Introduction to Google Ad Grants

Using (Free) Ads to Bring People to Your Website

What Google Ads Can Accomplish
What Google Ads Look Like + Basic Mechanics
Google Ad Grants: Applying, Benefits, and Limits
Ad Grant Examples

How Do People Arrive at Your Website?

Direct Traffic
- Typing directly into browser
- Bookmarks
- Auto-complete
Organic Traffic
- Searches on Google or other search engine
Paid Ads
- Start out as Searches, same as Organic, but diverted to Ads logic
Referral
- A link from another website
Email
- Following a link in Marketing email / Newsletter
Social
- Links in social media posts (predominantly Facebook)

One Month of Traffic

Example: Koios Website (100 Users)

Example: Tulsa Public Library
(servicepop=640K, yellow=7%)

Example: Oak Park (IL) Public Library
(servicepop=52K)

Example: Champaign (IL) Public Library
(servicepop=90K)

Example: EveryLibrary Institute
(national)

Google Ads (Paid)

Ads on Google look like [this].

Ads blend in with organic search results
Generally floating to the top -- super effective
Google makes 80% of all its money from text ads
Pay per click a.k.a. PPC
Average cost per click world-wide: $2.69

Google Ads Auction (Paid)

Advertiser bids on keywords
Bid (in $$) multiplied by Quality Score (1-10) to determine AdRank
Quality score is determined by Secret Google Magic
- How reputable/authoritative the website is
- Relevance of ad to website material
- Website performance (load time on mobile device)
- Other Stuff, Google is not Telling
Winner gets the ad placement, pays Google on click

Google Ads for Libraries

Libraries are a great fit for Google Ads

Libraries have the information people are actively searching for
Reach people outside your patron sandbox (inclusion and diversity)
Ads can bring people directly to resources
Libraries have strong credibility and can maintain high Quality Scores
Easily outperform social media in bringing people to website
...but at over $2/click the cost is prohibitive

Voilà! Google Ad Grants

Google offers free advertising for nonprofits

Up to $10,000 per month in advertising credit
Apply once, continues indefinitely

Applying

Determine eligibility - you, or a sponsoring group, need 501(c)3 status (USA)
In Canada, registered charities are eligible (example)
Check your website quality: https required
Join Google for Nonprofits (org validated by Percent)
Apply for Google Ad Grant
Response in two weeks

Note:

Paid goes first (secondary auction)
Takes some work to maintain
Staying in compliance with Google's requirements
Spending the full allocation each month is not a given; average spend across the program is 17%

Running Google Ads

When you get your Ad Grant, Google will create a new Google Ads account for you. The Google Ads interface is a full-featured application, meant for advertising professionals; it offers many options for creating ads and determining when and where they may be shown.

Promote individual programs and services
Schedule campaigns
Bidding strategy -- Ad Grant maximum bid is $2
Set location targeting per campaign
Fine control for professionals, auto-defaults for busy staff
View performance

Lessons From Koios

Worth doing, 17% average spend still means $20K/year
Need large number of keywords to get maximum results
Population density helps grant spend
Better suited for awareness vs. driving specific marketing initiatives
Google Support is available to Ad Grant recipients, and forums are helpful.

How to Use the Ad Grant

Examples:

How to Get Started

Apply for the Grant Yourself

Check your eligibility
- If you are a 501(c)3, great
- If not, check with your Friends or Foundation
- In Canada, look up your library on the Canada Revenue Agency website, or work with another registered charity
Check your website quality (https)
Sign up with Google For Nonprofits
Apply for Ad Grant online

Consider working with Koios

Koios is about information
Experienced with applying for Ad Grants and managing accounts
Big Data approach, with over 7M ads, spent $5M on behalf of libraries in 2023
Create many thousands of ads to promote your online catalog
60-day free trial, we get the grant for you, then fire up catalog and other campaigns
Spend most or all of allocation, visible increase in overall website traffic
www.koios.org email: info@koios.org