NIA provides liability and property insurance to more than 20,000 nonprofit organizations across 32 states and Washington, D.C. These nonprofits include animal rescues, children's programs, food banks, senior services, art groups, and many others. Each one plays a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of their communities, and NIA helps protect the work they do.
At first glance, NIA’s Google Ad Grant account looked solid. It was generating significant traffic, spending 98% of the available budget, and maintaining a strong click-through rate. Everything seemed to be working—on paper.
But when we looked closer, it was clear something wasn’t adding up.
The trouble started when new Ad Groups were being added frequently, but without a clear plan or direction. This led to diluted performance and missed opportunities. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon in most Google Ad Grant accounts.
Pro tip: Track your changes and be willing to pivot. As Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Below is a snapshot of their best-performing month: November 2020.
One of the biggest hidden advantages of a mature Google Ad Grant account with a high spend? The data. It’s a goldmine—and unfortunately, one that many overlook.
We believe every Google Grant account should go through three essential stages:
This framework is what we call The Tapering Technique—and it’s exactly what we applied to NIA’s account.
By diving deep into the data, we trimmed the fat:
We reduced their Ad Groups from 245 to just 24, and narrowed their keywords from 6,762 to 179. That’s a 90–97% reduction in volume—while improving performance. In other words, we didn’t just tidy up the account. We made it lean, focused, and incredibly effective.
So, how did it all work out?
Within just three months, NIA hit their best-performing month—in March. Then again in April. And once more in May. See the pattern? Their account is now running at peak efficiency, thanks to the power of The Tapering Technique.
