s web site prepared on your Google Grants software? Download our Google Grants website checklist to search out out.

Skilled assistance is essentially the most dependable useful resource for benefiting from your web site by Google Advert Grants. A Google Grants company like Getting Attention that’s a acknowledged Google Associate will make sure that your web site is as much as par and optimized for the person expertise.

4. Submit your Google Grant software.

As soon as your Google for Nonprofits account is authorized, you’ll obtain an electronic mail from Google, and you’ll lastly apply for Google Grants! You’ll find essentially the most up-to-date activation steps in your Google for Nonprofits account. Right here’s what the method presently seems to be like:

1. Log into your Google for Nonprofits account.
2. Click on ‘Merchandise’ after which ‘Get Began’ beneath Google Advert Grants.
3. Click on the eligibility type hyperlink. This can immediate you to fill out an evaluation with fundamental data equivalent to your nonprofit’s official identify, web site URL, and particulars concerning your targets with this system. This could solely take round 20 minutes.
4. Return to the Google for Nonprofits homepage. Click on the checkbox to confirm you’ve accomplished the shape. Then, hit ‘Activate’ to submit your group for overview by the Google Advert Grants crew. Usually, they’ll overview your software inside a couple of enterprise days.
5. Settle for the invitation. When you’ve been authorized, settle for the e-mail invitation from the Google Advert Grants crew. From right here, begin working your Google Advert campaigns and mechanically obtain $10,000 in advert credit monthly as long as you keep compliance with this system’s guidelines.

At this level, you’re all prepared to start out creating your campaigns, spreading your message, and connecting with new prospects on-line.

Recommendation for finishing your Google Grant software

If you happen to’re eligible and observe the offered steps, you’ll greater than seemingly get authorized. Even when your software is denied the primary time round, Google’s crew will give you a motive why so that you’ll have clear subsequent steps on find out how to get authorized.

Some greatest practices for maximizing your probabilities of success embody:

• Not coming into any bank card data, even when prompted to take action. If you happen to obtain any emails or any pop-ups requesting cost particulars, don’t present any. There’ll seemingly be a pink bar on the prime of your Google Grant Utility, however you need to ignore it. Sharing billing data means you’ll be organising a paid commonplace account, not a Google Grants account.
• Noting your buyer ID quantity inside your Google Advert Grant account. You’ll find this within the prime proper nook of the web page, written on this format: XXX-XXX-XXXX.
• Placing thought behind the eligibility type questions. Some questions have a simple reply (equivalent to your nonprofit’s web site URL). Nonetheless, the shape additionally asks questions that may impression your Google Grant expertise, equivalent to the way you’d prefer to be taught extra about this system. Suppose by what will probably be most helpful on your group so the Google Grants crew can tailor this system to your preferences.

If you happen to’re nonetheless confused about the process otherwise you merely don’t have sufficient time in your day to use, we totally suggest reaching out to knowledgeable Google Grants company. Our crew is completely happy to speak about your wants and deal with your entire Google Grant software course of for you!

What to Do When Your Google Grant Utility Will get Accepted

Studying find out how to apply for Google Grants was the simple half! Now you must create extremely focused campaigns and make sure you’re assembly this system’s compliance necessities.

Whereas your greatest guess for fulfillment is to outsource account administration to a Google-certified grants company, listed here are the instant subsequent steps your crew ought to take after getting authorized:

Configure your Google Adverts account

To begin leveraging your grant cash, you could arrange your first few campaigns. Inside Google Adverts, you’ll discover the Campaigns tab on the navigation bar to the left.

