How to apply for Google Ad Grants

No matter what you hope to achieve with your online presence, the Google Ad Grants program can help your digital marketing strategy succeed. In this article, you will learn how to properly apply for Google Ad Grants. As part of the program, Google provides your organization with a regular monthly credit to place your ads in search results, along with the data you need to fine-tune them for success.

A guide to applying for a Google Ad Grant

If you qualify for Google Ad Grants, you’ll receive up to $10,000 in advertising to promote your organization. These funds can help get you to the top of search results, increasing your visibility and attracting more people to you. However, the grant application process can be complex and require some changes to your online presence. But don’t worry – the result is worth the time and effort.

In fact, at every step of the process, you may find unexpected benefits that will help your nonprofit in other areas. By the time your organization applies for a Google grant, it may already be more effective than when you first started promoting online. This is part of what makes the decision to apply for a grant so worthwhile!

Our goal is to help nonprofits like yours thrive, and we work hard to make sure our clients get the most out of the program with professionally managed Google Ad Grants.These passions and acquired skills have been carefully compiled into essential tips that we are happy to share.

So, how to apply for Google Ad Grants?

What are Google Ad Grants?

Google Ad Grants is a program that provides nonprofit organizations with up to $10,000 per month in advertising credit. Thanks to the grant, you can place paid ads in Google search results for free. This helps drive interested readers to the most important pages of your site.

Whatever your organization’s needs or goals, there are ways to use the potential of Google Ad Grants to your advantage. However, you must also be careful to follow the rules and policies of the Google Ad Grant, otherwise you risk losing the grant. If this happens, don’t worry: a suspended account can often be restored with the help of experts.

Is my nonprofit eligible for a Google grant?

Checking your eligibility for Google Ad Grants is easy. The following can take part in the program:

• charitable organizations, public associations, religious organizations and public libraries, which are included in the Register of Non-Profit Institutions and Organizations of Ukraine;
• international non-profit organizations working in Ukraine

Schools, hospitals, or government agencies are not considered nonprofits and cannot apply for Google Ad Grants.

How long does it take to apply for Google Ad Grants?

The time required to apply for Google Ad Grants will depend on the readiness of your organization. If you are already a member of TechSoup and have a website that meets Google’s requirements, the application process may take 2 to 14 days.

If not, you’ll need to join TechSoup and first make sure your website complies with Google’s policies. This may take additional time.

Techsoup is a non-profit organization that supports other like-minded organizations by helping them access donations and discounts on software and tech services. Anyone can freely join Techsoup.

If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with qualified consultants like our team. We can help you save time and avoid possible mistakes that slow down the grant process.

Now that you know the basics of how the Google Ad Grants program works, let’s take a closer look at each step of the application process!

Step 1: Prepare your website to apply for Google Ad Grants

One of the key elements of your Google Ad Grants application is your website. Before approving your application, Google checks it against a list of conditions. These terms apply to technical points (such as loading speed and security) and contextual nuances (such as availability of information about the organization and its mission, quality of content, etc.) The following tips will make your site compatible with Google’s requirements!

Protect your site to apply for Google Ad: get an SSL certificate

Your website should be secure and reliable.You may have noticed that some websites have https in their web addresses, while others only have http. The “s” here means that your site has an SSL certificate and is added when the site is encrypted for privacy and security. Google wants your website to have this security certificate as well.

Such security has other advantages besides the actual advertising grant from Google. It can help protect you and your followers from certain types of online theft or cyber attacks. Adding encryption to your web pages will also have a positive impact on your search engine optimization and is necessary to take advantage of the modern features of many web browsers. In fact, not having this certificate can even harm your site. For example, Google Chrome marks sites that don’t have https in their web address as “unsecured”, which will turn visitors away.

You can get an SSL certificate yourself or ask for help if it turns out to be difficult or you do not know exactly how to proceed. Our organization has experience in obtaining SSL certificates and can help with this process.

Make your site user-friendly and presentable

Another key to success is making sure that Google and your users can easily navigate your website and find it visually appealing.

Here are some key areas you can focus on to improve the look of your site:

• Content. Your website should have unique content that Google can see and understand. Be sure to include a description of the organization’s mission on the main page or on the “About Us” page. The most important pages or posts should be 300 words or more and have a single, well-defined topic that aligns with your organization’s goals. The best landing pages should include a relevant call to action for visitors, such as donating or volunteering.
• Loading time. Your site should be adapted for both mobile and PC viewing. Avoid overusing large images, autoplaying videos, or including any other large files. Too many of these elements will slow down the page, which will force visitors to leave it.
• Attractive and clear design. The best websites are confident in their design and branding and know that sometimes less is more. Show restraint in design elements. Your website should be easy to navigate and not appear cluttered or cluttered.
• Convenient navigation. It’s easy to miss the point of effective navigation, especially if you’re already used to where and what is on your website. Try looking at your site as if you were visiting it for the first time, or have someone new try to find a few of your key pages. Navigation links should be easy to find, as should your important pages.
• No malware. Limit your plugins, links, and embedded objects to only safe and trusted ones. If your visitor picks up a virus from your site, be sure – he will not return.

Step 2: Confirm your non-profit status with TechSoup

In order to be accepted into the Google program, your organization must be verified as non-profit. Nonprofit status is verified through TechSoup, a trusted international nonprofit that provides technology and technical support to other nonprofits.

