Brightside St. Louis partnered with Cornershop Creative to strengthen their Google Ad Grant program and expand awareness of volunteer opportunities, environmental initiatives, and community programs across the St. Louis region. As a mission-driven nonprofit focused on neighborhood beautification and sustainability, Brightside needed a paid search strategy that could drive meaningful engagement while maximizing the long-term value of their Google Ad Grant.
We began the engagement with a comprehensive audit of Brightside’s existing Google Ad Grant account. This included reviewing campaign structure, keyword targeting, ad relevance, and conversion tracking. Based on our findings, we refined and rebuilt campaigns to better align with Brightside’s priority programs and the real search behavior of people looking to volunteer or get involved locally. Our approach prioritized compliance, clarity, and scalability—setting the foundation for steady, sustainable growth.
Early optimization efforts focused on improving relevance and engagement. We tightened keyword themes, rewrote ad copy to more closely match user intent, and aligned ads with the most appropriate landing pages. At the same time, we implemented and validated conversion tracking for high-value actions such as volunteer sign-ups, partnership inquiries, and contact form submissions. This ensured performance could be measured based on real organizational impact, not just clicks.
The results showed strong momentum in a short time frame. During the reporting period, Brightside’s Google Ad Grant campaigns generated more than 2,000 impressions and 190 clicks, representing a significant increase in visibility and traffic. Click-through rates consistently exceeded 9%, outperforming typical Google Ad Grant benchmarks. Most importantly, conversions increased by 400%, demonstrating that paid search traffic was driving meaningful engagement with Brightside’s programs.
Beyond quantitative gains, the partnership delivered important qualitative outcomes. Brightside gained clearer insight into which services and initiatives resonated most with their audience, as well as how supporters were finding opportunities through search. With consistent reporting and ongoing optimization, the team now has confidence that their Google Ad Grant is actively managed, strategically focused, and aligned with organizational goals.
What sets this project apart is Cornershop’s emphasis on long-term ROI and stewardship of nonprofit advertising dollars. Rather than treating the Google Ad Grant as a static channel, we built a flexible paid search foundation that can evolve alongside Brightside’s programs. This ongoing approach positions Brightside to continue expanding reach, increasing volunteer engagement, and maximizing the full value of their Google Ad Grant over time.
