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Tuesday 26 July 2011

What is Google Grants?Google Grants?

What is Google Grants?

Google Grants is a program which gives a $10,000 monthly grant to non-profit organizations so that they are able to run Google Adwords PPC Advertisements and therefore better promote their respective causes. The program is open to non-profit organizations ranging from those that work within the arts to those that work within areas of justice or education, for example. There are no limitations on this score in terms of who is able to apply for the program. Interestingly, Webrageous Studios is now managing the PPC Advertising Campaign of a non-profit organization involved in the program and it has managed to make a great deal of progress on the campaign during the past couple of weeks. It is hoped that Webrageous Studios can help to make this specific non-profit eligible for the $40,000 monthly Google Grant in the near future, however, more on this topic a little later in the article.

Google Grants: A Few Features Outlined
71077610As an introduction, a little history into the origins of the Google Grants Program could be of interest, because when the program first began in 2003, Google made the decision to take on all responsibility in terms of building the PPC accounts for all the non-profits that were among the first to join the program. Google also continued to manage the PPC Campaigns of those accounts on a daily basis as well, which clearly required a lot of extra man-power on the part of Google.
However, recently things have changed. Non-profits that are accepted onto the Google Grants Program from now on are given the means and the support needed in order to manage their own advertising campaign. Google no longer provides the service. This means that the whole process has sped up significantly and has also given the non-profits more ownership over what they do with their campaigns too.
200539641-001By following the simple list below, a non-profit´s application onto the program and the development of the organization’s PPC Campaign can now be constructed in less time. The process is as follows.....
1. Visit the Google Grants website and apply using the online application form.
2. The application is then reviewed.
3. If accepted, the non-profit then has the opportunity to create its own Adwords Account at its own pace. (This is a relatively new feature, designed to improve the efficiency of the program. More information can be found on the subject by visiting the official Google Grants Blog at Google Grants Blog which is a very useful resource and will keep all non-profits up-to-date).
4. The Google Adwords Account is then also reviewed.
5. If accepted, the non-profit is invited to read through the Ongoing Management Guide (OMG) to begin managing their account effectively.
One of the main support features for non-profits on the program is the Google Grants Program Blog, where a lot of the above information can be found in more detail. It is an excellent online resource for the non-profits involved in the program and for those non-profits who are looking to become involved in the program. There is a popular online blog community where all the non-profits involved in the program share their experiences, questions, concerns and more. It´s also the place where Google is able to keep everyone updated with the newest features available.
For example, in January 2010, the Google Grants Program announced that it was extending the advertising access available to those involved in the program to include advertising space on the Google Content Network. The program proposed a month-long extension in the Google Content Network as an experiment created in order to measure how effective Google PPC Advertisements for non-profits might be if run on the Google Content Network. In addition, the blog explains how the Google Grants Program was introduced fairly recently in Brussels (launched only 18 months ago) and one of the recent posts explains how over 20 local NGOs from Brussels have already signed up to take part in the program.
86046952Moreover, a post from February 2010 on the Google Grants Program Blog includes information about Haiti and the continuous appeals for help that are still coming in strong from this isolated natural disaster zone. The Blog Post details how many of the non-profits that are part of the program are involved in sending aid to the Haiti appeal at present. This is proof of how the site is more than just a blog available for the clarification of technical issues regarding the Google Grants Program, but that it is also a blog which acts as a vessel for the various non-profits to spread word about the good work that they do for the many different causes they support throughout the world. This is another definite plus in favor of the Google Grants Program, giving all NGOs another reason to make an application in order to join the program.
There is even a Google Grants YouTube Channel where highly useful and easy to follow step by step videos have been uploaded for the convenient use of all the non-profit organizations running a PPC Advertising Campaign as part of the program, either with or without the help and support of a PPC Management Company, like Webrageous Studios. Videos on the site include Google Adwords tutorials on Google Analytics, Advanced Optimization, Adwords Basics and a selection of specially devised videos for the successful marketing of non-profit organizations in particular through PPC Advertising too.
The Google Grants Program and Webrageous Studios
DavidChapmanHowever, if you are new to the world of PPC Advertising and you represent a non-profit organization that feels it would benefit a great deal from the Google Grants Program to help better market its cause, but the thought of managing your own campaign is just too overwhelming, why not contact us at Webrageous Studios? At present we are managing the PPC Campaign of a certain non-profit organization already part of the program. It therefore already receives the monthly $10,000 grant to continue working towards the successful promotion of its cause and in this moment we are making huge strides towards the NGO’s successful application onto the $40,000 Google Grant section of program. This healthy grant increase would of course make a huge difference to the market reach of the NGO in question.
In addition, Webrageous Studios is proud to report that these highly significant positive advances have been made only within the last two weeks, proving that even when looking to be a part of a special program such as the Google Grants Program, Webrageous Studios will always find a way of helping you to achieve your particular PPC Advertising goal within as short a time frame as possible.
If you would like to speak to one of our Google Adwords Trained PPC Account Managers personally about the Google Grants Program, click on the Contact Tab in the top right hand corner of this website and we will be in touch shortly.

