A joined-up search strategy for Freedom from Torture

Freedom from Torture supports people who have survived torture to heal, feel safe and rebuild their lives.

Their work combines psychological therapy, legal and welfare support, survivor leadership, campaigning and advocacy. They work towards a world free from torture, with survivors’ experiences at the centre of how they design, deliver and improve their work.

Freedom from Torture was already highly visible in search results for topics around torture and human rights, reflecting the strength of their existing content and authority on the subject. But like many charities, they were adapting to a search landscape being reshaped by AI Overviews.

Across many of our clients, we’re seeing visibility increase while click-through rates become less predictable, as users increasingly get answers directly within search results rather than clicking through to websites.

For Freedom from Torture, this made it even more important to understand which searches were most valuable.

Some of their highest-visibility search terms were very broad, including informational queries around topics such as waterboarding and Guantanamo Bay. While these searches were driving significant visibility, it was not always clear what users were looking for: support, campaigning content, legal information, or something else entirely. The opportunity was to better understand search intent and focus attention on the terms most likely to drive meaningful engagement.

At the same time, the changing search landscape was creating new challenges for the Grants account. Like many Google Ad Grants accounts, campaigns were finding it more difficult to compete on broader or more competitive search terms, making it harder to spend the full grant budget effectively.

In Q1 2025, the Grants account spent $9,608 of the available $30,000 grant budget, representing around 32% of the funding available through the programme.

Rather than treating SEO and Grants as separate channels, we created a more joined-up way of working.

This included:

• bi-weekly catch-ups between SEO and Grants specialists
• regular data sharing
• shared topic and keyword reviews
• using Grants search terms and conversion data to inform SEO priorities
• using SEO insight to improve landing page relevance for Grants campaigns
• identifying pages where content could better match search intent

This was not a one-off campaign or a fixed strategy, but an ongoing collaborative process, sharing insight between channels and using it to make better decisions across both SEO and Grants.

One of the most useful parts of the Grants account was the additional search terms and conversion insight it provided.

While organic search data showed which topics were driving visibility, Grants data helped us build a clearer picture of which searches were leading to stronger engagement and conversion signals, like contact form submissions and file downloads.

Working together this way, SEO and Grants provided a more complete picture of search performance than either channel could offer alone. Grants data gave immediate feedback through metrics such as quality scores, click-through rates and landing page experience signals, while SEO provided a broader view of visibility trends, rankings and content opportunities over time.

By reviewing this data together, we were able to spot higher-intent opportunities, refine keyword targeting, and prioritise content updates around the topics most likely to drive engagement and conversions.

Grants campaigns also gave the SEO team faster feedback loops, helping validate which messaging, themes and user needs were resonating most effectively.

We also worked closely to improve how landing pages aligned with campaign targeting and search intent.

This included refining on-page content, updating titles and headings, identifying opportunities for additional FAQ content, and making sure pages better reflected the keywords and messaging being used within campaigns.

By improving the relationship between keywords, ad copy and landing pages, campaigns were given a stronger foundation to perform more effectively within the Grants account.

Alongside search and landing page improvements, we also tested newer campaign types, including Performance Max and AI Max.

These helped the Grants account compete more effectively in more competitive search areas and provided additional insight that could feed back into campaign and content planning.

Together, these tests helped increase traffic while maintaining strong engagement, with click-through rates improving significantly across the account.

The Human Rights campaign became one of the clearest examples of how closer collaboration between SEO and Grants could improve performance. Across Q1 2025, the campaign generated 90 clicks in total. Following improvements to keyword targeting, ad copy and landing page content, it now drives around 300–400 clicks every month, demonstrating the value of bringing SEO and Grants insight together.

The Google Ad Grants account saw significant improvements in utilisation and reach. By Q1 2026, spend had increased to $27,476 of the available $30,000 budget, generating 3,609 clicks from 49,748 impressions, compared with 1,317 clicks from 28,539 impressions in Q1 2025.

The joined-up approach also contributed to:

• 34% increase in organic purchases and donations
• 29% increase in organic revenue
• 37% growth in single donations for paid and organic
• 163% growth in monthly donations for paid and organic
• Average donation value increased from £58 to £74
• 29% increase in contact form submissions

Importantly, the team now has a clearer understanding of which searches drive meaningful engagement, allowing SEO and Grants activity to focus on traffic quality rather than traffic volume alone.

We’re continuing to work closely with the Freedom from Torture team to bring SEO and Grants insight together, helping drive more relevant traffic and stronger engagement across the site.

There is also further opportunity to apply this approach to specific areas of content, including therapy and survivor support pages, where combined SEO and Grants insight could help shape future improvements.