Every organization (no matter the type or size) requires a visible online presence. Even nonprofits compete for people’s attention and donations via website content. The best way for your website to succeed is by using search engine optimization (SEO).
Now, you’re probably wondering, “What is SEO for nonprofits?” Simply put, it optimizes a nonprofit website to achieve better online visibility and push charitable agendas. This post will discuss the best practices for nonprofits to improve SEO so you can make sure you’re at the top of your game.
Let’s begin!
SEO strategies are essential for various organizations, including nonprofits. Optimizing your website for better rankings on different search engines will make your efforts more effective. Whether you want to create awareness on a subject, recruit and mobilize volunteers, or increase online donations, SEO is a great way to achieve your goals.
Now that you know why search engine optimization is essential for nonprofit organizations, let’s move on to the top SEO tips for nonprofit firms.
While nonprofits aren’t geared for self-gain, the strategies necessary to improve your website’s performance are similar to those that profit-making businesses use.
However, these efforts can be directed toward helping nonprofits gain online visibility and increase donations. Here are some nonprofit SEO best practices to help you make the most of your efforts:
One of the few unchangeable laws about successful SEO is that content is king. High-quality content is among the leading factors that determine the performance of a nonprofit website online. Unfortunately, many businesses and brands use this the wrong way by tailoring content to meet the expectations of search engines hoping to rank better.
According to Google, the best way to ensure your site competes well on the first search engine results page is to prioritize people-first content, not search-engine content.
In other words, your posts, campaigns, and pages should satisfy the searcher’s intent. Remember that the primary purpose of search engines is to connect people with the information, products, or services they want.
One way to ensure you provide great content is to search on a topic and assess what the first five websites have in response. This will give you a view into the subtopics you should discuss. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t just repeat the main points you’ve found in your research; instead, try to provide additional value by covering an aspect of the topic that has yet to be discussed.
Another way to create high-quality content is to tell stories about your nonprofit. Usually, charities have evidence of the work they do.
So, showcase what your nonprofit does for the community while including photos, videos, and testimonials, and you’ll have unique content that draws your audience’s attention. This will also clarify the purpose of your organization to visitors, donors, stakeholders, and the general public.
Another excellent way of using charity SEO services is to incorporate links to add credibility and trustworthiness to your website. If your visitors can’t verify the authenticity of your nonprofit organization, it’ll be almost impossible to persuade them to donate. You can build a positive picture of your charity by linking your content to high-authority sites.
A simple way to do this is to get backlinks to any stories about your organization featured on news sites. You can also collaborate with other nonprofits to release mutually beneficial content.
Linking to your social media accounts on different platforms can make it easier for your audience to share your posts and stories with more people. This can help spread your message and get more donors for your cause.
Another thing you can do to increase charitable donations? Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising strategies for nonprofits. Pay-Per-Click is the most common way to digitally advertise your events, fundraising, and similar opportunities. You’ll need to choose a keyword or audience related to your industry, and your ad will appear on top of the results on the first page a searcher sees.
This model is effective if you create an advertisement with a specific target audience. The more you generalize your efforts, the harder it’ll be to get quantitative results.
Keyword research is a crucial element of the SEO process for charities. There is a method for using keywords to boost your online visibility. These terms and phrases will be related to your industry and used in common queries people ask.
Sometimes, people stuff keywords into the content, hoping to rank well on search engines without caring how and where these keywords should be used. Unfortunately, keyword stuffing cannot give your organization sustainable results because search engines regularly update their algorithms to ensure that only the highest-quality information ranks first. Charity search engine optimization must rely on quality, relevant content that keeps the audience engaged. You’re talking to people, not the search engine.
When it comes to best practices for SEO, we can’t stress this enough – proper use of keywords involves placing them in specific areas of your content, like the title, subheadings, body paragraphs, and meta description. That’s where our team at Zero Gravity Marketing can help you put this into practice: our natural SEO solutions can do just that.
Another thing to remember for nonprofit SEO is to provide a smooth and satisfying user experience. For example, how do visitors feel when checking out your page for the first time? Several things determine how user-friendly your page is, and you can learn more about them in Google’s guide on improving page experience.
One thing that facilitates a positive user experience is fast loading speeds for your pages. In fact, did you know that most people exit a website if it doesn’t load in three seconds? That’s why you need to ensure your page is designed to load quickly. If it offers a visitor a negative experience, your chances of converting a visitor to a donor decrease.
The most important KPIs that every charity website should track include the following:
You can improve traffic to your nonprofit website by releasing high-quality content, including relevant links, and using keywords correctly. Check out our case studies to see how the right strategies can amplify your efforts!
Pay-Per-Click advertising is a perfect way of increasing the number of donors you have for your nonprofit.
SEO is a critical part of any successful website. Even charities can boost their online visibility and performance using strategic SEO models. Contact Zero Gravity Marketing for nonprofit SEO services today if you need help implementing some of the best practices mentioned above. We will give you reliable solutions to ensure your nonprofit website grows as much as you want.