Why Your Church Website Might Be Hurting Your Google Ad Grant (And How to Fix It)

Andrew Spikes • March 13, 2025

If you’ve been granted $10,000 in free advertising from Google but aren’t seeing the results you hoped for, you're not alone. Many churches find themselves frustrated by low ad spend, minimal clicks, and little to no traction from their Google Ad Grant. The truth is—your ads may not be the problem.

Your website might be.

Let’s break down why your church website plays a bigger role in your Google Ad Grant success than you think, and how to start optimizing it today.

The Hidden Truth About the Google Ad Grant

Here's the thing most churches discover the hard way: getting the grant is just step one. Making it work is an entirely different challenge.

Churches often try to fix low performance by tweaking ad copy or targeting. But what if the real issue isn’t your ads at all—it's your landing pages?

Google doesn’t just want catchy ads—it wants relevant, high-quality content on the pages your ads point to. If there’s no meaningful content there, your ad performance will suffer.

Your Website Matters More Than You Think

Think of your ads as invitations. If your landing page doesn’t back up the invitation with clear, relevant content, Google won’t serve your ads. Plain and simple.

In fact, many churches have beautifully designed websites filled with photos, videos, and branded graphics—but very few actual words. That’s a problem. Google doesn’t watch videos or analyze images the way people do. It scans text to understand what your site is about.

If your site says “Welcome Home” but offers little substance beyond that, Google may have no idea what your church does—so it won’t rank your site or show your ads.

What Makes a High-Performing Landing Page?

Here are a few must-haves for a grant-friendly landing page:

✅ Mission-Focused Messaging – Make your mission crystal clear. Don’t make visitors guess what your church is about.
✅ Relevant Headers (H1 Tags) – Use keywords people are actually searching for. Skip the vague slogans.
✅ Strong Call-to-Actions – “Plan a Visit,” “Join a Small Group,” “Watch a Sermon”—make it easy for people to take action.
✅ Content That Matches Your Ad – If your ad promotes an Easter Egg Hunt, your landing page should be all about the Easter Egg Hunt.

Content is King (But Not Just Any Content)

Church websites often fall into two traps:

Too little content — only a few vague lines of text.
Fluffy, churchy language — lots of warm phrases, but little substance.

Neither will help you. Google wants to see relevant, informative text—ideally 300+ words per page.

Also, words on graphics don’t count. Google’s bots can’t read images.

And while your slogan may be “You Belong Here,” a better headline for your homepage might be:
“Bible-based Church in [City Name] | Join Us This Sunday at 10 AM.”

It may not sound as poetic, but it speaks to real people and real searches.

User Experience: Navigation, Mobile, and Page Speed

Let’s talk usability. Google doesn’t just care what’s on your website—it cares how well your website works:

🚫 Slow sites hurt your performance
📱 Non-mobile-friendly sites drop your rankings
😵‍💫 Complicated navigation confuses users and drives them away

Your website should work just as well on a smartphone as it does on a desktop. It should load quickly, be glitch-free, and offer intuitive navigation.

Oh, and about those third-party sites like Planning Center? Google doesn’t like ads linking to those. Ads should point directly to your church’s website, not external tools.

Conversion Optimization: Make Visitors Take Action

You’ve got people to your website—now what?

Your site needs to guide them toward action. That’s called conversion optimization. Here’s how:

Use big, clear buttons (“Plan Your Visit” / “Register for Event”)
Put important info at the top—don’t bury the good stuff.
Tell people what to do—don’t assume they’ll figure it out.
Highlight your pastor—staff pages are often the second-most visited.
Add testimonials and real stories—build trust and connection.

Pro tip: Your video testimonials don’t need to be professionally produced. In fact, authentic cell phone videos often perform better than polished promo clips.

SEO and the Google Grant: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Running a successful Google Ad Grant campaign is more like SEO than traditional advertising. That means keywords matter—a lot.

Do some basic keyword research (Google's free Keyword Planner tool is a great place to start). Make sure your site includes the phrases people are actually searching for—not just your internal lingo or branding slogans.

Example: You might love the phrase “Next Steps Pathway,” but no one’s Googling that. Instead, use plain language like “Join a Small Group” or “Bible Study for Women.”