+ Do people really click on ads?

They do. Ads on Google are related to whatever a person just typed in; and because the ads are relevant, click-through-rates (that's CTR in advertising lingo) are super-high. Our average rate is 12.8%, well above the industry average of 3%.

+ How do I apply for a Google Ad Grant?

You apply online. You first obtain a validation token from TechSoup, with which you can apply to Google for Nonprofits. We manage the application process on your behalf. Google takes 1 to 2 weeks to evaluate your application. If Google turns you down, it will offer instructions on how to fix your application and reapply.

+ How long does the grant last?

It continues indefinitely. The Google Ad Grants program dates back to 2004 and is stable. As long as you follow program guidelines, and maintain advertising activity, you will continue to receive the grant.

+ What happens if we go over our budget?

You can't actually do it. Google caps your daily spend at $329 per day (yes, in advertising spend is a noun). If you hit that cap all your ads will pause until the next day; there are no overages.

+ How much visibility does $10k/month in credit get me?

Across all our clients, we see an average cost-per-click of $2, which means you can get up to 5000 clicks per month if you spend the full grant allocation. Your overall web traffic will increase accordingly; for a large system, your traffic will increase by 5-20%; for a small library, your overall website traffic can double.

+ Can you really promote my OPAC?

Yes. You give us a complete set of MARC records and we'll put the whole thing online. Promoting catalogs is the foundation of our service, it exposes catalog resources that would otherwise be invisible to Google.

+ Where does someone “go” when they click on one of these ads?

Clicking on an ad takes a user to a page on your website.

+ When can I expect results?

Once Google approves your Ad Grant, we'll get you started with some standard campaigns, and you will see activity the next day.

+ How can I tell what results come from search ads versus other sources?

We show you a Google Analytics display on our dashboard, so you can see what proportion of your traffic comes from ads, organic search, or social media.

+ How is this priced?

We get the Ad Grant and do a basic setup for free. For a full management subscription, we price by service population.

+ What does my staff have to do?

The point of using Koios is so your staff doesn't have to do anything. We need a few items from you up-front, and we want to meet with you twice per year or at your convenience.

+ What do you do to improve our performance over time?

We pay attention. We look at what people in your area search for, and we use that information to supplement existing campaigns, or to create new ones.

+ Can I try before I buy?

For subscriptions, we start with a 60-day free trial. After that, you can continue with us, for a fee, or manage the grant on your own -- the grant is yours.