What do your local religious centers, cultural centers and food banks all have in common? Besides a desire to help people, these and other local entities are likely some of the 1.6 million organizations in the U.S. that are classified as nonprofits.
These organizations aren’t returning a profit to a set of stockholders or a board, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have many of the same challenges that other organizations do. They even have challenges that are entirely unique. This is particularly true when it comes to getting their search engine optimization (SEO) right.
3 common challenges nonprofits face
There are many challenges that nonprofits may face when trying to help the community around them. Some of the most common of these challenges include:
1.Having trouble promoting themselves.
Nonprofit organizations often have very limited resources. Unfortunately, that means that they don’t have the money to do a lot of physical or digital marketing. This lack of ability to promote the nonprofit can lead to other significant challenges.
2. Having difficulty boosting donation numbers.
Unlike a commercial business, nonprofits may not have or be able to afford to give physical products back to those who donate money to them. Most nonprofits are limited to selling some form of idea, such as helping local animals or the hungry. Many donors may not even have a chance to see the good that their donation does.
3. Struggling to bring in volunteers.
Many nonprofit organizations rely heavily on volunteers to accomplish their day-to-day tasks. However, there may be a fierce competition for volunteers in any given area. This is especially true if there are a lot of nonprofits in the area. Without a steady stream of volunteers, many nonprofits will find that their ability to accomplish their stated mission is diminished.
How SEO can help address the challenges nonprofits face
SEO is designed to help businesses, nonprofits and other organizations boost their visibility in search engine results. One benefit that SEO has over other forms of digital marketing, like pay-per-click ads, is that it has a low cost. If a nonprofit can pull in a volunteer who is familiar with content marketing SEO or technical SEO, it might even cost them nothing.
Here are some specific ways that SEO for nonprofits can help these organizations meet their common challenges:
- SEO can supercharge a nonprofit’s ability to promote itself.
Making a few changes can help boost the SEO of a nonprofit’s website, especially if the other nonprofits in the area haven’t taken the time to do the same. One potential result of even minor SEO improvements can be a higher position in search results. In turn, this translates into improved visibility for your website and ultimately your organization as a whole.
- SEO can help raise a nonprofit’s donation numbers.
Greater visibility through SEO upgrades to a nonprofit’s website can also affect donations. The enhanced visibility can help drive more people to your website. They will then have the opportunity to learn more about what your organization does. That knowledge combined with an optimized donor journey can help encourage more people to donate to your nonprofit.
- SEO can help get people excited about your cause.
It’s no secret. People are often more willing to work hard for something they’re excited about. SEO can help shine a spotlight on what your nonprofit is doing and help increase excitement and awareness of your cause. Not only can this excitement prompt more donations, it can also prompt people to volunteer to help your organization in some capacity.
Is your nonprofit organization starving for great SEO? BURG+CO. can help
Increasing traffic to your website plays a role in increasing donations and bringing in new volunteers. However, it’s difficult to accomplish these goals through SEO when you don’t know what to do. Fortunately, SEO is one of the digital services we specialize in at BURG+CO.
Our team has years of experience in helping many types of organizations improve their digital presence, generate excitement about their organization, and boost their digital and physical traffic. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more visitors to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help. Contact our team today for more information about SEO or our other digital marketing services or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