14 comments:

  1. Google Grants Program Guidelines and Details

    About the Program

    Google Grants is a part of the Google for Nonprofits program. Google for Nonprofits is Google's product offering for the nonprofit sector. As a qualified Google for Nonprofits organization, you will gain access to a variety of different product offerings such as Google Grants.

    The Google Grants program empowers over 6,000 organizations to achieve their goals by helping them promote their websites via advertising on Google. Google ads appear when users search on Google. For example when you search for "world poverty" on Google, text ads related to world poverty appear on the right hand side. When you click on one of the ads, you are brought to the website being advertised.

    Organizations that receive a Google Grant are awarded an in-kind online advertising account which can be used it in a variety of ways, including general outreach, fundraising activities, and recruitment of volunteers. Google Grants participants have found much success with the program. For example, the US Fund for UNICEF's e-commerce site, Shop UNICEF, experienced a 43 percent increase in sales over the previous year, while CoachArt – supporting children with life-threatening illnesses through art and athletics programs – has seen a 60 to 70 percent increase in volunteers.

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  2. What to Expect
    About Google's advertising program

    Google Grants will give you an advertising grant within the Google AdWords™ program. AdWords is our online self-managed advertising program where your organization will build its own AdWords account by creating and monitoring text ads that run on Google. You create ads and choose keywords, which are words or phrases related to your organization. When people search on Google using one of your keywords, your ad may appear next to the search results, and people can click on your ad to see your website. You're advertising to an audience interested in your organization because you've created a relevant ad and chosen relevant keywords to describe your efforts. You can edit your ads or keywords at any time.

    The value of the advertising your organization receives will be dependent upon the performance of your ads in the program. Some variables that may affect your account's performance include how many times people search on the keywords you choose and whether searchers click on your organization's ads. Results will vary, but a grantee can get up to $10,000 dollars a month worth of advertising on Google.com per month, while the average Grantee spend is closer to $300. As a result, we cannot predict or guarantee the value of the advertising that you will receive. Grantees' accounts are only eligible to advertise on Google.com, not on the content or syndication networks.

    Upon acceptance into the Google for Nonprofits program, you will be able to enroll into Google Grants and start creating your Google Grants AdWords account. You will be provided with a guide and specific instructions on how to set up your AdWords account. Most organizations experience a learning curve in the quest to take full advantage of their advertising grant, so it's important that you have an understanding of the way our advertising program works. Please review detailed information about AdWords, including instructions for creating effective ads and selecting keywords.

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  3. Program Requirements

    Please be aware of some important criteria regarding the program. (Note that the Program Details section of this page contains more specific information about Google Grants.)

    * You must have a website, and your ads must link to a page on your website.
    * The keywords you target must be relevant to your programs and services.
    * Your website cannot display revenue generating ads, such as Google AdSense or affiliate advertising links, while participating in Google Grants.
    * The on-going, active management of your advertising campaign is your organization's responsibility once your account is active.

