Google Ad Grants accounts can now optimize for real-world foot traffic. If you use the nonprofit program, you can set “shop visits” as an account-level goal, allowing your campaigns to optimize for in-person visits.
Driving the news. Previously, if you tried to mark shop visits as a goal in Ad Grants, you’d get an error. That restriction appears to be lifted, allowing eligible accounts to include store visit conversions in their primary goal configuration.
- This update lets you align bidding and optimization with physical visits — especially for visibility in Maps placements and location-driven search results.
Why we care. If you run a nonprofit, museum, place of worship, community center, or other location-based organization, digital engagement doesn’t always translate into mission impact. Optimizing for shop visits bridges that gap, tying ad performance directly to foot traffic.
What to do. If you use Ad Grants, review your account-level goals and confirm shop visits are enabled where eligible. Optimizing for foot traffic could materially improve your local impact — especially if you rely on in-person engagement.
Between the lines. As Google continues to emphasize local intent and Maps-based discovery, bringing store visit optimization to Ad Grants expands your ability to compete for nearby audiences. It shifts the focus from clicks and website traffic to measurable offline action.
First seen. Google Ads expert Jason King spotted this update and shared it on LinkedIn.
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