Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

You'll likely come across a lot of new terms and acronyms while managing your Google Grants AdWords account, and while you can always access the full AdWords glossary of terms, we wanted to explain a few of the most common right away, and give some insight into how they affect your account.Read More

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

You'll likely come across a lot of new terms and acronyms while managing your Google Grants AdWords account, and while you can always access the full AdWords glossary of terms, we wanted to explain a few of the most common right away, and give some insight into how they affect your account.

Daily Budget
This is the maximum amount your account can spend in a single day. All Google Grants accounts are set at $329/day ($10,000/month), unless your organization has applied for and been awarded an increased budget. If your account is continually reaching your daily budget, you may be eligible for an increased budget. You can read more about the requirements and application process and apply for an increased budget by submitting an application online.

CPC
Cost-Per-Click. This is the most your account will be charged any time someone clicks on your ad. For all Google Grants accounts, the CPC is set to a maximum of $1. You can set your CPC at any amount up to $1 per keyword. Remember that even though your account will be accruing clicks, you will not be charged any amount as a participant in the Google Grants program unless you apply for and receive a higher daily budget as a participant in our Additional Services program.

CTR
Click-through Rate. This percentage is the number of clicks your ad has received divided by the number of times your ad has shown. You can see the CTR for each keyword and ad creative, as well as average CTRs for your campaigns, ad groups and account. Keeping an eye on these CTRs is a good way to track the performance of your keywords and ads. A low CTR (below 1%) for a keyword can indicate that a term is too broad for your target audience and could be improved by making it more specific or by adding matching options. A low CTR for an ad creative can indicate a less relevant message and can be improved with a stronger call to action or with a more concise message.

As you manage your online advertising accounts and come across new terms and acronyms don't forget to tap into the expertise of fellow Google Grants advertisers in the Google Grants Help Group. You can also view our newest online trainings to get you off on the right foot and help you make the most of your Google Grant. For a quick introduction to your Google Grants account click here to view the training. If you're ready to move on and learn more about navigating your Google Grants AdWords account, click here for a detailed walk through of a Google Grants account.

Posted by AnnMarie, Google Grants Team

We're looking forward to sharing ideas and information here, and we hope non-profit organizations and Google Grants participants will get involved. If you ever find yourself wondering about an aspect of your AdWords account, wanting to discuss a recent post on the blog, or interested in seeing what other organizations are talking about with regard to the program, we encourage you to check out the ...Read More

Posted by AnnMarie, Google Grants Team

We're looking forward to sharing ideas and information here, and we hope non-profit organizations and Google Grants participants will get involved. If you ever find yourself wondering about an aspect of your AdWords account, wanting to discuss a recent post on the blog, or interested in seeing what other organizations are talking about with regard to the program, we encourage you to check out the Google Grants Help Group.

Here, you can start conversations with like-minded folks and put the power of many minds to work for you. No question is too small. In fact, it's likely that many other people are wondering the same thing. We, of course, hope to address lots of your questions on our blog, but if you want to get feedback from your peers in the non-profit world, this help group is a great resource.

If you've never visited a Google Group, you can check out this Quick Start Guide. You'll learn how to search groups, post questions and comments and subscribe to groups so you can stay in touch with topics most important to you. You can also take the Google Groups Tour and see all the cool features of the product in addition to discussing questions.

Got a question now? Ask away...

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

If you were just awarded a Google Grant, welcome to the program! We look forward to helping your organization make the most of AdWords.

Your first step: sign in Read More

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

If you were just awarded a Google Grant, welcome to the program! We look forward to helping your organization make the most of AdWords.

Your first step: sign in to your AdWords account using the email address and temporary password you received in your welcome email. You may want to bookmark the sign in page for future reference.

Then, select My Account > Account Preferences > Edit in Google Accounts and update your password to one you will remember.

With that housekeeping taken care of, you can revisit your account set-up and make changes or updates to your campaign at any time. Here are a few items we'd recommend you review right off the bat:

• Keyword list
• Make sure your organization name is included, as well as any relevant cause-related terms (e.g., breast cancer, childhood leukemia).
  
• Ad text
• Check to see how well the ads represent your mission and whether the destination URLs link to specific pages on your site.
  
• Ad Groups
• It's always a good idea to have your Ad Groups match the organization of your website (For example, if you accept donations, consider a 'Donations' Ad Group.)

Remember, all Grants accounts are capped automatically at $10K/month, and all keywords are capped at a $1 maximum CPC. If you have any questions about the guidelines, please visit the policy page.

Once your account is set up to your satisfaction, start thinking of ways to make it even more useful in promoting your organization's mission. Check back here regularly (or add the feed to your reader) for ideas and information about making the most of your Google Grant.

If you would like to learn more about the program, check out our quick program overview.

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

When we launched the Google Grants program, we set out to harness the power of Google search to support organizations that share our philosophy of community service. Through the in-kind advertising awarded to grant recipients, organizations have been able to reach a wider audience for free with their messages. Since our debut early in 2003, the number of grant recipients has grown steadily, and we're excited to help even more of your good causes make a bigger impact on the world.Read More

Posted by Jessica, Google Grants Team

When we launched the Google Grants program, we set out to harness the power of Google search to support organizations that share our philosophy of community service. Through the in-kind advertising awarded to grant recipients, organizations have been able to reach a wider audience for free with their messages. Since our debut early in 2003, the number of grant recipients has grown steadily, and we're excited to help even more of your good causes make a bigger impact on the world.

With more and more people looking for information and joining the program all the time, we want to make sure that we can answer your questions quickly and give you what you need to make your group more successful. So we're starting this blog as a place to read about the latest Google Grants news and information — whether you're a 501(c)(3) organization looking to join, or a current recipient who wants to learn how to make your campaigns more effective.

We chose a blog because it's an easy way to quickly publish and read news and information. You may want to add this blog to your Google Reader or iGoogle page for easy reference.

Here are a few of the kinds of things you can expect to read about here:

* guidance on managing your Google Grant
* details about Google products specifically for nonprofits
* tips for using AdWords
* program updates and alerts
* stories about grant recipients and their successes
* links to useful articles and resources

We hope that you'll be spurred on by what you read here so that you'll strike up conversations with other recipients in our Google Grants Group. This is the place to ask other folks about their experiences, discuss posts, and get new ideas about making the most of your Google Grant.

We'll be posting regularly, so please plan to drop by often, and if you have ideas about making the blog more useful, write to us.