Which keywords break the Ad Grants rules?
By Jose Gomez, Jr., CEA, MVTAAdapted from Chapter 2 of The Nonprofit Ad Grant Handbook · Checked against Google's rules November 4, 2026Three rules govern what keywords a grant account can use. A keyword made of one word isn't allowed, apart from a few exceptions. Keywords with no clear intent aren't allowed either, even if they have several words. And keywords with a Quality Score of 1 or 2 have to be paused or removed.
Google enforces some of these itself
Google enforces some keyword rules itself, without warning. When Google pauses a keyword for breaking a rule, it doesn't come back on its own. If nobody notices, a program can go for months without its main keyword.
An illustration from the handbook. The counseling center is a composite, not a real organization.
A counseling center logged in one Monday to find its keyword "therapy" paused. Nobody on staff had paused it. Google had, because single-word keywords aren't allowed in grant accounts. The center replaced it with "low cost therapy" and its city name, and the keyword ran again that afternoon.
The three rules
No single words. A keyword made of one word, like "therapy," "food" or "museum," isn't allowed. Single words are too vague to show what the searcher wants. There are exceptions. Your own brand words are allowed, and so are recognized medical conditions and acronyms. Google also names a short list explicitly: charity, charities, donate, donation, NGO, NGOs, nonprofit, nonprofits, volunteer and volunteering. So "depression" can stand alone, as a recognized medical condition, and so can "volunteer." "Therapy" can't. Words joined by a dash or a period don't count as single words.
Nothing too generic. Keywords with no clear intent aren't allowed either, even if they have several words. Google's examples include "best videos," "cool apps," "e-books" and "today's news," along with the bare names of other organizations, places, historical events or people. "Chicago" on its own is out, and "food pantry in Chicago" is fine.
No Quality Score of 1 or 2. Every keyword gets a Quality Score from 1 to 10. Grant accounts have to pause or remove keywords scoring 1 or 2. Keywords without a score yet, shown as a dash, are exempt until they earn one.
How some keywords fare
An illustration from the handbook. The family services agency is a composite, not a real organization.
These are some keywords from a family services agency's account, checked against the rules.
| Keyword | Allowed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| counseling | No | A single word, and not a recognized medical condition |
| family counseling near me | Yes | Several words, clear intent |
| volunteer | Yes | On Google's list of allowed single words |
| anxiety | Yes | A recognized medical condition |
| Springfield | No | A place name on its own |
| free parenting classes Springfield | Yes | Clear intent, specific place |
| best videos for kids | No | Too generic; no clear intent |
Staying within the Quality Score rule
The first two rules are mostly a matter of how you write keywords in the first place. The third needs ongoing attention, because Quality Scores change as your ads and pages change.
To prevent account disruption, Google advises setting up an automated rule to pause low quality keywords automatically. It's the easiest way to stay compliant.
To start, open Tools, then Bulk actions, then Rules in Google Ads, and create a new rule for keywords with the action Pause keywords and the condition Quality Score is less than 3.
One warning. Google's own compliance guide has printed this condition as "greater than 3," which would pause your good keywords and keep the bad ones. Use "less than 3."
Section 2.4 of the handbook sets out the rule step by step, including which keywords it applies to and how often it runs. Chapters 6 and 7 cover how to fix the fit between keyword, ad and page.
The rule keeps you compliant and does nothing more. A keyword that keeps falling to 1 or 2 is telling you something. Either the ad doesn't fit the search, or the page doesn't answer it. Fixing the fit is better than pausing your way to compliance.
Check the rule's history once a month. If it's pausing keywords you care about, that's your cue to rewrite the ads and pages behind them.
Mistakes that come up again and again
Assuming the brand exception covers everything. Your organization's name can stand alone. Your program's generic description can't.
Copying keywords from a paid account. Paid accounts can use single words and broad generic terms. Grant accounts can't, so keyword lists borrowed from a paid account usually need rewriting first.
Ignoring Google's pauses. A keyword Google paused stays paused until someone notices and fixes it.
Fixing Quality Score by deleting everything. Pausing low scorers keeps you compliant. If the same ad group keeps producing them, the ad group needs a better ad or a better page, and fewer keywords won't fix that.
Questions
Can our organization's name be a single-word keyword?
Yes. Your own brand words are one of the exceptions, so your organization's name can stand alone. Your program's generic description can't.
Is "volunteer" allowed on its own?
Yes. It's on the short list Google names explicitly, along with charity, charities, donate, donation, NGO, NGOs, nonprofit, nonprofits and volunteering.
What about new keywords with no Quality Score yet?
New keywords start without a score, shown as a dash, and earn one once they've had enough impressions. They're exempt until then. A keyword that never earns a score after several months usually isn't being searched for at all, and clearing those out once a quarter keeps the account easier to read.
If Google pauses one of our keywords, will it come back?
No. When Google pauses a keyword for breaking a rule, it doesn't come back on its own. If you believe a keyword status was changed in error, you may appeal the decision.
See something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Jose Gomez, Jr., CEA, MVTAJose Gomez, Jr., CEA, MVTA, is the CEO of 3nity. He founded the company in 2001 to serve the people who serve people, after working as Internet Director at a media network. He built a career website that was acquired by Salem Communications in 2004, and created the 3nity Web Presence Platform. Through Nonprofit Marketing Center, a division of 3nity, he and his team help churches and nonprofits of every kind bring resources and awareness to their missions, including by helping them get the most from the Google Ad Grant.