Charity SEO - why bother?

For many companies, search engine traffic is their lifeblood. They sink or swim on the new leads and enquiries that arise from someone finding them on a search engine.

For charities, the direct benefits of promotion through search engines are less obvious and as a result search engines are sometimes a neglected communication channel.

This two part series explains the reasons why charities should engage in search engine optimisation and gives simple guidance on how to do this better.

What is search engine optimisation?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) consists of a number of different actions and activities that together have the effect of increasing the amount and quality of traffic to your website that is generated by search engines.

Three solid reasons to do SEO

1. Be easier to find

If searching for the name of your charity does not return you as the first result then there is a lot of work to do. Failing to list first for your own name immediately undermines your reputation and risks missing opportunities to engage supporters who are already engaged enough to search for you by name.

SEO can improve the chances that potential supporters and other interested parties will find you even if they misspell or only partially remember your name.

2. Get in front of new people

Thoughtful SEO will start to develop a stream of traffic to your site that consists of people who have searched for terms other than your name. This offers the opportunity to widen your influence.

New people in the sector

You and others in your sector will search for information using search engines. If the name of your charity starts cropping up, it will enhance the reputation of your charity. This can aid recruitment and open up partnership opportunities.

New potential supporters

If you are writing interesting content and this is being picked up by search engines then it will start to be read by interested people. These interested people, who may not be familiar with your charity, are potential supporters of the future. They may even be future advocates.

3. Promote specific campaigns

Campaigns are a tried and tested strategy for charities to build support and promote specific causes. Good campaigns are often linked in with topical issues or current events and are focussed around slogans or clear policy messages.

SEO can increase the reach and impact of your campaigns by picking up and reinforcing their messages.

So, how do you go about optimising your charity website?

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