Combining Paid Search Advertising With Your Google Ad Grant
Google’s Search Network is an incredibly powerful marketing tool that is utilized by millions of advertisers worldwide. Nonprofit organizations of all shapes and sizes advertise on this network in order to showcase their missions and achieve their digital marketing objectives. While the Google Ad Grant gives nonprofits a $10,000 monthly credit to advertise on Google’s Search Network, nonprofits also have the option to run paid advertisements using a standard paid Google Ads Account.
Some key differences between a paid Google Ads account and an Ad Grant account include:
- The level of overall flexibility afforded to the advertiser
- Ad Grant recipients must adhere to Google’s strict account management policy in order to maintain the status of their grant.
- The amount of money that can be spent
- Nonprofits using the Google Ad Grant cannot exceed a daily budget of $329.00. Advertisers using a paid account do not have limitations to their daily budgets.
- The location on the search results page that the ad will appear
- Nonprofits using the Ad Grant will typically see their ads appear below standard paid ads on a search results page.
Because of these differences, many nonprofits choose to run paid search ad campaigns in conjunction with their Google Ad Grant credit. As long as the organization has a clear goal in mind and an adequate budget, using paid search to bolster what you can accomplish from the Google Ad Grant can dramatically increase the effectiveness of a digital marketing plan. In fact, many nonprofits notice a 5:1 return on ad spend when they combine traditional paid search and Google Ad Grant strategies.
When starting with this type of strategy, our experts at Cause Inspired recommend solidifying and optimizing your Google Ad Grant campaigns before implementing paid search advertising. Monitor the data, and work to improve the content of your landing pages as you develop an understanding of where your traffic is coming from, and where they are going once they get to your website. Once you’ve done this, then begin to add traditional paid search ads where appropriate.
Due to the complexity of this type of strategy, we recommend working with a professional that understands all aspects of the digital advertising ecosystem. Here at Cause Inspired, our experienced team understands the complexities of the nonprofit landscape, and are well-versed in Google’s various advertising platforms.
