Why Google’s Algorithm Update Was a Good Thing for Nonprofits
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Mobile experience was already on the radar of most nonprofits. Google's algorithm may have just accelerated their timelines to become more mobile friendly. Join Mike Snusz, Principal Consultant on the Success Services Team on June 17 for the Luminate Customer Webinar "SEO For Nonprofits: Where to Focus". In the meantime read more about SEO for Nonprofts in Mike's blog.
By: Mike Snusz, Principal Consultant
Google's recent mobile algorithm update has been a very good thing for nonprofits.
Not that nonprofits have been helped by the update, necessarily.
But it has forced them to take a closer look at their mobile experience and how well their website is optimized for search engines, also known as SEO.
Mobile experience was already on the radar of most nonprofits. Google's algorithm may have just accelerated their timelines to become more mobile friendly. (For more info what Google’s algorithm means to your nonprofit, Scott Gilman summarized it well.)
SEO, though, hasn't been on the radar of many nonprofits, until Google’s recent algorithm update. SEO mostly gets pushed behind other digital priorities, like email, social media, P2P and their website.
While nonprofits know SEO is important, they also almost always lack the expertise and time to work on it.
That isn't surprising. SEO is a huge industry, where the rules and algorithms change frequently. What was a best practice a few years or even a few months ago may no longer be true. The rise of local search, social indicators and the mobile experience are all recent examples of this.
To complicate matters further, most SEO best practices are geared to the for-profit world and dig in deeper than most nonprofits need. Even if a nonprofit staffer has time to devote to SEO, it's difficult to identify and prioritize areas to focus on.
SEO priorities can be very different for a nationally-focused medical research organization vs. a local hospice nonprofit.
So should nonprofits continue ignoring SEO? Absolutely not.
Nonprofits that prioritize SEO can see a significant boosts in web traffic. Why? Since most nonprofits don't focus on SEO, the ones that do have an advantage. Their website is better optimized, local SEO is stronger and social plays a more important role.
From working with 20+ nonprofits the past couple years, I've seen the results. Here are a few recent boosts in search traffic from nonprofits who’ve focused on SEO:
• Interstitial Cystitis Association: 300,000 increase in monthly search visitors
• National Pancreas Foundation: 737% increase in search traffic
• Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens: 94% increase in search traffic
Nonprofits often list growing their email list and raising more money as primary online goals. The overlooked first step in that process, though, is getting people to your website. Get more website visitors and the rest will follow. Especially the right kind of visitors, which SEO can find.
Nonprofits may think a high ranking for their organization name means SEO is going well. But that’s missing the point. Most nonprofits rank first for their name. The real value of SEO lies in finding visitors who are interested in your mission, but don’t know your organization.
So how can nonprofits better use SEO to increase their website traffic? If, like most nonprofits, you lack the time and expertise, take advantage of free SEO webinars that are geared specifically to nonprofits.
I’ll be hosting a free SEO webinar on June 17th at 1:00pm for the Luminate Community titled “SEO For Nonprofits: Where to Focus On.” Register now. I hope to see you there!
Google's recent mobile algorithm update has been a very good thing for nonprofits.
Not that nonprofits have been helped by the update, necessarily.
But it has forced them to take a closer look at their mobile experience and how well their website is optimized for search engines, also known as SEO.
Mobile experience was already on the radar of most nonprofits. Google's algorithm may have just accelerated their timelines to become more mobile friendly. (For more info what Google’s algorithm means to your nonprofit, Scott Gilman summarized it well.)
SEO, though, hasn't been on the radar of many nonprofits, until Google’s recent algorithm update. SEO mostly gets pushed behind other digital priorities, like email, social media, P2P and their website.
While nonprofits know SEO is important, they also almost always lack the expertise and time to work on it.
That isn't surprising. SEO is a huge industry, where the rules and algorithms change frequently. What was a best practice a few years or even a few months ago may no longer be true. The rise of local search, social indicators and the mobile experience are all recent examples of this.
To complicate matters further, most SEO best practices are geared to the for-profit world and dig in deeper than most nonprofits need. Even if a nonprofit staffer has time to devote to SEO, it's difficult to identify and prioritize areas to focus on.
SEO priorities can be very different for a nationally-focused medical research organization vs. a local hospice nonprofit.
So should nonprofits continue ignoring SEO? Absolutely not.
Nonprofits that prioritize SEO can see a significant boosts in web traffic. Why? Since most nonprofits don't focus on SEO, the ones that do have an advantage. Their website is better optimized, local SEO is stronger and social plays a more important role.
From working with 20+ nonprofits the past couple years, I've seen the results. Here are a few recent boosts in search traffic from nonprofits who’ve focused on SEO:
• Interstitial Cystitis Association: 300,000 increase in monthly search visitors
• National Pancreas Foundation: 737% increase in search traffic
• Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens: 94% increase in search traffic
Nonprofits often list growing their email list and raising more money as primary online goals. The overlooked first step in that process, though, is getting people to your website. Get more website visitors and the rest will follow. Especially the right kind of visitors, which SEO can find.
Nonprofits may think a high ranking for their organization name means SEO is going well. But that’s missing the point. Most nonprofits rank first for their name. The real value of SEO lies in finding visitors who are interested in your mission, but don’t know your organization.
So how can nonprofits better use SEO to increase their website traffic? If, like most nonprofits, you lack the time and expertise, take advantage of free SEO webinars that are geared specifically to nonprofits.
I’ll be hosting a free SEO webinar on June 17th at 1:00pm for the Luminate Community titled “SEO For Nonprofits: Where to Focus On.” Register now. I hope to see you there!
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Blackbaud Luminate Online® Blog
06/14/2015 12:42am EDT
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