The document provides guidance on using search engine optimization (SEO) and Google Ad Grants to grow awareness for nonprofits. It discusses how SEO is like a game against thousands of engineers who change the rules, and emphasizes targeting relevant keywords. It outlines five major SEO factors: strategy, content, technical elements, linking, and meta content. Tips are provided on keyword research, creating optimized content and landing pages, fixing technical issues, building links appropriately, and writing effective ads. The document also reviews how to maximize Google Ad Grants, including focusing on awareness keywords, list building, unlocking potential through relevancy and short forms.

1. SEARCHING FOR GOOD
HOW TO USE SEO & GOOGLE GRANTS
TO GROW AWARENESS FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
Eric Facas, Founder & CEO
@ericfacas #npbc13 @mediacause

2. About Me @ericfacas #npbc13

3.  We’ve seen a big drop in traffic, can you fix it?
 We would like to show up at the top of Google for
Keyword X, can you do that for us?
 Our web designer did SEO for us when the site was
built, do we need to do anything else?
 Can you ALSO do some SEO?
http://www.shoemoney.com/2012/07/26/welcome-to-the-negative-seo-wars
What Nonprofits Ask Us About SEO

4.  Versus thousands of
the smartest engineers
in the world
 Who won’t share the
rules AND change
them all the time
 While 10’s of millions
of websites compete
SEO is a Game

5. SEO is a Game
 Versus thousands of
the smartest engineers
in the world
 Who won’t share the
rules AND change
them all the time
 While 10’s of millions
of websites compete

6. 25% of Clicks
75% of
Clicks
25% of Clicks
75% of Clicks
 Over 3 billion
searches on
Google a day
 95% of all clicks
happen on page 1
Why We Play The Game

7. 25% of Clicks
75% of
Clicks
25% of Clicks
75% of
Clicks
 The Moz Beginners Guide to SEO
(moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo)
 Google’s SEO Starter Guide
(static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/sear
ch-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf)
 SEO In Practice – ebook & quizes
(seoinpractice.com)
Great Resources for DIY SEO
Good News: You’re Not Alone

8.  Strategy – What keywords you should target
 Website Content – What your users see
 Meta Content – What search engines see
 Technical – Give Google what they want
 Linking – An online popularity contest
5 Major Factors for SEO

9. Google knows exactly what 3 billion people are
looking for every day.
Keywords are Everything!

10.  What do you want to be
found for?
 Target keywords need to
be 100% relevant to your
websites content
 Analyze
volume, competition, sear
chers profile, and intent
 Nuance matters
Strategy = Picking the Right Keywords

11. nonprofit non-profit
Vs
96,000
searches/month
155,000
searches/month
61% More Volume
Are You a Nonprofit or a Non-profit?

12.  AdWords Keyword Planner
https://adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner
 Google Insights for Search
http://www.google.com/insights/search
 Wordtracker
https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com
Bonus: Free Keyword Research Tools

13.  Create pages about the
keywords you want to rank
for. Look at existing page
1 results – what makes
you more relevant?
 Use but don’t overuse the
keyword in the main
text, page headings, and
URL
 Track your progress –
always be optimizing
Keywords Become Content
Moz.com offers a 75% discount for nonprof

14. Go to Yoast.com to download this free Wordpress plug-in
Bonus Tip: Blogging for SEO

15.  Woorank.com
 Seorch.eu
Free SEO Audits

16.  Woorank.com
 Seorch.eu
Free SEO Audits

17.  Don’t forget Meta Descriptions, Heading Tags (H1-H6), and Alt
Attributes for images
 Title Tags shouldn’t say HOME! Describe the page using your
target keyword in <65 characters
 Meta Descriptions need to be 150-165 characters, describe the
goal of the page using 2-3 target keywords
Meta Content – Common Mistakes

18. 4 relatively easy to fix technical factors
that have a big impact on SEO
Technical Website Tips

19.  Don’t buy links
 Instead, make great content
 Good: Blog, Informational Resources, Infographics
 Better: Video Story Telling, Quizzes, Interactive Apps
Linking 101

20. Linking 101: Video Story Telling

21. slaveryfootprint.org
Linking 101: Quizzes

22. Step 1: Determine the best time to get started
Step 2: Run a free audit of your website for a basic diagnostic
Step 3: Run an audit
on each SEO
agency/consultant/we
b designer
Step 4: Ask about
approach to all
components to SEO
How to Hire for SEO

23. Deep Breath, Half Way There
Deep Breath, We’re Halfway There!
Any Questions?

24. AdWords
 World’s most effective ad
platform
 Relevancy is everything
Google Ad Grants
 $10,000/mo free ad credit on
Google.com
 $2 max cost per click
 Ads shown below paid ads
 Sign up IMMEDIATELY at
Google.com/nonprofits
Paid Search Advertising

25. The average Google Ad Grants
grantee spends approximately
$330 a month
96.3 %

26. Want to know my secrets
about Google Ad Grants?

27. Your #1 Goal is Donations, but…
There are two exceptions: brand terms and disaster relief.

28. Interest
Intent
Purchase
Monthly Google Search Volume
“About The Rainforest” – 5,000,000
“Deforestation” – 457,000
“Save the Rainforest” – 33,000
“Rainforest Charities” - 880
Awareness
People ARE searching for information

29. “Creative” email captureAbout the Rainforest
Deforestation
Save the Rainforest
Charities
Focus on the top of the funnel
Sign an online petition
Get Involved, volunteer, share
Donations, memberships, sales

30. Before (1/1/12 – 7/31/12)
0 newsletter signups
After (8/1/12 – 8/31/13)
14,278 emails collected
List Building with Google Ads

31.  Hundreds of
thousands of emails
collected
 2 custom emails
before general list
inclusion
 Online donations
now on par with offline
List Building with Google Ads

32. The Only Rules
 Stay on mission
 Get creative
 Stuck? Start with
search
volume/trends, work
backwards
What Can You Give Away?

33. 5 Tips for Unlocking Google Ad Grants’ Potential

34. Bad News
 You can’t run on
keywords if you don’t
have the precise
content the user is
looking for
Good News
 You can build content
to make yourself
relevant for anything


Tip #1: Relevancy is Everything

35. Rule of thumb: If you don’t have content on
your site that perfectly matches the keyword,
don’t expect it to work.
Google REALLY cares about relevancy!

36. 58% of
searches use
between 2-4
words
Average Global Search Phrase Length
SOURCE: Experian Hitwise – Oct 2009
Tip #2: Build Your Keyword list w/ the Long Tail

37. Bonus Tip: Use all 4 match type options for broad match, “phrase
match”, & [exact match] on higher volume keywords
Quality score is calculated at the keyword level
Bonus Tip: Use a thesaurus to find new ways to say the same keywords
that are performing the best
Add Keywords Without Hurting Relevancy

38. Structure
Matters
38
Tip #3

39. Ad Groups should have 15-30 similar keywords that
align to a specific page on the website. The more
focused the ad group, the better the ad targeting.
Campaigns
should align with
goals:
donations, volunt
eers, events, em
ail collection
Account Organization: Campaign & Ad Groups

40. Get Noticed
LOOK AT ME!
I have 1.26s to grab your attention
and convince you to CLICK HERE!
www.GetNoticed.com
Tip #4: Ad Text

41. Family Abuse Facts
41
Family Violence
Learn More - Get the latest family
violence facts here.
www.futureswithoutviolence.org
3.32% CTR
Family Abuse
Get the facts on family abuse here &
learn how you can help stop it.
FuturesWithoutViolence.org
5.56% CTR

42. 42
 Headline should be hyper
relevant to the query – include
the exact keyword
 Include an informative and
empowering call to action
 Test 3-4 variations at all times
 Remove the worst performer
every month


3.32% CTR
5.56% CTR
Family Abuse
Get the facts on family abuse here &
learn how you can help stop it.
FuturesWithoutViolence.org
Family Violence
Learn More - Get the latest family
violence facts here.
www.futureswithoutviolence.org
How to Write Effective Creative

43. Digital Asset Optimization
43
Tip # 5: Drop users on the most
relevant page within your site
Landing Pages

44. Conversion Rate = 0%
0 emails collected
Conversion Rate = 12.59%
1,000 + email address / mo
Homepage Vs Targeted Landing Page

45.  Is all this information necessary at this point in the
relationship?
 Most users are reluctant to divulge personal
information
 4 fields is the ideal length
Conversion Rate = 50% Conversion Rate = 74.6%
Keep Forms as Short as Possible

46. 25% of Clicks
75% of
Clicks
25% of Clicks
75% of
Clicks
 Official Google Adwords Certification
(http://gcptransition.appspot.com/)
 Google Ad Grants Help Forum
(http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!forum/grants)
 Google Ad Grants Whitepaper by Media Cause
(http://help.mediacause.org/google-grants)
Great Resources for DIY SEM
Want More? You’re Not Alone

47. Step 1: Is your website optimized for your goals?
Step 2: Make the agencies/consultants you’re talking with
are Adwords Certified
How to Hire for SEM
Step 3: Ask questions
about strategy. Tactics are
cheap, a good strategy is
much more important.
Step 4: Make sure you
understand where SEM &
Google Ad Grants fits in to
your overall marketing plan

48. Eric Facas
eric@mediacause.org
@ericfacas
Thank You! Questions?
Media Cause
Mediacause.org
Facebook.com/Mediacause
Twitter.com/Mediacause
Linkedin.com/company/media-cause

49. Appendix

50. How are the ad positions determined?
 Max CPC (or Max CPM) x Quality Score = Rank Score
 Rank Score is calculated per keyword
 Quality Score is Comprised of the Following:
- CTR
- Quality of landing page
- Relevance of ad text
- Historical keyword performance
- Other relevancy factors
 You only pay the CPC necessary to have a rank score
higher than that of the advertiser below you
 Minimum CPC can be as low as $0.01