In a past post I proposed 6 Reasons Why Charities Should Get a Google Grant. Although we’re firm believers of the Google Grants program at ConnectAd, we have encountered situations where a Google Grant is not the right fit for a charity. Here are three reasons why Google Grants might not be right for your charity:
1. No time to commit to supporting the Google Grant
Applying for a Google Grant is a quick and easy process so there’s not much downside to doing so. However, unless you’re committed to putting in a sustained effort in supporting the Grant, it’s better not to apply at all. To give you an idea of the time requirement, Google recommends spending about 5-10 hours to set up your initial campaign, which includes the time to learn new concepts before applying them. On an ongoing basis, you will also have to monitor and tweak your Google Grant campaign every month in order to see meaningful results. For a complete breakdown of the time requirement, read our article on Budgeting Time for Google Grants.
By the way, if you’re set on getting the Grant but don’t have the time to support it, you should look into how we can help.
2. No specific goals for using your Google Grant
Google Grants is an incredible way to drive traffic to a charity’s website. However, in order for the Grant to have real positive impact on a charity, it’s critically important to ensure there’s a specific purpose behind this traffic. Otherwise, you’ll spend time and see more traffic, but not necessarily tangible benefit.
Here’s an example of a good specific goal. A women’s shelter approached us to advertise their 24/7 crisis hotline through the Internet, which they found was a safe channel for women in need to look for help. That specific goal dictated all the work we did with the Grant, and now nearly 75% of all their crisis calls from the Grant. Had we used the Google Grant with the general idea of increasing traffic, we could have done so but it wouldn’t have been nearly as meaningful.
Here are some goals your charity can set for your Google Grant.
3. Your website is not well-organized or lacks content
Generally speaking, strong website content and organization are necessary for charities anyways but it makes a big difference with Google Grants. You don’t necessarily need an expensively designed site, but even something simple with clear navigation and content makes it much easier for the Grant to succeed. Without that component, I would suggest focusing on your website and/or content first before thinking about a Google Grant. For more specifics on a good website, check out these 10 Essentials Your Charity Website Must Have To Succeed
