Have you heard of Google Ad Grants? Too many churches haven’t. All nonprofits, including churches, have an incredible opportunity to reach new people through Google Ad Grants, a program offering up to $10,000 in free monthly advertising. Whether your church is big or small, you can now appear at the top of search results, and it won’t cost you a cent.
What are Google Ad Grants?
Google Ad Grants provide up to $10,000 USD per month of search advertising for eligible nonprofits, including churches. Google offers these ad grants as a way to improve their public image and increase engagement with its advertising platform, which could lead to future paid advertising opportunities for them. It costs nothing to sign up, but there are some limitations and requirements.
What are the requirements for Google Ad Grants?
There are a number of requirements to qualify and maintain eligibility for Google Ad Grants.
First, your organization must be an eligible nonprofit, which generally means you must hold valid charity status, such as 501(c)(3) in the United States.
Second, you must have a high-quality website that meets Google’s website policy. Your website must include a clear description of your organization, substantial and unique content, secure HTTPS protocols, and a user-friendly experience without commercial activities that do not directly support your mission.
Third, you must meet and maintain compliance with the program policies, such as maintaining a 5% click-through rate, using only approved keywords, and ensuring ads direct traffic to the organization’s own website and do not promote commercial activities or third-party sites. Failing to maintain compliance can result in account suspension, cancellation, or permanent removal from the program.
How do Google Ad Grants work?
Once you sign up and receive approval, you will gain access to a new Google Ads Grant account. You will then have the freedom to create search ads that appear in Google search results either independently or in positions below paid ads. With the ads, you will be able to promote things like Sunday services, special events, community initiatives, or volunteer opportunities.
Creating conversions around important actions on your website and optimizing your ads for those conversions will help you maximize results and the monthly allocated budget. It might take some experimenting to find what works best for you.
No payment information is required, and you will never be charged for the account. Google pays the bill and limits the spend to $10,000 USD a month.
What are the benefits of Google Ad Grants?
The most obvious benefit is the cost—it’s hard to beat free. Google Ad Grants is by far the most cost-effective way to promote your church.
You can also target specific locations or demographics, ensuring that only the individuals most relevant to your ministry see your ads. For example, you can target anyone within 20 miles of your church, allowing you to connect directly with your local community and invite them to participate in your events.
The beauty of digital advertising, such as Google Ads, is the ability to track results. A billboard offers no data, but Google Ads provides data on how many times people view your ads, click on them, and how many conversions on your website result from those ads. This transparency gives you a better picture of the impact your marketing efforts are making.
Final Thoughts
Using Google Ad Grants can be a fantastic way for churches of all sizes to grow without putting a strain on their budgets. We’d love to help if you’re struggling to get started or maximize the results of your account. We can point you in the right direction, or if you prefer, we can take care of managing your Google Ad Grant account for you. This way, you can focus on your ministry while we ensure everything runs smoothly and in line with Google’s guidelines. Let’s work together in building the church!