Google is offering a grant to UK charities of up to £8,000 for Google Ads.

If you’re a charity organisation, then this grant is something you should definitely be taking advantage of.

What are Google Ads?

Quite simply, Google Ads is what it says on the tin: advertising on Google.

Using Google, you can run PPC (Pay Per Click) ad campaigns which direct users to your website.

Pay Per Click means that you only pay for the click-throughs (the number of times a person has clicked on the ad).

The price of the click is determined by keywords and bidding.

You will bid on keywords/phrases and the more competitive (popular) it is, the higher the price.

For example, the word ‘soap’ will have a much higher PPC price than the phrase ‘homemade soap Fife’ because the latter is more specific.

Your keywords should be specific enough that the price is lower and your ad is being shown to the right audience while still having enough searches to improve visibility.

With the use of great keywords and a quality website, Google Ads can heavily increase visibility and conversions.

Eligibility

There aren’t many restrictions of eligibility for this grant.

You must have current and valid charity status meaning that you are registered with OSCR, the Charity Commission, CCNI and/or registered as a charity with HM Revenue & Customs.

You must understand and agree to Google’s terms and conditions on non-discrimination and donation receipt and use.

You must have a live website with substantial content, relevant and explanatory in terms of who your organisation is and what it does (something that we at PageNorth can help you with)

Your website must also have the proper level of security certification needed.

Non-eligible organisations

There are some entities and organisations that are not eligible.

They include:

• Government entities
• Schools
• Universities
• Academic institutions
• Hospitals and medical groups

Although academic institutions aren’t eligible, philanthropic arms of educational institutes are.

Conditions

There are some more conditions even if you are eligible.

Most of these are only relevant once you are set up with Google and are ready to start building and running your campaign. You must follow these conditions to stay qualified for a non-profit account.

• All ads must link to the non-profit website address that has been approved in your application
• Ads must reflect the mission of the chairty, you cannot use the grant for any other means
• Ads cannot link to a webpage that is mainly used to redirect users to other websites
• Ads cannot offer financial products e.g. credit cards or mortgages
• Your ads can sell products but only if 100 percent of the proceeds go towards supporting your program
• Your ads cannot ask for donations in the form of large goods, keywords related to this are also prohibited
• Ads are limited to the search market, they cannot be run in the display market
• You must log in to your ad account a minimum of once a month
• You must maintain a 5 percent CTR (click-through rate) on your ad - if you don’t achieve this for two months in a row, your account will be cancelled (A CTR is the percentage of those who click on your ad after it has been shown to them)
• Non-profit organisations cannot buy a branded keyword that they do not own
• Your keywords must have a quality score above 3
• Majority of single word keywords are not allowed as a charity organisation should have more specific and targeted keywords
• Your account must have geotargeting
• Your account must have at least two sitelink extensions active
• Your campaign must have a minimum of two ad groups with a minimum of two ads running in each

There are further conditions that Google explain during the application process, but these are some of the most prevalent ones.

How to set up

To set up for Google Ad Grants, there are a few things you will need.

You’ll need a validation token: this can be acquired from Charity Digital.

If you are not registered with them already, then getting set up is an easy process.

You will also need a Google account, it is recommended to not use a personal account but rather an account for your organisation. This can then also be used for Google Analytics, a YouTube channel and any other Google applications.

After you have ensured that you have got these two things set up, you will start the application process.

Google’s application form will be looking for information about your charity and to check the validity of your application.

It will be looking for information on you and your campaign, meaning you have to adhere to their guidelines while applying.

If you haven’t used Google Ads before, the application can feel a bit overwhelming - but that’s something we can help with.

PageNorth's marketing team can go through the application process for this grant for you and run your ad campaigns.

If we have all of the information needed, we can have you set up within days and our team is ready to help whenever you need.

If you're a charity, get in touch with us today and we'll take it from there.