Google Pledges $340 Million in Advertising Credits to Help Small Businesses
On March 27th, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that over $800 million will be donated to small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) as well as government organizations to help the response to COVID-19. Included in the $800 million is $340 million in Google Ads credits that will be available to help SMBs continue to run advertisement campaigns during the pandemic. The Google Ads credits may allow businesses to keep up with the increase in online activity due to the Coronavirus.
Why Google Ad Credits are Being Offered
Google Ads credits are being issued to SMBs to reduce the cost of staying in touch with consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses and organizations continue to move online or temporarily close, consumers may be spending more time online. Because of this, some topics are seeing unique trends and opportunities. These changes in activity have also affected YouTube and Facebook campaigns.
How to Receive Google Ads Credit
To qualify for Google Ads credit, a SMB must have been an active advertiser since January 2019. Ad credits will be issued directly to Google Ads accounts and must be used within 2020. Credits may be applied to campaigns across all Google Ads platforms. This includes Google search and display campaigns as well as YouTube advertisements.
Other Google Initiatives for COVID-19
Google has pledged several other measures to aid SMBs and organizations affected by COVID-19. In addition to the $340 million in advertisement credits, Google has announced the following:
- A $200 million investment fund donation to help the World Health Organization (WHO) and other government bodies provide information on how to prevent the spread of Coronavirus
- $20 million in Google Ads grants will be donated to NGOs and financial institutions for public service announcements on relief funds for SMBs
- $20 million in Google Cloud credits to help COVID-19 researchers and academic institutions improve computing capabilities
- Other financial and personnel support to increase medical device production
Google has yet to announce when the credits will be issued and how the $340 million will be split up. In the coming weeks and months, Google will likely release more details on how it plans to help existing advertisers continue to reach their audiences. This may provide SMBs an opportunity to reach new audiences and increase conversions in an unprecedented time.