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  4. Eligibility

    To be eligible to enroll into the Google Grants program, you must first apply through Google for Nonprofits. Organizations must meet the Google for Nonprofits legal and policy guidelines and be headquartered in a country where Grants currently operates.

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  5. Legal Guidelines

    US organizations must have current 501(c)(3) status, as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service, to be considered for a Google Grant. Please see the full US legal guidelines here and continue reading for our policy guidelines.

    See the full list of countries and regions Grants operates in here.

    The Google Grants program is planning to expand to more countries in the future. If your country/region isn't currently listed, be sure to check back here or visit our blog for program expansion updates.

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  6. Policy Guidelines

    When we consider your organization's application for the Google for Nonprofits program, we'll review the content of the application as well as your website.

    Eligible non-profits include, but are not limited to, organizations that serve communities in art, education, health, science & technology, and volunteerism.

    Ineligible non-profits include, but are not limited to, those whose websites or missions are identified in the "Restrictions" below.

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  7. Restrictions

    * Governmental entities and organizations
    * Commercial / Goods and Services
    o Car, boat and real estate donation websites
    o Websites with a primary focus on selling goods, products or services
    o Consumer credit counseling
    * Communities and Groups
    o Programs requiring membership and/or providing benefit solely to members, such as clubs, sports teams, alumni, networking and other membership organizations
    o Religious content or proselytizing on website as well as organizations that use religion or sexual orientation as factor in hiring or populations served
    o Groups serving a primarily political function such as lobbying, think tanks and special interests
    * Other
    o Promotion of illegal or disruptive tactics
    o Websites serving solely as a portal or directory
    o Websites participating in Google AdSense program

    Google reserves the right to award or deny advertising to any organization. Selections are made at Google's sole discretion, and decisions regarding award recipients are final.

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  8. Program Details

    The Google Grants program helps charitable organizations leverage the power of AdWords to engage and inform your constituents on Google. The policies outlined below are specific to Google Grants and are designed to help your organization use its advertising grant most effectively. Please thoroughly review these guidelines to ensure that your organization's use of the Google Grant adheres to our policies. Violation of our program guidelines and policies, or any misuse of your grant, will cause your organization's grant to be terminated.

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  9. Grantee Requirements & Responsibilities

    Google AdWords is an online, advertiser-managed program, meaning that a contact at your organization must build your Google Grants AdWords account and be responsible for your AdWords advertising account at all times. Your active participation is required, and this includes understanding and following the guidelines outlined on this page, building your Google Grants AdWords account, regularly logging into the AdWords system, and ensuring your Google ads and keywords are relevant, accurate, and timely.

    Grantees are required to be actively engaged in the program and to actively manage their AdWords accounts, meaning your account contact must:

    * build your Google Grants AdWords account
    * be responsive to email requests from our team
    * log in monthly to review campaign performance and make updates as appropriate

    Should you not login to your account for three consecutive months or prove unresponsive to email requests from our team, your account will be subject to automatic pausing or cancellation without notification.

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  10. Grantee AdWords Campaigns

    Your ads must link only to the URL included in your application, as this is the URL approved for your Google Grant. You must submit any significant changes of content on this URL for our review before the updated site is promoted via your AdWords account.

    * Other websites belonging to your organization require our review and approval before they can be promoted through your AdWords account. Please notify us if you wish to promote additional websites through your ads.
    * If your organization's focus, website content, and/or URLs change significantly for any other reason, please notify us about the change.

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  11. Important: If your website currently features Google AdSense and / or other non-Google ads that generate revenue for your organization when visitors click on the ads, please notify us today.

    Your ads must reflect the mission of your organization, and your keywords must be relevant to your programs and services.

