An overview of the basics of Search Engine Optimization for nonprofit organizations.

1. SEO for the NPO
(Search Engine Optimization for
the Non-Profit Organization)
A Firstgiving.com premium webinar
with David Karp
May 13, 2009
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

2. Before we start…
• Thank you for coming today!
• For sound:
– Turn on your computer’s speakers or plug in headphones (you
don’t need a microphone), or…
– Dial 916-233-3087 then code 240-759-769 (may be a toll call)
• Slides and a recording of this session will be available at
www.onlinefundraisingblog.com/SEO in a few days
• Ask your questions any time using the question tool; we
will answer as many as we can today, and post the rest
to www.onlinefundraisingblog.com/SEO
For sound, use your computer speakers or
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3. Agenda
• Assumptions
• What is SEO & how do search engines work?
• Increasing keyword density without guilt
• Content, frequency and blogging
• Building inbound links with community sites
• Resources & things you can do right now
• A minute about Firstgiving
• Q&A
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4. Assumptions
1. You’ve used search engines
2. You’ve got a website
3. You can change what’s on your website
(even if you have to pay or beg to do it)
• We will not be discussing…
• Buying ads or “paid search”
• How to write HTML
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5. How you manage your website
1% • 55% of you reported
20% 55% managing your site
with staff who also
have other jobs
• 13% dedicated staff
11% • 11% interns
• 20% outsource
13% • 1% no website
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6. What is SEO?
• SEO is Search Engine Optimization, the
practice of making websites more
attractive to search engines, or more
“findable” for searching users
• Isn’t that cheating?
– Taking steroids is cheating
– Exercise, practice, and
watching your opponents’
moves are smart sportsmanship
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7. How do search engines work?
It’s very simple… the internet goes in
through the portholes on the right and the
infinite monkeys turn the crank on the left
and the search results come out the spout in
your browser…
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8. No really, how do they work?
• They try to give the “best” search results
• By approximating how applicable your pages are
to a given search term by looking at…
– the words on your pages
– the links to your pages, and the words on the pages
linking to you
– how often your pages are updated
– how often searchers click on your listings
• Your site’s content is important, but so is its
freshness, reputation and connectedness
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9. First: figure out where you stand
• Come up with a list of keywords and
phrases you want to show up in
• Do the searches, see how you do, see
who else shows up
• Start with google, maybe add yahoo
• Try to keep to fewer than 12 terms
• This is your baseline, redo the searches
periodically to check your progress
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10. Search results anatomy
Features
Sponsored
Links
Paid Search
Natural Search Results
Advertising
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11. If you run frogpants.org…
Term Google Yahoo Notes
Frog pants 2 2 Frogpants.com is in the
top spot
Toad trousers 1 Gave up Thefrogblog.org is #3
after 2
pages
Tadpole pants 9 16
Pants for frogs 7 1 Frogpants.com is in the
top spot
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12. So, which levers can we control?
• the words on your pages
• how often your pages are updated
• the links to your pages,
– and the words on the pages linking to you
• how often searchers click on your listing
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13. The first two are easier to address
• the words on your pages
• how often your pages are updated
• the links to your pages,
– and the words on the pages linking to you
• how often searchers click on your listing
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14. The words on your page
• If you want to show up in searches for
certain words or phrases, you need to use
those words or phrases…
• But it still has to be natural, informative
and readable for humans
• The ratio of keywords to regular words on
your page is called keyword density –
aim for around 2%
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15. Increasing keyword density w/o guilt
• Aim for 3-5 placements of your keyword or
phrase on an average page
– Once each in the page title and URL
– Once in the first sentence or header(s)
– 1-3 times in the body copy, depending on
page length
• Don’t overdo it,
– Different keywords on different pages are fine
– Too much density looks like spam
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16. How many frog pants?
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17. 1 in title, 1 in URL, 2 in copy
(4 / 176 words total = 2.2% density)
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18. What’s the frequency?
• Search engines like fresh content like
people like fresh food
• How often does your website change?
• Do you have a news section that’s
updated frequently?
• Can you commit to updating some part of
your website at least weekly?
• How about a blog?
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19. Blogs are good for SEO
Search engines like NPOs like blogs
blogs because… because…
• Fresh content • Easy to publish
• Simple organization • Cheap or free
• Tags and categories • Instant community
• Easy to read • Search engines like
blogs
…but only if you use them wisely and write
them regularly!
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20. Blog tips
• Get your feet wet with a free blog at
www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com
– don’t upgrade or pay until you’re ready
• Remember your target keywords? Make
them categories on your blog!
• Commit to a publishing schedule
• Link to specific pages on your main
website in every post
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21. Blog example: URL and tags
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22. Blog: frequency & categories
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23. These two take more work to change
• the words on your pages
• how often your pages are updated
• the links to your pages,
– and the words on the pages linking to you
• how often searchers click on your listing
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

