Giving back to your local community is one of the best things you and your organization can do. Here at Shelley Media Arts, we have the privilege of working with some amazing nonprofits here in the Melbourne, FL area. Over and over, we find that the individuals running these organizations are so busy with the day to day work that they have little or no time to market their cause. This blog goes out to you, busy nonprofit organizer person. We have 8 simple and practical tips your nonprofit can use to boost your SEO and drive potential new donors and volunteers to your organization.
Table of Contents
1. Create Great Content:
Content is King! It’s the foundation of your site and it is how your visitors learn about your nonprofit and its causes. By creating interesting and valuable content that’s relevant to your audience, People will be more inclined to engage with you. Your content should be informative and inspiring. One great way to do this is to share stories about your organization and some of the wins you have had. When you are writing, think about how you can inspire them to support your organization. Compelling content is also error free – always double check spelling and grammar.
2. Content Keywords
Keywords are descriptive words or phrases that explain your nonprofit. “Experts” advise you to use your keyword anywhere from 4-6 times, to 10-12 times. But we advise you to just write naturally, working them in when it feels natural.
3. ALT Image Text Keywords
All images used on your website should be optimized so that search engines can “read” the image. You can do this via the image’s ALT text. Make sure the ALT tags use keywords!
4. Page Title Keywords
Always put your target keyword or phrase for each website page (i.e. About Us, Ways to Give, Volunteer Opportunities, etc.) into your page title. Remember to keep it short! We suggest you keep it to 55 characters.
5. URL Keywords
You should use your keyword or phrase in the URL of the web page. This not only looks better, it also has SEO value. Keep your most valuable keywords close to the backslash (i.e. www.nonprofit.com/donate, “donate” being the target keyword).
6. Header Text Keywords
The header text, or H1 text, is usually the title of a blog article or some larger bold text at the top of your website page. In addition to the page title, Google and other search engines use the H1 text to determine what your website page is all about, and will index the page accordingly.
7. Add a Call-to-Action (CTA)
Every website page, including your blog, should have at least one call-to-action above the page’s fold. Above the fold can be better described as “above the scroll”. CTAs can help SEO by creating text for the primary keyword you’re targeting on the page.
8. Get Inbound Links
Google determines your rank for different terms via the number and quality of inbound links to your website. Think of links as votes for your website. This is where sharing your content on social media is very useful. The more people sharing your content on their websites or blogs, the more inbound links you’ll receive. Try to get a few high-value inbound links from reputable news sites and/or blogs.
By taking a few moments to make sure that you have all these simple tips in place, your site should begin to climb in the rankings and attract more traffic. The more people who see your site, the better chance they have of connecting with you. That’s what it’s all about, making connections to increase the visiblity of your cause. If you need any help implementing these tips, please comment on the blog below and someone on our team will contact you. (PS: Don’t worry about the cost, we work with nonprofits free of charge.)
Here are a few of the great nonprofits we have worked with: