February 12th, 2018
Nonprofits Take Action: New Rules For Google Ad Grants
This is an immediate call-to-action for our not-for-profit clients and all nonprofits who’ve been relying on those generous $10,000/month Google Ad Grants to generate clicks to their websites.
After January 1, 2018, that money isn’t nearly so easy anymore. It’s still available, but only to those nonprofit organizations whose websites have been brought up to the new search-engine optimization (SEO) compliance rules for earning those precious Google Ad Grant monies. (We discuss those new rules a few paragraphs down, but Google discusses the big changes on its support website.)
There’s time to act, but time is of the essence. You could lose AdWord grant money with two (2) consecutive months of non-compliance…and at this posting February 2018 is halfway over. If you’re a non-profit with a website that doesn’t have its SEO configured the way Google requires, your ranking may be penalized, your website traffic performance could suffer and your Google Ad Grants account may be suspended or cancelled.
So…act now. Do it fast. Call TESSA at 1-800-586-1553 today so we can get started making sure your non-profit organization – disaster relief, animal rescue, community theatre, etc. – doesn’t lose out on valuable Google Ad Grant funding. (TESSA apologizes for the uncharacteristically clickbaitish language in this particular blogpost. We’re usually pretty calm, but here’s an urgent matter demanding prompt action by not-for-profits everywhere. So…call now.)
What are the big changes non-profits must act upon? According to Google’s own video, the core principles that not-for-profit organizations must follow to ensure SEO compliance of their websites and keep their Google Ad Grants accounts (and the bonanza of free Google Ad dollars that come with it):
- the campaign is mission-based (campaigns meant to specifically support your mission)
- the website is high-quality (your site is well-maintained)
- the account is actively managed (set up to perform)
These principles manifest in some key numerical parameters – but by far the most important of these is the requirement that an eligible non-profit’s website’s click-through rate (CTR) must be 5% or greater to remain eligible. Two consecutive months below that threshold results in a suspension of your Google Ad Grants account, loss of free Google Ads funds and a lot of work trying to get it back.
These are not punitive rules; they’re set up to improve account structuring (a term meaning, in a Google Adwords context, the coordination among a website’s ad campaign, ad group, keywords, ad text and landing pages).
And there are solutions. Working with TESSA, your non-profit org can update its website SEO using a few basic, customized strategies to bring it up to Google Ad Grants’ current standards. (There’s more useful info on this January 2018 article by Non-Profit Quarterly.)
To ensure your not-for-profit organization keeps earning those free Ad Grant bucks from Google, TESSA will:
- run a campaign of minimum two (2) ads running on minimum two (2) ad groups
- activate geo-targeting (to ensure proper city, town, locations targeted)
- identify and incorporate high-performing targeted keywords
- eliminate low-performing keywords with scores of 2 or lower
- eliminate low-performing long-tail keywords
- create at least two sidelink extensions
- ensure ownership of any branded keywords
If you work for, represent, serve on the board of, or just know and like any non-profit organization that relies on its web presence for donations, membership, awareness, volunteers, publicity and support, you should consult with TESSA ASAP in order to implement the search-engine optimization (SEO) keyword strategies that will 1) keep your website’s click-through rate satisfactorily and consistently high, and 2) increase the value of those clicks in converting more into donors, volunteers and supporters for your cause.
Compliance is already being tested and the risk of two straight non-compliant months is eminent. Please contact TESSA today to keep Google Ad Grants going strong for your not-for-profit organization. Call us at 1-800-586-1553 or message us from https://tessa.tech/about/contact-us/.
About TESSA: TESSA is Multi-Surface Marketing + Technology, all in one. TESSA combines our knowledge and creativity in marketing, branding and messaging with our expertise and skill in technology implementation, website design, software development and mobile applications to become perhaps the most unique SEO agency in the USA. TESSA serves clients through the United States of America from our base in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. We serve clientele in Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Florida, Canada and elsewhere. Through SEO, SEM, content strategy, digital advertising, Internet marketing, branding and messaging, plus customized web design and implementation, TESSA turns what-if into what-is.
