The challenges faced by non-profit organizations are plentiful, since the name of the game is to budget accordingly without focus on a bottom line. Usually, this means non-profits have less resources at their disposal, especially in terms of advertising. Adding to this problem is many non-profits rely on donations, awareness and public support to remain functional. How can they get their message across without an ad budget, if one even exists?
Fortunately, the internet spreads messages for those pinching pennies. Blogs, free websites and other options are available to everyone, including non-profits. The trick, of course, is utilizing these services to their full advantage.
This is where SEO comes in. While it’s easy to create a social media post about a non-profit’s latest goal, it’s not particularly effective if no one sees it. Therefore, SEO (search engine optimization) is all about making sure posts, media and updates related to a non-profit’s website are discoverable. To have any measure of success in the online world, SEO is mandatory, regardless of an organization’s goals.
Since the internet is loaded with sheer information, only popular or recognizable terms appear in search bars or frequently visited places. On top of that, SEO is constantly evolving. Long gone are the days where simply saturating pages or posts with certain terms was enough to increase ranking in a Google search. Today, everything from phrases, images, and links play a role in how a website is recognized. This is because websites have grown in complexity, so without optimization, search engines might ignore entire parts of a site because of how it was created.
To emphasize this, most non-profits are driven by a message or goal. Therefore, it’s crucial to get the word out to potentially interested people. If, again, a website isn’t SEO optimized, these messages often go unnoticed. For example, let’s say a non-profit has daily updates about current projects to those who subscribe to their site. If this information is behind a login window, search engines can’t recognize or go beyond it. If a website has various links or contains various errors in text, a basic search engine query will usually miss it. SEO basically reigns all this data in, creating an efficient and discoverable web zone.
Lastly, SEO hits two hugely important things for non-profits: cost savings and mobile marketing. An enormous portion of data is accessed through smartphones, tablets, or whatever the newest mobile device is. Lacking SEO means people browsing the web will never catch wind of a non-profit if it’s not properly optimized. On top of that, costs associated with traditional advertising are much higher in comparison to creating a functional, discoverable website. Without SEO, a non-profit is not only looking at higher prices for advertising, but is missing out on a gigantic chunk of potential visitors.
SEO can be overwhelming. It can also be tricky. Luckily, Stratosphere Networks is here to help. By contacting one of our experienced professionals, your business can learn about SEO essentials and how best to manage your online portions of business.
