How to Launch Your First Google Ads Campaign (Using the Grant)

So you’ve been approved for the Google Ad Grant — congratulations! 🎉
That’s up to £7,000/month in free advertising to grow your cause.

Now, let’s make it work for you.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up your first campaign, what to include, and how to stay compliant with Google’s rules.

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal

Before jumping into Ads Manager, you need to decide exactly what you want your campaign to do:

🔹 Increase donations
🔹 Attract volunteers
🔹 Promote an event or campaign
🔹 Drive awareness for a specific service (e.g., helpline, educational resource)

Your ads will be more effective if you send people to relevant pages, not just your homepage.

Step 2: Set Up Your Campaign in Google Ads

Once you're on ads.google.com, switch to Expert Mode (this is required for Ad Grants).

Then follow these steps:

1. Create a New Campaign

   • Choose: Website Traffic

   • Campaign Type: Search (text-based ads shown in Google search results)

2. Choose Your Campaign Settings

   • Location: Only target areas where your charity operates

   • Language: Usually “English” (or others if relevant)

   • Bidding: Choose Maximise conversions or Maximise clicks (we recommend conversions once tracking is set up)

3. Create Ad Groups Around Specific Topics
   Examples:

   • “Donate to [cause]”

   • “Volunteer opportunities in [city]”

   • “Support mental health services UK”

4. Write Your Ads

   • Include your target keywords in the headline

   • Add a strong call to action: Donate Today, Get Involved, Join Us

   • Use final URLs that match the ad’s message — avoid generic pages

Step 3: Add Keywords People Actually Search For

You’ll need to pick keywords with:

Clear intent (e.g. “animal charity donations”, not just “animals”)
Good relevance to your page
A landing page that delivers on the searcher’s expectation

Use tools like Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, or Ahrefs Webmaster Tools to find keyword ideas.

Step 4: Track Your Conversions

You’ll get the most value from your ads if you track what users do after clicking.
This includes:

• Donations made

• Forms submitted

• Newsletter signups

• Volunteer applications

Set up conversion tracking via Google Ads or link it with Google Analytics. This not only improves your results — it’s a requirement to keep your Ad Grant active.

Important: How to Stay Compliant with Google Ad Grants

Google provides generous funding — but you must follow their rules. Here’s a breakdown:

✔️Required Setup

• Enable conversion tracking

• Use Geo-targeting (don’t target globally unless you operate globally)

• Run ads only on Google Search Network (not display or partner networks)

✔️ Account Rules

• Maintain at least a 5% click-through rate (CTR)

• Use at least 2 ad groups per campaign

• Each ad group must have at least 2 active ads

• Include at least 2 sitelink extensions

• Use relevant keywords (no single-word or overly generic keywords allowed, e.g. “charity”, “free”)

❌ Common Mistakes That Get Accounts Paused

• Linking to a low-quality website (e.g. slow load times, broken links, unclear purpose)

• Failing to update campaigns regularly (inactive accounts may be suspended)

• Using overly broad or irrelevant keywords

• Ignoring conversion tracking or poor ad structure

Coming Up in VellumWorks Weekly:

Next week, we’ll show you how to measure success inside Google Ads — and how to optimise your campaign without spending hours each week.

📣 Know a charity that could benefit from free Google Ads?
Forward this email or invite them to subscribe to VellumWorks Weekly — we’re here to help mission-driven teams grow online without spending more.