People found and operate nonprofit organizations for a collective, public or social benefit — not just to make money. As such, their mission is to maximize impact in their community.
SEO strategy revolves around time allocation. More often than not, time is nonprofits’ most limited resource given their community impact focus.
So, what do I need to focus on with my limited time?
Growing an audience base requires focusing on nonbranded search queries. That’s because more users are typing in search queries related to what you do than are entering your organization’s name.
Second, figure out what your target audience sees most often when they type in these specific words or phrases.
Words like “events” or “services” or “programs” or “advocacy” or “solutions” probably encapsulate what most of this newsletter audience does daily.
What differentiates your org from the rest involves adding a descriptive word to this baseline word:
- Music events vs. fundraising events
- Counseling services vs. disaster-relief services
- Animal advocacy vs. child advocacy
- Education solutions vs. nutrition solutions
- Criminal justice programs vs. immigration programs
Whatever you choose, these key phrases are the “elevator speech” you want people to walk away knowing about you and your organization.
What To Look At
Do you offer your community in-person help?
Provide a taste of your expertise with a blog post. Blog posts generally discuss what you’re up to and what you want to talk about.
Do you offer your community some type of event?
Make event details and ticket purchasing easier for your audience. You can do so via a third-party event platform like Eventbrite or Webex.
Do you offer your community a physical object or service that benefits it?
Discuss why your offering’s problems or benefits are the best for the community.
Building Credibility
What Is Link-Building?
Link-building is an SEO tactic that involves getting another website to link to yours. Building backlinks can be time-consuming, but it’s an effective way to increase awareness of your cause and drive traffic to your website.
Guest Posting
Guest posting means writing content for other websites. Because the other website gets free content-writing services, you can hyperlink to your website on theirs.
You can find guest-posting opportunities by performing a Google search. Try using different strings, like searching for a keyword plus one of these terms:
- “guest post by”
- “write for us”
- “guest post”
After finding sites for which you’d like to write a guest post, email the editor and pitch the idea of creating that guest post.
Here are some best practices when sending your pitch:
- Check guidelines. Some bloggers have precise instructions on how to submit a pitch, like specific formatting and topics.
- Give options. Provide at least two relevant topics they can choose from.
- Follow up. They may not accept your initial pitch, but don’t get discouraged. You can always send a follow-up email.
- Deliver on time. If they accept your pitch, be sure to deliver your guest post by the set deadline.
Technical How-To
Technical SEO is a collection of techniques used on your website to ensure crawlers and search engines can easily index and access your page.
Title Tags and H1 Tags
Title tags are parts of HTML that label each page and show up on search engine results, social media and other platforms.
A title tag looks like this on search engine results pages:
Here are three tips to write a compelling title tag:
- Write unique titles for every page. Titles should be descriptive and accurately reflect the page content.
- Know what not to include. It’s best practice to include relevant keywords in the title tag. Create something captivating that appeals to users and makes them want to click.
- Keep it brief, and format it correctly. Make sure your title tag is under 60 characters — otherwise, Google removes words or adds ellipses.
Title Tags vs. H1s: What’s the Difference?
Well, title tags and H1s are closely related, but each has a distinct purpose.
We just discussed that title tags show up in search results, how they look and what users should expect when clicking them.
However, H1 tags do not show in search results but are visible to users once they visit a page. An H1 acts as a title for a page and introduces readers to the content.
When writing an H1, follow these recommendations:
- Title tags and H1s don’t have to match, but they should intersect in meaning.
- Use only one H1 per page.
- Your H1 should reflect the topic that you discuss in the corresponding text.
Using title tags and H1 headers properly is an effective way to boost your website’s position in search engines. Remember to use them strategically for maximum benefit!
Internal Link Optimization
Using internal links and formatting them correctly is essential to any SEO strategy.
What Are Internal Links?
Internal links are hyperlinks that point to pages on the same website and help users quickly access relevant content on your website. Internal linking helps Google find, index and understand your website’s general structure.
Anchor Text: SEO Best Practices
First, what’s anchor text?
Anchor text is the clickable text that appears within a hyperlink. It tells users what page or content they’ll see after clicking. Including relevant, descriptive anchor text can boost your website’s Google ranking.
How To Write the Best Anchor Text for Your Page
Consider these three steps when writing anchor text on your site:
- Aim for brevity and clarity.
- Don’t overuse keywords and anchor text. Overall, your content should flow naturally.
- Keep the text relevant. Ensure the page you link to is relevant to the user’s needs (aka page relevance) and the hyperlinked text.
Partner with Jacobson Jarvis Today
Jacobson Jarvis has over 30 years of experience in providing accounting expertise to nonprofits and charity organizations just like yours.
Contact us today to learn more. We’d love to work with you!
