AdWords for Non-Profits 2018:
What You Need to Know Part II
Today’s blog post is written by Skye Hughes, Client Administrator, PatronManager.
In part one of this blog post, we discussed the recent changes Google made to its Non-profit AdWords Ad Grant program, why it made them, and what the implications are for your organization. In this post, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of the new requirements and what you’ll need to do in order to meet them. Let’s jump right in:
- The $2 bid cap has been eliminated (this is good news!) Non-profit grant recipients used to be limited to bidding a maximum of $2 per keyword. Although the auction system takes into account quality of the keywords and ads as well as the dollar amount bid, this cap was a significant barrier to winning placement of ads. With the cap eliminated, non-profits are better-equipped to compete.
- Campaigns have to make use of geo-targeting. So, a theatre in New York will have to market to people in New York, not the whole country.
- Campaigns have to be mission-based. Every ad and keyword must reflect your primary mission. Using branded keywords from other organizations is no longer permitted (“Pepsi” is off limits for example… unless you are Pepsi), along with generic keywords (“dance” or “theatre”).
- Keywords must have a quality score of 2 or better. This is Google’s rating for how well each keyword performs, taking into consideration the expected click-through rate (CTR), how relevant the ad is to a user’s search, and the landing page experience. This is another piece of the AdWords auction system. A higher quality score brings your cost-per-click down for that keyword and gives the ad a better position on the page.
- Mirror keywords, ad copy, and landing page copy to each other.
- Create small, tightly-themed ad groups.
- Remove low-quality keywords.
- Single (one word) keywords are no longer allowed. Despite its rather misleading name, a keyword isn’t limited to one word. A keyword is a string of characters that a user might type into a search bar to find information, also known as a search term. Usually, it’s more of a phrase. For instance, how often do you search for “take-out?” More likely you’d specify what kind of food, your neighborhood (although Google might already know that), etc. Single-word keywords are unlikely to match a user with a relevant ad. You don’t need them.
- Get specific and prioritize long-tail keywords. And check out search term stats!
- At least two site links are required. Site links allow you to specify link URLs to choose where you’re sending users. If you’re marketing for Shakespeare in the Park, send them to the Shakespeare in the Park ticketing page! It’s rare that you’d send users to your homepage because the goal is for the user to take an action (buy a ticket). You don’t want them to have to click multiple pages deep to find those tickets.
- Make sure your landing pages are fast, functional, and relevant to the user’s search. Google takes your website content into consideration, so compelling copy on your site is important.
- Maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR). CTR is the number of times your ad is clicked on per the number of times it’s shown. It’s the culmination of all your detailed efforts in the elements above. If the 5% minimum isn’t met for two consecutive months, your account will be deactivated. Ok, this sounds scary, I know. But we’ll go into what this means more below.
Now, these new practices are all going to make your AdWords account successful, so what are the cons?Read the Article