    * Strictly commercial advertising is not allowed through this program. If you intend to promote products or services, 100% of the sales and/or proceeds must support your programs.
    * Your Google ads cannot link to pages that are primarily links to other websites.
    * Ads offering financial products (such as mortgages or credit cards) or those requesting car, boat, or real estate donations and related keywords are not allowed.
    * Please review the difference between mission-based ads and ads not based on your mission below. When creating new ads or editing existing ads, please ensure that your ads reflect your organization's mission.

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  12. Grant Duration

    We require organizations to be actively engaged in their Google Grants AdWords account. As long as your organization is actively managing the account, adhering to our program guidelines, and making the most of the award, you shall continue to remain in the Google Grants program. There is no set end date for your grant and no need to re-apply at any time.

    Please note that Google does reserve the right to terminate your organization's participation in the Google Grants program for any reason without notice at any time. If you are removed from the Google Grants program, your organization will be ineligible and should not apply again.

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  13. Grants Budget Constraints

    If you have ever used AdWords as a paying customer, you know that advertisers are charged a certain "cost-per-click" (CPC) whenever a user clicks on their ad, e.g. 30 cents per click. As a result, advertisers set maximums that they want to pay per click and also an overall campaign budget to ensure they are appropriately spending their advertising dollars.

    As a Google Grants recipient, you will be able to participate in our advertising program, receiving up to $10,000 per month in free advertising, without having to pay any amount to Google. However, you should be aware of a few important budget constraints on your advertising campaign:

    * The maximum cost-per-click (CPC) that a Google Grantee is able to choose is $1.00, and some keywords may not be available to you at this amount.
    * Note that your organization will not actually be charged for each click on your ads. This cost-per-click (CPC) is simply the bid for your keyword in the AdWords auction.
    * Your monthly "ad spend" will be capped at $10,000. If selected for the program, you can view the ad spend of your grant by reviewing the "Cost" column on the Campaign Summary page of your account.
    * Again note that you will not be charged for clicks on your ads, up to $10,000 per month. The "ad spend" is simply how much your organization would have paid if you were not receiving the Google Grant; it is essentially the value of the grant.
    * Keep in mind that some organizations may have solid AdWords campaigns, but not accrue close to $10,000 per month in their account. The ad spend for each organization will vary based on your organization's reach / audience (local versus international), area of focus (rare diseases versus breast cancer), and other factors. We recommend not using ad spend as a metric to evaluate your success, but instead looking at your account's relevance for users by focusing on your clickthrough rate (CTR).
    * If your account consistently reaches the $10,000 per month cap, you may be eligible to apply for a $40,000 per month cap. Learn more about the eligibility requirements and access the application.

    Again, note that violation of any of our policies will lead to your grant's termination. This includes but is not limited to commercial ads, irrelevant keywords, or bids above $1.00 in your AdWords account. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

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  14. Google Grants
    How to Apply

    If your organization meets the Google for Nonprofits eligibility requirements, we encourage you to apply to the US program. Due to the high volume of applicants to our program, we are unable to provide feedback regarding eligibility of individual organizations beyond the information published above. To apply, simply follow the steps outlined below:

    1. Review our website and the information above to see if Google for Nonprofits is appropriate for your organization.
    2. Complete the application form. You will know that your application was received when you see our "Thank you" page and receive an automated verification email.
    Your application is more likely to be successful if you have a basic understanding of Google Grants and Google AdWords. In your application, you'll be asked to provide sample keywords, ad copy, and a brief statement about how your organization will benefit from participating in the Google Grants program. Use this section of the application to think about what your organization would like to promote via Google Grants, whether this be events, volunteer recruitment, donations, etc.
    3. Your application is more likely to be successful if you have a basic understanding of the program.
    4. Once your application has been submitted, the Google for Nonprofits committee (consisting of Google employees) is responsible for selecting award recipients. We will confirm you are eligible and review your application and website carefully.
    5. After we review your application, you will be notified via email with the outcome of this review and, if selected, you will be able to gain access to Google Grants. You will also receive instructions for creating your Google Grants AdWords account. Because of the high volume of interest in our program, we are unable to respond to requests on the status of individual applications before the review is completed.

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