Demystifying SEO for Nonprofits and the Basics You Need to Cover

SEO is not a bad word

Everyone wants to be found more online. Yet “search engine optimization” tends to get a bad rap. Like any industry, the few bad apples tend to spoil the reputation for many. It’s admittedly a competitive industry and it’s tough to know who to trust. You don’t want to get burned, or what’s even worse in my opinion, get on a retainer with a totally stagnant agency that ignores you. 

So if you’ve ever wondered, what the heck is SEO and how much should I care about it? This post is for you. 

And if you’ve ever thought, SEO is unnecessary and we don’t need it, this post is also for you – and I won’t tell anyone. 

Think of SEO like your digital footprint instead

We love renaming things in marketing. We have transformed customer service into “customer experience,” consulting into “fractional marketing,” and cold calling into “social selling.”

So if it bothers you to think of SEO strictly in the “search engine optimization” way, think of it instead as “securing your foundational digital footprint”. 

Your digital footprint is made up of all the things related to your entity on the internet: from your website to reviews, social media mentions about you, and news coverage about you. The size and strength of this web correlate to how many impressions and traffic you will bring into different channels. 

The risk of not getting the foundation set 

It’s hard to quantify lost potential, or the cost of a broken website, or not being on Google Maps when your competitor is.

Just as an example, a few years ago I implemented a donate button on the homepage of a nonprofit’s website, and we generated $5,000 in new supporters in the first year. 

Beyond lost potential in new supporters, building an audience, and getting more online donations, you also risk alienating your audience if it is not accessible to those with impairments, who are non-English speakers, or on older mobile phones. 

Getting the basics down might take a day or two. How far you take it after that depends on your communication, outreach, and marketing plan as an organization. 

SEO foundation checklist for nonprofits

Feel free to copy this into a separate doc and turn it into a checklist. If this feels intimidating, reach out to me at adriennekfuller.com and we can chat. 

Understand the “Settings” areas in your website

The first part of knowing how to get around your own website is to know how to get into the settings area, and set some defaults. 

You’ll want to add your organization address, a favicon to make your browser bar pretty, set user permissions for folks on your team, and connect different applications like Google Analytics. 

• Explore all sections of your website’s backend.
• Identify and understand SEO-related settings.
  
  

Set up Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA) is typically used to find out what people do when they land on your website. What pages are most popular, and which buttons convert the most?

• Install the Google Analytics tracking code on your website.
• Understand how to look at traffic at different points in time by exploring the Reports tab in GA4. 
• Advanced: Configure goals to track important user actions.
  
  

Set up Google Search Console

Console is used to find out how your pages perform in the search results. You’ll see how many impressions you get when someone searches, and if those turn into clicks to your website. This helps understand the strength of your title tags. 

• Verify your website ownership with Google.
• On the sitemap tab, Submit your sitemap for better indexing. Typically, it’s your domain name followed by /sitemap.xml
  
  

Set up Google My Business

If you have a physical location or provide services in your area, you will want people to be able to find you on Google Maps. The only way to do this is to set up your GMB profile. 

• Create and claim your organization’s Google Business profile.
• Add accurate information about your location and services.
• Add a few great photos, 1-2 posts just like social media (“A new case study or article is up on our website!”) and some common FAQ (it’s okay if you write and answer your own question) like “how do I join?”.
  
  

Create a focused blog

But wait.. do we even need a blog? Probably, but you don’t need the pressure of making a new article every day or even every week. Focus instead on covering off 5-10 topical articles about the cause your nonprofit revolves around.

This gives context to your users about why your issue is pressing and what kind of solutions they’re supporting. For example, an animal shelter will want to write a handful of articles on adopting a pet, what to expect and how to do things, and what to do about common issues.

• Develop 5-10 comprehensive articles about your cause.
• Explain why your issue matters and how supporters can help.
• Don’t even call it blog. Call it “Guides for rescue pet owners” or “Stewardship in the Valley” or “Insights” or anything you want. It doesn’t have to be called a “b-word” (blog) on the outside, even if that’s the structure of the posts on the inside.
  
  

Consider the power of video

Video is a great way to show the reality of your cause and the joy of community coming together to support each other. Consider video of ANY quality – a hand held portrait mode from your iphone is better than nothing – and put a face to your cause with a human message behind it. 

Republish content across channels

Always republish emails and newsletters to your blog, using a headline that describes the main point of the news.

For example, “We’re switching up the 5k this year“, rather than naming it something generic like “July 2024 news”.

• You can publish newsletters, long social posts, and emails as blog posts.
• Use descriptive headlines that highlight key information.
• Summarize a snippet and there’s your social post.
  
  

Adhere to web accessibility principles

This means no wacky fonts, use high contrast link colors (like the default of royal blue), readable font sizes, and always place Alternative Text on your images so that screen readers can describe them to the user.

Another big one is to never use self referential links, ie. “click here”. Instead, describe the page and hyperlink that text: “see our Giving Tuesday results”.

• Use readable fonts and high-contrast colors on links.
• Add alternative text to all images for screen readers.
• Avoid self-referential links; use descriptive anchor text instead.
  
  

Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Make sure all new content has one. This is what shows up in the search results, and a strong headline can generate more clicks than an unclear one.

Try starting with a command verb, like “Learn, See, Get, Compare,” or with your keyword, like “How to do XYZ.” “What do know about the 2024 election in the context of CAUSE”.

• Create compelling titles starting with action verbs or keywords.
• Write clear, concise meta descriptions for all new content.
  
  

Build partnerships with related organizations

This means networking with other related or complementary causes, learning how to “comarket” – share each other’s social posts, mention each other in emails, and generally cheer each other on because a rising tide raises all boats. 

• Network with complementary causes.
• Engage in co-marketing efforts like sharing social posts and email mentions.
• Invite guest bloggers from experts in your area. 
• Play around with video.
  
  

More best practices to think about

• Keep a fast loading site by resizing and compressing all images that you upload.
• Implement a clear, logical site structure. Remember, how it’s organized on the back end doesn’t need to exactly mirror your menu. Make sure your menu leads people to where they most likely want to go – to learn about you, see what’s upcoming, join as a member, donate, or get involved. 
• Make sure you only have 1 most important CTA: Is it to get donations or to get volunteers? You’ll want to make sure that there is a persistent button to get to this page from your top menu, footer, and your homepage.
  
  

Regularly monitor and analyze your SEO performance

The best way to become more confident and comfortable “improving” your website and web presence, is to look around every once in a while and play with stuff. Explore the reports, ask the internet how to do things, and don’t be afraid to keep editing your website and making it better. 

If you need help, contact me at adriennekfuller.com. To learn about ways of working remotely, visit beenremote.com.

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