Agencies for Nonprofits in Birmingham

A monthly limit of $10,000 in search advertising, which Google’s help pages put at $329 a day. It is a limit and not a guaranteed spend: what an account uses depends on its bids, its keywords, its ad quality and how many people search. Ask an agency how much of the limit accounts like yours go on to use.

Five per cent each month, measured across the account and not keyword by keyword. Google’s account management policy says an account that misses it for two consecutive months is temporarily deactivated, and can ask for reinstatement once its low-performing keywords are paused. The rule does not cover accounts that run only Smart campaigns.

Single-word keywords, overly generic ones and any keyword with a quality score of 1 or 2. Google’s compliance guide lists exceptions for single words, among them an organisation’s own brand name and approved medical conditions. It gives free videos and today’s news as examples of generic terms that say nothing about what the searcher wants.

Yes, if the account was created on or after 1 January 2018 or uses a conversion-based bidding strategy. Google requires valid tracking that records at least one conversion a month. It names donations, ticket sales, volunteer sign-ups and email sign-ups among the goals that count. Time spent on the site and homepage visits may be recorded, but are kept out of the conversions figure.

Accounts created on or after 22 April 2019 must use conversion-based Smart Bidding on every campaign, unless they run Smart campaigns. The four strategies Google names are Maximize conversions, Maximize conversion value, Target CPA and Target ROAS. Campaigns that do not comply can have their bid strategy changed automatically, so ask an agency which strategy it would start with and why.

Google’s own checklist starts with the fee structure and how often the agency will be in touch. It goes on to the time your organisation must commit and whether the agency knows your donation platform. It ends with what reporting you will receive and whether the agency can show results from organisations like yours. Many agencies begin with a free audit of the account, the same page says.