I’m thrilled to share that Google Ad Grants has introduced a new feature allowing nonprofits to focus on increasing actual foot traffic to their locations. By setting ‘shop visits’ as a goal, we can drive more visitors through our doors and witness our campaigns translate into real-world impact.
Driving the news. Before this update, attempting to set shop visits as a goal in Ad Grants would result in an error. It’s exciting to see this barrier removed, enabling eligible accounts to now include store visit conversions in their primary goal settings.
The update empowers us, as nonprofits and local organizations, to better use bidding and optimization strategies that align with increased in-person visits — a valuable enhancement for appearing in Maps and location-based searches.
Why we care. For organizations like museums, community centers, and places of worship, having a tool that marries digital engagement with physical impact is invaluable. Optimizing for shop visits ensures our ad success is directly linked to actual visitor numbers.
Between the lines. Google’s emphasis on local search intent and Maps-based discovery makes this feature even more critical for nonprofits. It shifts our focus from simply generating clicks to driving actionable visits, which can significantly enhance local community engagement.
What to do. If you’re using Ad Grants, I recommend reviewing your account-level goals to ensure shop visits are activated where applicable. This focus on foot traffic can significantly uplift local impact, especially for organizations heavily reliant on face-to-face interactions.
Spotted by: This advancement was highlighted by Google Ads Expert Jason King, who shared it on LinkedIn.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
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