The
Challenge
Free Church Websites (FCW), a nonprofit focused on providing website-building tools and free hosting for Christian churches and ministries, embarked on a mission in October 2023 to elevate its digital reach through a more optimized Google Ad Grants campaign. By refining its strategy over the year, the nonprofit achieved significant results, a testament to Newbird’s strategic efforts:



Newbird employed a multi-pronged approach designed to enhance visibility, relevance, and engagement.
To fully utilize the Google Ad Grant’s $10,000 monthly budget, Newbird employed a multi-pronged approach designed to enhance visibility, relevance, and engagement. Targeted keywords included “church website templates,” “Christian websites,” “church websites,” and “church web design.” These keywords were chosen to attract both established and new churches searching for digital resources, ensuring ads reached those most likely to convert. Core components of the strategy included:
Tailored
Campaigns
Newbird created custom campaigns for each stage of the user funnel to guide potential customers from awareness to conversion. By closely monitoring ad performance across the funnel, Newbird prioritized budget allocation to top-performing areas, maximizing reach and engagement without unnecessary spend.
Keyword
Research
Using Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush, Newbird identified high-intent, long-tail keywords like “church web design” and “church website templates.” These keywords helped Free Church Websites connect with an audience actively seeking church-focused website solutions, ensuring ads captured clicks from users with a high likelihood of conversion.
Precision with
Negative Keywords
Regular updates to negative keyword lists prevented ads from appearing in irrelevant searches, ensuring spend efficiency. This proactive approach minimized wasted clicks, saving budget for more relevant audiences and improving overall engagement.
Newbird implemented a data-driven strategy for Free Church Websites, crafting tailored campaigns across user funnel stages, optimizing high-intent keywords, and refining ad copy to maximize engagement while efficiently managing the Google Ad Grant budget.
Ad Copy
Creation
With clear and action-oriented ad copy, Newbird drew engagement from church leaders and volunteers. Phrases like “Free Christian Website Templates” and “Build Your Church Website Today” resonated with the audience. Through A/B testing, ad copy was refined to highlight Free Church Websites’ unique offerings while addressing audience needs.
Market
Research
By studying competitor ads and understanding audience behaviors, Newbird designed ads that resonated deeply with church communities, addressing pain points and demonstrating the value of Free Church Websites’ free, user-friendly tools.
Optimizations
Continuous performance monitoring and strategic adjustments allowed Free Church Websites to adapt campaigns based on real-time data. This iterative process helped maximize the Google Ad Grant’s monthly budget and sustain engagement growth throughout the year.
The strategic approach led to an extraordinary increase in Free Church Websites’ engagement metrics.
Sessions surged by 625%, marking a significant rise in visibility and interest from Christian organizations. The 582% increase in registrations showed how effectively Newbird’s strategy captured high-quality leads, demonstrating that audiences were not just visiting but actively signing up.
Nearly 90% of Free Church Websites’ traffic during this period was attributed to the optimized Google Ad Grants campaign, underscoring its impact. Targeted keywords like “Christian websites” and “church websites” were instrumental in drawing users who were both interested in and ready to engage with the services.
The
Benefits
Through precise targeting and a well-structured strategy, Newbird’s efforts dramatically amplified Free Church Websites’ digital presence. The partnership exemplifies how managed Google Ad Grants can generate meaningful impact for nonprofits, transforming web traffic into active community engagement. Newbird will continue refining and evolving the strategy, aiming to sustain and build on this growth trajectory next year.