Boost Your Nonprofit’s Profile with Local SEO Strategies
The race to connect with new donors and volunteers is very competitive!
For nonprofit organizations, the race to connect with new donors and volunteers can be every bit as competitive as the situation faced by for-profit businesses looking to attract customers. This is especially true for smaller, locally focused nonprofits trying to build a standout marketing strategy while contending with larger, better funded organizations occupying a similar niche.
This is where a digital marketing plan that incorporates a robust local SEO strategy can have a major impact. Focusing on local SEO can help give smaller organizations an edge in efforts to connect with local audiences, raise awareness of fundraisers and events, and build a base of support in the community.
Local SEO strategies fall into two major categories – on-site, and off-site – and a fully realized search optimization plan will use both to maximize results. Let’s take a look at both major types of local SEO, starting with a quick overview of a few on-site strategies designed to help your website rank higher in local search…
Create useful, authoritative web content that incorporates relevant local keywords. Since you probably won’t want to change your homepage content too often, starting a blog can be a great way to populate your site with fresh content that will be picked up by search engines.
Make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices – with mobile users accounting for a bigger share of web traffic with each passing year, a mobile-optimized site is increasingly vital to SEO success.
Optimize “under the hood” with appropriate tags and meta descriptions. These small details are invisible to users, but make a big difference in how search engines make sense of your site.
Consider optimizing for voice search. It’s still an emerging technology, but getting ahead of the curve now can position your organization to reap the benefits moving forward.
Of course, on-site SEO is only half the picture. Off-site SEO looks beyond the confines of your website, leveraging the power of the social web to boost your organization’s profile in local search. Let’s look at some off-page strategies for local SEO…
Claim and optimize your listing on Google My Business and other relevant online directories, and make sure any existing directory listings for your organization are accurate, up-to-date, and consistent.
Work to build backlinks from relevant, trusted sites. There are a variety of strategies to build backlinks, from blogging, to networking with other local organizations or businesses that share your goals.
Encourage supporters to leave online reviews. It’s not just for businesses; online reviews can boost your nonprofit too, bolstering your image and helping to project a sense of legitimacy and trustworthiness.
With a well-rounded marketing plan that makes the most of on-site and off-site strategies to boost your organization’s search ranking, you’ll be better positioned to build support and promote your vital mission in the community you care about.
Ready to boost your nonprofit’s profile with a new local SEO strategy? Contact us at Rosie’s Creative today. Your first consultation is always free!