After verification is complete, TechSoup will generate a digital token that you can send to Google for Nonprofits, the program through which you will apply for Google Ad Grants.

In addition to being part of your Google Ad Grant journey, TechSoup can also help your organization gain access to products (free or discounted) that can give you an edge. Companies that provide product and service offerings through TechSoup include tech giants such as Adobe, Microsoft, and Zoom, among others.

The application review process at TechSoup can take an average of 2 to 14 days. However, this procedure can last up to a month in certain cases. You can facilitate the process of submitting an application for confirmation of the non-profit status of an organization by asking for help from specialists. Our team has the necessary experience to take on this task.

Step 3. Register with Google for Nonprofits

The first step to applying for Google Ad Grants is to register with Google for Nonprofits. This program provides free products for nonprofits, including access to Google Ad Grants.Many non-profit organizations are already using this program for their sites. So don’t just look at this as a check mark on the road to Google Ad Grants—Google’s nonprofit opportunities can make your life easier and help your nonprofit grow.

Google offers many opportunities for non-profit organizations, such as the ability to use

• Google Workspace for non-profit organizations
• YouTube for non-profit organizations
• Google Earth
• Google Maps

When you sign up for the Google for Nonprofits program, you’ll need to enter the validation key you received from TechSoup. After activating the account, you have the opportunity to choose the products that your non-profit organization needs. At this point, you have the option to fill out the form and apply for Google Ad Grants.

You will receive an activation notification within 3 working days. We advise you to spend the waiting time preparing for future work with an advertising grant.

Step 4. Setting up Google Analytics and the Google Ads advertising cabinet

Now you can start setting up your site and ad account to take the first steps towards using Google Ad Grants.

Install Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for collecting data about your website. Google Ad Grants requires that you install Google Analytics on your site to track the performance of your ads. You will also be able to enjoy many other features such as:

• Ability to create and track goals. Your goals may include applying to volunteer, donating to your organization, or taking a survey. With Google Analytics, you can see how often these goals are achieved and which pages on your site help you achieve them
• Overview of your web traffic. You will be able to see how your website is performing in real time. You will also be able to compare past and current web traffic to see its dynamics
• Site performance tracking. You can easily track the average time visitors spend on your site, which pages they view, and other important information.

To get started with Google Analytics, you first need to register an account there and connect it to your “property” – your website.

Next, you will need to add the Google tracking code to each page of the site. This can be done by copying the code into your website’s HTML code. Platforms like WordPress or SquareSpace may also have an easier method for adding code to your pages in the plugins or apps sections.

Once you integrate Google Analytics into your website, you’ll be able to create and track goals and view site performance!

Setting up advertising campaigns

Now it’s time to dive into Google Ads by setting up your first ad campaigns. You’ll find the Campaigns tab on the left navigation bar on your Google Ads home page.

Avoid keywords in one word. With some exceptions, Google does not allow single-word keywords. Keywords related to your brand or specific medical conditions that your nonprofit works with are allowed. But they still may not be the most effective way of advertising these specific needs.

Don’t use too general keywords. Any keyword that isn’t specific enough won’t be allowed by Google—and for good reason. Not only can this lead to confusion, but it can also make your ads less effective. Being specific and meaningful allows you to place your ad among the searches of people who are most interested in finding what you have to offer.

Don’t use keywords with a Quality Score of 1 or 2. If Google marks keywords with a low enough Quality Score, you’ll be asked to remove them or replace them with something more effective. Think of it as Google looking out for your best interests. You want to show your best!

Make sure you have Sitelink Extensions enabled, which will allow you to link to specific parts of your website in Google Ad Grants. This step is important if you want to direct someone to donate, volunteer, or otherwise interact with your site.Go to the Ads & Extensions tab in the page menu on the left and you’ll see a panel where you can customize the sitelinks in your ads.

Connect Google Analytics to your Google Ads account

For best results, you need to connect Google Analytics to your Google Ads account. It will also allow you to import your goals and other data from Analytics into Ads to save time and improve results.

You will need the appropriate permissions to link these two accounts. Make sure your account has edit permission for Analytics and administrative access to your Google Ads account.

Once you’re logged in to Analytics, click Admin under Tools & Settings. Navigate to the asset you want to link and select Google Ads Linking. Here you can click +New link group and select your organization’s Google Ads profile. Enable linking for each view you want to share and finish by clicking Link Accounts.

You’ve completed your Google Ad Grants application! Now you just have to wait for the final approval and you will have access to Google Ad Grants and all the opportunities it has to offer. Then it’s a matter of constant training and improvement in order to meet the requirements of Google Ad Grants and not lose the grant.

Help in applying for an advertising grant from Google

Now that you’ve seen the value of a Google Ad Grant and set your organization up for success, you may want to consider paid professional grant management from Google industry innovators like us.

Our company offers non-profit organizations expert advice that will help you get the most benefit with the least effort for your team. We provide:

• Help from experts in obtaining and using Google Ad Grants
• Careful attention to the creation, maintenance and optimization of your advertisements
• Successful experience in helping to restore suspended Google Ad Grants accounts
• Packages of additional services that can further extend the benefits of the grant from Google