Google Ad Grant

Online Marketing Case Study

A Smarter Use of the Google Ad Grant for Public Policy Impact

www.bgr.org

MISSION

BGR is a nonprofit organization that delivers in-depth research on issues impacting the New Orleans metropolitan area. Their mission: empower citizens and policymakers with reliable data, insights, and analysis to drive better government.
They partnered with Elevation to revamp their approach to Google Ad Grant management. The results were transformational.

Impact

Results that speak for themselves

694.6%

Year-over-year growth in total conversions

17.0%

Click-through rate (CTR) — well above industry benchmarks

+65%

Increase in performance

Challenge

BGR had a wealth of high-quality research reports and a trusted reputation—but needed to expand their digital reach. Their goals were crystal clear:

  • Drive qualified traffic to their website.
  • Boost engagement with timely, policy-focused content.
  • Increase downloads of their in-depth public reports.

They needed more than just clicks—they needed the right audience: local decision-makers, civic-minded citizens, and researchers who would explore, share, and act on the insights in their reports.

The Google Ad Grant provides BGR with more than $10,000/mo to ensure that their stories are seen.

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Our Approach

We developed a strategic Google Ad Grant plan focused on high-intent, policy-driven search terms that aligned with BGR’s most important content themes: infrastructure, government accountability, budgeting, and elections.

Key strategies included

  • Structuring campaigns by issue area to increase relevance and Quality Score.
  • Rotating ad copy and keywords based on current policy priorities and election cycles.
  • Creating custom conversion tracking to capture report downloads and deep site engagement.

Ongoing monthly performance reviews to refine and scale what was working best.

Our goal was to make every click count—and connect BGR’s valuable research with the people who need it most.

All our team members are Google Ads certified.
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Outcome

After implementing the new strategy in July 2024, the second half of the year delivered extraordinary results:

  • +65% increase in performance 
  • 17.0% click-through rate (CTR) — well above industry benchmarks
  • 18.53% conversion rate on tracked actions like report downloads
  • 694.6% year-over-year growth in total conversions

With an optimized structure and audience-focused keywords, BGR’s Google Ad Grant became a high-performing engine for visibility and impact.

Steven Stuart – BGR

Senior Vice President and Research Director

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Management fees starting at $449