It can be quite a process to apply for the Google Ad Grant program. There are many requirements you have to fulfill in order to receive the $10,000 a month in ad credits from Google.

Once you’re part of the program, you’ll want to make sure all your hard work doesn’t go to waste. Making a strategic plan and dedicating some time to Google Ad Grant best practices will ensure that you’re getting the most out of your grant.

To maximize the impact of your Google Ad Grant, here are five tips we recommend:

Prioritize good content.
Use conversion tracking.
Make sure you know your audience.
Combine your grant with other marketing tactics.
Don’t feel pressured to use the entire grant each month.

The Google Ad Grant is a valuable tool, but to boost your online presence even more, it’s worth it to optimize your account. Let’s get started with five tips that will help you use your Google Ad Grant account successfully.

1. Prioritize good content.

While directing more traffic to your site is a benefit of the Google Ad Grant program, it means little if that traffic isn’t producing conversions. What makes the difference is good content.

If your website has valuable content, users will be more likely to stick around and engage with your organization. In order to maximize conversions, think about adding these elements to your content:

Popular topics. It’s important to create high-quality content, but you’ll also want to make sure you’re writing about topics people are actually searching for. Choosing a topic with a high search volume will help navigate people toward your site.
Singular focus. Pages with too many sidebars will confuse readers and turn them away. Additionally, most people only search for one topic at a time. Structuring your pages around a singular focus will make your content more digestible.
Comprehensiveness. Make sure you offer enough information on each page to make it substantial. That way, you can answer users’ questions and signal to Google that your page has value.
Calls to action. To increase conversions, you’ll want to be upfront about what action you want your supporters to take. For example, if you’re looking to increase volunteer sign-ups, create a button that will direct users to your volunteer registration page.
Mobile friendliness. When your content is mobile friendly, more people can engage with it. Also, Google takes note of mobile friendliness when it ranks pages, so optimization in this area can boost the visibility of your website.

With high-quality content, your organization can improve its website’s ranking online and provide a better user experience.

2. Use conversion tracking.

These days, more and more decisions are being made based on data. Why should your Google Ad Grant account be any different?

With the help of Google Analytics, you can gain valuable insights about your campaigns. Then, you can use this data to help you make informed decisions about your account.

Within Google Analytics, you’ll want to set up conversion tracking. To do so, you’ll have to decide which conversions you’d like to increase and set up the corresponding goals. Types of conversions you may track include:

Donations (whether monetary or in-kind)
Email list sign-ups
Volunteer registrations
Event ticket purchases
Petition signatures

Once you add your goals to your campaigns, switch on conversion tracking for each one. That way, you’ll be able to stay on top of campaign performance and adjust your ads as needed.

3. Make sure you know your audience.

To allow you to reach the right audience, Google permits you to limit who your ads are shown to. In order to do so, you’ll first want to define each campaign’s intended audience and keywords. As a result, you can make sure you’re creating focused campaigns that reach people.

Starting with keyword research is a great way to get to know your audience. Find out what your intended audience is searching for so you know which keywords to incorporate into your own content. That way, you can start to show up in search results for those topics.

Knowing what your audience isn’t searching for can be just as helpful. Google allows you to use negative keywords that prevent your content from showing up in related searches. You can also use negative keywords to block unrelated audiences from perusing your content.

Over time, Google Analytics will build up a list of search queries of people who visit your site. You can then investigate which audiences result in conversions and add negative keywords for the ones that don’t.

4. Combine your grant with other marketing tactics.

The Google Ad Grant can add a ton of value to your marketing strategy. However, that doesn’t mean you should neglect the other marketing tools at your disposal.

Make sure to continue your usual marketing activities. For example, if your organization typically hosts events to gather new support, the Google Ad Grant won’t replace that type of in-person engagement.

Instead, use the Google Ad Grant in conjunction with more traditional methods. Since Google allows you to collect an extensive amount of data about your campaigns, you can use that data to inform your other marketing methods.

If you’re looking to spice up your marketing efforts, there are so many different ways to do so. Getting Attention provides several nonprofit marketing ideas that you can use for inspiration, such as:

Creating video content

Partnering with a local business
Encouraging peer-to-peer fundraising
Starting a brand ambassador program

Also, the Google for Nonprofits program that presides over the Google Ad Grant program has additional marketing tools you can take advantage of. For example, the YouTube Nonprofit Program helps you fundraise by providing tips for effective campaign videos and adding a donate button to your account.

5. Don’t feel pressured to use the entire grant each month.

While it may be tempting to use up your $10,000 each month, most nonprofits don’t actually use the entire grant. Some nonprofits don’t have the time or resources to keep up with multiple campaigns. Others might not have high-quality content that’s driving traffic and therefore good results.

Even if you’re not experiencing these issues, don’t feel obligated to use all of the funds each month. There are situations in which you can only use a portion of your grant and still have successful Google Ad Grant results. For example, if you’re targeting a niche subject area, you might not need to track as many keywords. Therefore, you likely won’t use the whole grant, but you can still drive positive outcomes.

Your goal as a participant in the program should be to create conversions, not use up all the money provided by Google. If you’re having trouble allocating your grant effectively, you can work with a Google Grants manager for help. ReCharity recommends choosing a Google Grants agency that offers comprehensive services such as helping you choose the right keywords to target and run recurring reports to track your ROI.

When it comes to the Google Ad Grant program, there’s so much to learn, and there are always ways to improve upon your results. While a lot might come from trial and error, these five tips will help get you on the right track. In time, you will become more comfortable with the program and what works for your organization.