Preserve the following pointers in thoughts to configure a well-organized account:

• Comply with the required account construction. Inside every of your campaigns, you need to have at the least two advert teams. Inside every advert group, you need to have at the least two energetic advertisements.
• Do loads of key phrase analysis. To choose ideal keywords on your campaigns, pinpoint search queries that obtain a good little bit of month-to-month site visitors and relate to your mission. Google even has a keyword quality score tool that may verify the anticipated CTR, advert relevance, and touchdown web page expertise on your totally different campaigns.
• Use sitelink belongings. These will assist you to hyperlink to particular components of your web site under your advertisements. This offers customers further choices to click on and work together together with your trigger. Usually, these embody different pages related to the advert, like donation or volunteer signup pages.

If you happen to’re all in favour of studying extra about organising high-performing campaigns, take a look at our ultimate guide to optimizing your Google Grant account. In it, we dive under consideration administration ideas and necessities that may assist you join together with your viewers.

Meet Google Grants compliance necessities

To make sure your account stays in good standing with the program’s rules, control these important parts:

• Account exercise. Log into your account at the least as soon as a month and replace it each 90 days to show to Google that you simply’re nonetheless utilizing the grant funding.
• Advert relevance and geotargeting. Ensure that your advertisements have particular relevance to their viewers. You are able to do this by together with geotargeting, so Google is aware of their customers are receiving advertisements related to them.
• Month-to-month key phrase analysis. Google requires a Key phrase Efficiency Report as soon as a month to make sure that you’re optimizing your key phrases for the perfect outcomes.
• A minimal of 5% click-through price (CTR). You need to have at the least a 5% CTR, beginning at 90 days post-approval. This ensures that your advertisements are literally helpful to customers and related to their search intent. Accounts that fail to fulfill this requirement will probably be notified, and in the event that they fail to fulfill a 5% CTR for 2 consecutive months, these accounts will probably be suspended.

Google implements these necessities to make sure that you’re truly producing worth from this system. Failing to fulfill these compliance necessities will end in account deactivation, so control your account and proceed optimizing your advertisements over time!

To see significant outcomes from this marketing grant, you want constant repairs, efficiency monitoring, and compliance with Google’s official account necessities. With the burden of working a nonprofit already in your shoulders, this may increasingly appear to be quite a bit to deal with. Haven’t any worry—that’s why Google Grant companies exist.

From software help to advert creation, Google Grant companies which can be official Google companions like Getting Attention will guarantee your success each step of the best way. Some useful areas of help embody Getting Consideration affords embody:

• Help With Making use of for Google Grants: Our company will verify your eligibility after which present steering for finishing your Google Grant software. There’s no want so that you can even perceive find out how to apply for Google Grants beforehand since we’ll stroll you thru your entire course of!
• Technique Creation: We’ll assist you decide goal-oriented conversion actions, equivalent to donations, volunteer sign-ups, and occasion registrations. That method, your advertisements will probably be centered on advancing your mission.
• Advert Creation: Our Google Advert professionals will create advertisements that promote your mission to seemingly supporters. Every advert will probably be backed by efficient key phrase analysis, so you possibly can attain your target market.
• Routine Account Optimization: We’ll control your advert efficiency to regulate bid methods, tweak advert copy, and guarantee compliance with Google’s guidelines.
• Month-to-month Knowledge Reporting: Your nonprofit can have perception into outcomes with clear experiences that spotlight metrics like conversions, CTR, and advert spend.

If you happen to’re curious in regards to the function that an company will play in Google Grants administration, our crew is completely happy to speak! Attain out to our crew to debate how we are able to help all of your Google Grants wants, from making use of to this system to researching the perfect key phrases on your trigger.

Last Ideas on Making use of for Google Grants

The Google Grants program is a superb alternative for any nonprofit trying to amplify its digital advertising and marketing methods. All you want to do is discover ways to apply for Google Grants after which configure your Google Adverts account in response to your targets.

All of this data could really feel a bit overwhelming, however the alternative to make the most of $10,000 a month of free Google Adverts spending is value weathering the confusion. Contact us today for a free consultation with our company to assist plan the perfect Google Advert Grants technique on your nonprofit.

Within the meantime, be taught extra about this system and maximize the success of your advert campaigns with these nice sources: