We no longer live in times when direct mail advertising and word of mouth is enough to inform people about your organization. We’re in a digital era, meaning there are many other channels of communication that we need to master. According to websiterating.com, people are 4 times more likely to click ads on Google than on other advertising networks.

However, spending a lot of money on ads might not be feasible for your budget. Luckily, Google Ad Grants is a virtually free advertising program that can help your nonprofit acquire website users while furthering your organization’s impact. Unlike most grants, Google Ad Grants also has a very simple application process.

A key reason you’re not converting as many website visitors to donors is due to poor performing website pages. Too often, you’re left feeling like you’re doing everything right, but still aren’t seeing the impact you want. If only there were an easy way to gain powerful insights into your website’s visitors to help you figure out what to improve.

Luckily, that tool exists, and it’s free!

Many organizations successfully use email marketing, blogging, and social media to attract visitors to their websites. Unfortunately, a lot of nonprofits don't use Google Analytics to understand how people interact with their site once they get there.

We get it! Google Analytics can be overwhelming and hard to understand. But, if you know what to look for, it is an invaluable tool for your organization! Here are the basics of what you need to know about Google Analytics so you can get the most out of your nonprofit's website.

Google Analytics is an essential tool for many nonprofits seeking to effectively track their online marketing efforts. Whether you're focused on fundraising, event registrations, advocacy efforts, email sign ups or overall content marketing strategies, digging into the details of those eyeballs that are checking you out online vital. But numbers aren't everything. Sometimes a little context goes a long way in making sense of them.

We commented earlier on the massive explosion of mobile internet use and how it is contributing to 2013 being the year of responsive web design - responsive web design being a powerful and flexible way to make your site mobile-friendly.

How do you know if your site traffic justifies the investment in making your website mobile-friendly? If you've got Google Analytics tracking traffic, you've got ready-made reporting waiting for you.

On Monday, Google announced that it will retire Google Checkout in November 2013.

What does that mean for organizations using Google Checkout to accept online payments? As Google notes: