It’s 2022. Every nonprofit now has a website – or at least they certainly should – however, an alarming number of charities fail to understand the importance of SEO (otherwise known as search engine optimisation).
Think of it like this: you invest a significant amount of resources into building the perfect shop kitted out with all the latest products and filled with eager staff keen to greet their next customer. Sounds like a recipe for success, right? On the surface, yes, but in reality, there’s just one problem: there are no customers. You’ve spent so much time focusing on the interior of your shop, you’ve failed to realise what’s going on around you, and as a result, your shop is now in a dark corner of a neglected town. Unless someone is searching for you directly, by name, they will be very unlikely to find you.
The same goes for your website – think of it as your virtual storefront – if you want to get it on the map and in a prime location, you need to invest in SEO. The stronger your nonprofit’s SEO strategy, the higher your site will appear in search results. And the higher your rank, the more traffic, donations and awareness you will raise. And the best part? It’s completely free, making it accessible to charities of all sizes.
A cost-efficient way to boost your nonprofit’s performance and help you achieve your goals, SEO is a must-have for any charity looking to level up its digital game in 2022. But of course, that’s easier said than done. It takes time to see results from an SEO strategy, months sometimes years, and starting out can be hard, but it will all be worth it in the long run.
To kickstart your SEO journey, we’ve put together a list of three top tips from Croud’s VP of SEO, Anthony Lavall. If you’re keen to understand more about how your charity can succeed with SEO, you can listen to Anthony’s full interview below. But in the meantime, here are three tips to help your nonprofit wave goodbye to its SEO woes.
#1 Start a conversation
The nonprofit sector is crowded – it’s no secret. To stand out, you need to make a noise. Your aim should be to become the voice of your market and the first thing that springs to mind when your audience is asked about a related subject. You need to ensure that your charity is at the forefront of their minds so that when the time comes to donate, they come straight to you.
Nike’s ‘Dream Crazy’ campaign sparked conversation by featuring Colin Kaepernick, an NFL player who caused controversy by kneeling during the National Anthem to protest police brutality & racism. The campaign proved that taking risks pays off, generating 2.7 million brand mentions within a week and delivering $43m in media exposure in less than 24 hours.
#2 Remember the top of the funnel
“Donate now”, “Sign up here”, “Volunteer today”. It’s all very well creating a sense of urgency and encouraging people to take action, but can you really expect them to do so without introducing yourself first?
If you’re serious about upping your conversion rate, you need to produce more top-of-funnel content for your site. By this, we mean content that educates your audience and raises awareness for your cause. Content that will not only help people to better understand your cause, but to trust and invest in you. This is the type of content that will turn strangers into donors and long-time supporters. So do not overlook it.
Some top-of-funnel content ideas include blog posts, infographics, podcasts, social media posts and newsletters.
#3 Be creative
Cast your mind back to 2014. Unless you were living under a rock at that point in time, you will no doubt remember the infamous ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’. An amusing viral trend that turned out to be one of the most ingenious nonprofit campaigns of this decade.
Within just 8 weeks, the campaign successfully raised $115 million for the ALS Association. Not to mention the invaluable amount of awareness raised.
The point is, anyone can go viral. The only thing holding you back is your creativity. So get your team together & brainstorm some ideas – the more obscure, the better. Ultimately, it’s about creating content that not only educates your audience but engages and resonates with them, too.
Ready to start your SEO journey? Get in touch today to organise your free consultation and discover how we can help your charity reach the top of the ranks.
