Essential SEO Strategies for Nonprofits in 2023

Developing an effective SEO strategy is critical for charities looking to increase awareness and drive donations through digital marketing. With more nonprofits competing for limited donor pounds, search engine optimisation (SEO) plays a pivotal role in ensuring that your nonprofit’s website and content rank higher in search engine results, allowing you to reach a broader audience.

By understanding your audience, conducting keyword research, optimising your on-page content, and leveraging social media, you can significantly enhance your online visibility and attract more supporters to your cause.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of SEO for charities and provide guidance on creating a robust SEO strategy tailored to the unique needs of nonprofit organisations.

So how do we do this?

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Start with an Audit… 

The first step is performing a technical SEO audit of your website. Review page speed, mobile optimisation, site architecture, server protocols, and HTML markup. Identify any issues like slow load times, broken links, metadata errors (page titles, meta description, alt text etc.), or accessibility problems. Resolving these basic problems ensures your site provides a user-friendly experience, even for donors still using a dial-up modem.  

Begin your SEO strategy by conducting thorough keyword research. Identifying keywords that align with your nonprofit’s mission and the causes you support for example fundraising, volunteering, nonprofit search, and any medical conditions your organisation supports are valuable. Optimise pages for these terms through titles, headers, content, images and meta descriptions.. Focus on long-tail keywords that are more specific and have lower competition. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush can assist in finding suitable keywords for your content optimisation.

Optimise Site Architecture

Organise your pages around donor-focused topics and keywords. For example, have specific pages around “donate”, “volunteer”, “events”, “contact” etc. Ensure other site content is reachable through descriptive URLs and sitemaps. Allow easy navigation to key pages from across the site, so supporters can find what they need quickly, whether they are tech-savvy or still use AOL email.

Create Engaging Content

Invest time and effort into creating valuable and engaging content. High-quality content not only attracts more users but also encourages other websites to link back to your pages, a crucial aspect of SEO. Informative blog posts, compelling stories, and informative infographics can help establish your nonprofit as an authority in your field and attract organic backlinks.

Make your content as enjoyable and snackable as a delightful scone with a dollop of clotted cream and sweet strawberry jam!

Get Local  

Having a local SEO strategy alongside broader efforts is wise. Run location-specific campaigns targeting nearby donors. Ensure your Google My Business profile pops for local searches. Appear on locator directories and local business listings. Be seen as the go-to cause in your community, like that old diner everyone loves. 

Build Quality Backlinks 

Link-building from reputable websites related to your cause, location or health mission is invaluable for SEO. Seek guest posting opportunities, local partnerships, PR mentions and links from supporters. Build a link earning content portfolio. 

Mobile-Friendly Website

With a substantial portion of internet users accessing websites on mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Search engines prioritise mobile-responsive websites in their rankings to enhance user experience. Ensure your nonprofit’s website is optimised for various screen sizes and loads quickly on mobile devices.

Analyse and Refine

Regularly monitor your SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Analyse the data to gain insights into your website’s traffic, user behavior, and the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. Use this data to make informed decisions and continuously refine your SEO strategy to achieve better results over time.

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Remember, digital marketing is an ever-evolving landscape, so stay updated with the latest trends and adapt your strategy accordingly. With the right approach, your nonprofit organisation can reach new heights and make a difference in the lives of those in need.

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