If you are a nonprofit with a Google Ad Grant account, then you may know that having a high Ad Rank is essential for driving more traffic and increasing engagement. Since Google Ad Grant accounts must follow strict policies—including a $2 manual CPC bid limit and a 5% click-through rate (CTR) requirement—improving Ad Rank is crucial for better ad placement.
Here’s how you can increase your Ad Rank and help maximize your Google Ad Grant.
1. Optimize Your Quality Score
Google assigns a Quality Score between 1-10 based on expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience. A higher Quality Score improves Ad Rank. You can increase your Quality Score by doing the following:
- Write relevant ads: Your ad copy should closely match the keywords you are bidding on. Google Ads helps remind you of this when you are editing your ad.
- Use high-quality keywords: Focus on high-intent search terms that align with your nonprofit’s mission. For Google Ad Grant accounts, you are not allowed to use keywords with a quality score less than 2/10.
- Test multiple ad variations: A/B test headlines, descriptions, CTAs, and landing pages to find what resonates best with your target audience.
2. Improve Ad Copy for Better CTR
Since CTR also factors into your Ad Rank, you need to make ads that encourage clicks.
- Use power words & emotion: Phrases like “Save a Life Today” or “Urgent Support Needed” help drive engagement and clicks. Test as many variants as you can think of.
- Add a strong CTA: Use clear and direct calls to action, like “Donate Now” or “Join the Fight Against Hunger.” If users don’t know what you’re asking them to do, they are less likely to click and convert.
3. Utilize All Available Ad Extensions
Google rewards advertisers who use Ad Extensions, which improve CTR and Ad Rank. Try these and see how they affect your metrics:
- Sitelinks: Direct users to different pages besides your landing page (e.g., “Volunteer,” “Donate,” “Our Impact”).
- Callout Extensions: Highlight unique aspects of your nonprofit (e.g., “100% Tax-Deductible Donations”).
- Structured Snippets: Show program categories or services offered. This extension has a limited number of categories and your nonprofit might not fall into any of them (e.g., “Brands,” “Featured hotels,” “Neighborhoods”). Think outside of the box.
4. Use Maximize Conversions Bidding
Google Ad Grants accounts have a $2 manual CPC cap, but you can bypass this by using Maximize Conversions bidding. Click here for some extra steps to help unlock even more spend with the Maximize Conversions strategy on Google Ad Grants accounts.
- Turn on Google’s automated bidding to adjust bids based on performance.
- Ensure conversion tracking is enabled so Google optimizes for meaningful actions (donations, sign-ups, etc.). You may have more success with conversions geared towards general awareness instead of quantifiable actions.
5. Improve Landing Page Experience
A poor landing page negatively affects both the Quality Score and Ad Rank. To optimize your landing page, do the following:
- Make pages mobile-friendly: Since most searches happen on mobile, ensure fast load times. https://pagespeed.web.dev/ is a great resource for testing mobile & desktop load times.
- Match landing page to ad intent: For example, if your ad says “Support Animal Rescue,” the page should focus on how to help animals, not general nonprofit info.
- Reduce clutter & improve load speed: Google favors pages that load within 3 seconds.
Increasing Ad Rank on a Google Ad Grant account requires a mix of high-quality ads, optimized landing pages, strategic bidding, and strong engagement signals. By improving Quality Score, CTR, and landing page relevance, you can outrank competitors—even with the spending limits of the Ad Grants program. If you are having issues with your Google Ad Grant account and want an extra set of eyes on it, send me an email!