Ad Grants accounts using Google Ads must maintain a 5% clickthrough rate (CTR) each month to remain eligible for the program. CTR is a good indication that users find your ads helpful and relevant.
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
.
- Click the Campaigns drop-down menu. Click Campaigns, Ad groups, or Ads.
- Alternatively, you can click the Audiences, keywords, and content drop-down menu. Next, click Search keywords.
- Click the Columns icon
above the statistics table.
- Select Modify columns from the drop-down.
- Choose which columns you'd like in your table, including Clickthrough rate (CTR). You can check or uncheck any of the columns in a single category.
- (Optional) To save the column set for future use, click the "Save your column set (optional)” field and enter a name for your column set. Your saved columns will now appear in the "Modify columns" drop-down.
- Click Apply. If you've added columns, you'll see them appear in your statistics table.
above the statistics table.Tips to Improve CTR
We've complied tips to help you raise the average CTR in your account.
Pause high-impression, low CTR keywords
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Audiences, keywords, and content drop-down menu. Next, click Search keywords.
- Select date range “Last week” on the top right (or the last week the account was active).
- Click the “Impr” column name to sort the table, ordered by the keywords with highest impressions.
- Begin pausing keywords 4% CTR or less until the “Total: filtered keywords” row is 4% CTR or greater.
This “Total: filtered keywords” CTR is the metric that will be reviewed if your account is deactivated for not meeting 5% CTR and must be >=5% when you request reactivation to be approved.
Pause generic keywords
Ensure that there are no single word keywords or overly generic terms that don’t include a sense of the user’s intent when they’re searching. Either pause them or edit them to add additional text to these queries for more context.
Add negative keywords from the search terms report
- In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon
- Click the Audiences, keywords, and content drop-down menu. Next, click Search keywords.
- Click Search terms at the top.
- To see search terms for only a select group of keywords, click Search keywords, and check the boxes next to the keywords you’d like to see search terms for. Then click Search terms in the menu that appears above the table.
- Check the boxes next to the search terms that you'd like to add as negative keywords, then click Add as negative keyword. By default, negative keywords that are added to a Search campaign from the search terms report are added as exact match. To change the match type, use the appropriate symbols.
- From here, you can add negative keywords to an ad group or campaign, an existing negative keyword list, or a new negative keyword list.
Note
Make sure that your negative keywords don't overlap with your chosen keywords, because this will cause your ad not to show.
Ensure geo-targeting is set for each active campaign
If you don’t set a location, you may serve ads worldwide, which will cause your CTR and quality score to suffer in areas you don’t serve.
If you are advertising something particular to local area, city or country, separate this out into its own campaign, set the targeting to that area, and have the ads and landing page reference this same location.
- Advertising with the aim of growing volunteers for an animal shelter in a city borough:
- Campaign: “Volunteering - Queens, NY”
- Location target: “Queens, New York, USA
- Ad Group: “Volunteering with Dogs”
- Keywords:
- volunteering with dogs in Queens
- helping dogs in Queens
- Working with dogs near me
Group your keywords into tightly themed ad groups
Write attractive ads that invite your audience to take action
Bid on your brand terms
Enable all assets that make sense for your nonprofit
Advertisers spend lots of time optimizing their ad text (which is great), but implementing extensions is often an immediate and highly impactful way to improve CTR. An ad extension adds value to potential customers by being present and providing additional relevant information.
Every type of ad extension that we offer is intended to benefit our users, which translates to a higher CTR for you. On average we have found that there is a 10-15% CTR uplift* from implementing a new asset.
*This will vary by client, business type and extension type, among other factors, and Google cannot guarantee this or any uplift.Identify which assets work for your nonprofit and implement them. The best combination of these extensions is automatically determined on an auction-by-auction basis. That extra prominence can also be a great thing for you and your brand, and that extra space can go a long way toward standing out on the results page.
Consider these assets based on your goal:
Select your assets based on your primary advertising goal. Here are common advertiser goals and the assets that can support them. Learn more about account level automated assets.
Goal: Get people to visit your nonprofit's physical location
If you want to direct people to your physical locations (like a soup kitchen or charity shop), here are assets you may consider:
Location assets
Encourage people to visit your nonprofit by showing your location, a call button, and a link to your nonprofit's details page—which can include your hours, photos of your nonprofit's services, and directions to get there. If you want people to visit your nonprofit's location but to call a centralized line (rather than specific locations’ numbers), use call extensions with your location extensions.
To learn more, go to About location assets.
Callout assets
Add additional text to your ad that doesn't offer a click through option but can encourage people to click on your main ad headline, like “Thousands of free online courses available.”
To learn more, go to About callout assets.
Goal: Get people to contact you
If you want people to call you or send you a text message query, use call assets:
Call assets
Encourage people to call your nonprofit by adding a phone number or call button to your ads.
To learn more, go to About call assets.
Goal: Get people to convert on your website
If you want to direct people to your website, use these assets:
Sitelink assets
Link people directly to specific pages of your website (like “Donate now” and “Signup to volunteer”).
To learn more, go to About sitelink assets.
Callout assets
Add additional text to your ad that doesn't offer a click through option but can encourage people to click on your main ad headline, like “Free online courses available.”
To learn more, go to About callout assets.
Goal: Get people to download your app
If you want to get people to download your app, use app assets:
App assets
Encourage people to download your app. Available globally for Android and iOS mobile devices, including tablets. Learn About app assets.
How to request reactivation if deactivated for not meeting 5% CTR
Failing to meet 5% CTR for two consecutive months will result in account deactivation until you adjust your account following the steps above. When you check your CTR, filter for enabled campaigns and keywords, and see that the Total: filtered keywords row is at least 5% CTR or greater for the last week, contact us to request reinstatement.
How to request reactivation if you cannot meet 5% CTR
Smart campaigns are exempt from the 5% CTR requirement due to their automated management. You may continue benefiting from Ad Grants through Smart Campaigns if you cannot make the modifications necessary to reach 5% CTR in Google Ads.