SEO for Nonprofit Organizations – 10 Steps to Getting Found

Lisa Hirst Carnes | July 2023

It’s no secret that nonprofit organization teams are short on people and long on to-do tasks. Nearly all the nonprofits we work with at ArcStone are scrambling to keep up with the essentials. One high-impact tactic that’s often overlooked (or more likely not prioritized) is SEO.

For most nonprofits, SEO tends to fall near the bottom of the digital marketing list. This blog post covers why making SEO a priority for your nonprofit is a good bet and worth investing in.

Before diving into some of our tips, let’s start with SEO basics.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing content to be discoverable by users searching for relevant terms. By optimizing your website, you can improve keyword positions in the search results. This helps community members, volunteers and donors find you when searching for nonprofits.

SEO is vital for all organizations, but it can be critical for new nonprofits. For new organizations, it may be one of the only ways people will find you.

According to Click Cease, organic search results are about 8.5 times more likely to get clicked on than paid. You must show up for relevant keywords and topics.

Implementing SEO strategies can impact your nonprofit organization’s bottom line. Here are some high-impact tips for optimizing online visibility.

1. Start with Keyword Research

Identifying relevant keywords can help you better target the ideal audience. Create a list of words and phrases that potential visitors might use to find your website.

2. Improve Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

Each page should have a unique title and meta description that describes the content. These appear in search results, describing what users can expect from the page. If you write compelling page titles and meta descriptions, users are more likely to click on the link.

3. Optimize Page Content for Humans and Search Engine Spiders 

The more relevant content you have on your site, the better it will rank in organic search results. Include keywords throughout each page and optimize any images with descriptive alt tags. IMPORTANT: Write for a human audience first and never stuff keywords. 

4. Develop a Link-Building Strategy

Backlinks will boost rankings as they prove to search engines that your website is a reliable source. Aim for links from reputable websites like government sites and educational institutions. Link-building is essential yet very tedious. Be patient and build links over time. Lots of sudden backlinks is a red flag for Google.

5. Encourage Social Sharing

You can also use social media to increase visibility and generate more inbound links. Share content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Or, create visual content to encourage users to share your posts.

6. Monitor Analytics

Track your progress with web analytics tools like Google Analytics. This will help identify areas that need improvement and if SEO efforts have succeeded. Track metrics like page views, organic search traffic, and conversions to measure progress.

7. Utilize Specialized SEO Tools

Specialized SEO tools can help with keyword research, content optimization and link building. We recommend SEMRush or Ahrefs. These are handy for large websites or campaigns where manual optimization is time-consuming. Investing in these tools can help save time and improve your SEO strategy.

8. Update Regularly

Search engines love fresh content and reward updated websites with higher rankings. Keep your site up-to-date by adding new pages, images or videos to stay in the good graces of search engine algorithms.

9. Optimize for Local SEO 

Optimizing for local SEO is critical for nonprofits targeting a local audience. This includes claiming a Google Business Profile, adding your NAP (name, address, phone number) to directories and building citations. These can all help boost your local ranking and appear in search results.

10. Be Patient 

Years ago, I was working on optimizing a client’s website, and the next day she asked why it wasn’t showing up in the search results. I wish it worked like that, but it doesn’t. Remember that SEO is a long game. It can take months to see results and you may have to tweak your strategy to get it right. Have patience and remain committed to increasing your visibility for the best results.

The above steps will help your website become more visible in search engine results. Staying committed to optimizing your website will help create a successful SEO campaign.

If these steps aren’t for you, we are here to help! ArcStone has over twenty-five years of experience optimizing for the web. Contact us today to learn about the next steps.