Maximizing Conversions with Google Ad Grants for a Science Education Nonprofit

A nonprofit received the $10K/month Google Ad Grant but wasn’t meeting CTR requirements and wasn’t seeing meaningful conversions. Campaigns were unfocused, and a large portion of spend was going to irrelevant clicks.

Role:

Google Ad Grant Specialist

Period:

Oct 2023 – Feb 2024

Industry:

Nonprofit/Science Education

Challenges I Faced:

Disorganized campaign structure with overly broad keywords

CTR below the required 5% for grant compliance

No negative keywords, leading to wasted spend

Incomplete conversion tracking, making it hard to measure ROI

My Approach

Campaign Restructure:

Created tightly themed ad groups mapped to specific audience needs.

Keyword Optimization:

Built refined keyword lists with match types and robust negative keyword lists to eliminate waste.

Ad Copy Refresh:

Rewrote ads to highlight mission, impact, and clear CTAs for donations, event signups, and volunteer opportunities.

Conversion Tracking:

Implemented tracking for key actions (donations, signups, resource downloads).

Ongoing Optimization:

Monitored search term reports weekly to refine targeting and maintain grant compliance.

The Results:

200%

CTR Increase

140%

Increased Donations

65%

Boosted Conversions

90%

Budget Utilization

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