24. Increasing links to your site
• Ask for links!
– Easy enough to ask, but hard to get free
– Try to get links from sites that are more
influential than your own
• Build some links yourself!
– Advertising is one way ($$$$)
– But there’s another way, and you can do it
even if you can’t control your own website…
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call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

25. Almost free community link building
yourNPO.org
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26. Build a network of communities…
youtube.com/yourNPO
twitter.com/yourNPO yourNPO.blogspot.com
yourNPO.org
flickr.com/photos/yourNPO facebook.com/123456789
firstgiving.com/yourNPO
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27. …and link to your site and eachother
youtube.com/yourNPO
twitter.com/yourNPO yourNPO.blogspot.com
yourNPO.org
flickr.com/photos/yourNPO facebook.com/123456789
firstgiving.com/yourNPO
For sound, use your computer speakers or
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28. Building and linking is nice
• But you have to maintain good, fresh
content on your community network sites
to get the best SEO impact!
• Create a content plan and update
schedule…
youtube.com/yourNPO
• Which sites? twitter.com/yourNPO yourNPO.blogspot.com
• How often?
• Who’s responsible flickr.com/photos/yourNPO facebook.com/123456789
for it? firstgiving.com/yourNPO
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29. Content is not just for robots
• Remember, these community network
sites are also places your supporters visit
• Write for people first
• Mind your keywords
• Link smart youtube.com/yourNPO
twitter.com/yourNPO yourNPO.blogspot.com
• The SEO will follow
flickr.com/photos/yourNPO facebook.com/123456789
firstgiving.com/yourNPO
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30. A link is not just a link
• The text of a link tells people and robots a
little about what to expect – don’t waste it!
• A missed opportunity:
• “To learn more, visit our website here.”
• Not too bad:
• “Visit the frogpants website to learn more.”
• More informative and keywordful:
• “Visit our site to learn more about pants for frogs
and trousers for toads.”
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

31. How often searchers click on your listing
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32. Adjusting your listing
• An inexact science – search engines often
create their own listings on the fly
• Make sure your title is descriptive
• Make the first few lines of copy count
• Search results often capture the words
near the search terms
• The old <META description> tag is
sometimes but not always used
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33. Don’t look out for number one
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34. Don’t look out for number one
• Don’t obsess over getting the #1 result
for your keywords
• The extra effort to get #1 isn’t worth it
• Work on getting placed somewhere in
the top half of the first page of results
• Realize that some searches are very,
very competitive
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35. Some resources
• There are lots of books
• And useful websites too:
• www.SearchEngineWatch.com
• www.WebPosition.com
• www.SEOmoz.org
• Google webmasters tools:
– http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

36. Things to do right now
• Choose your keywords and check your
search standing
• Add more useful content to your site with
your keywords in it
• Update your content frequently (blog?)
• Start building inbound links with
community sites
• Be patient!
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

37. And now, a minute about Firstgiving
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38. Firstgiving is the leading social platform
for fundraising for any nonprofit cause.
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39. We give everyday people tools to raise
money for causes that matter to them.
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40. 25,070 organizations
have raised $95,581,207
online with the help of
1,778,058 supporters and
Firstgiving.com
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41. Person-to-Person Fundraising
Your NPO Supporters = Fundraisers Friends & Family = Donors
• Your supporters make personalized appeals
• Your supporters leverage their social networks
• Give power to the people who want to do more
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769

42. Thank you and Q&A
Ask your questions using the question tool in the toolbar
and we’ll answer as many as we can live
Slides are posted now at
www.onlinefundraisingblog.com/SEO
we’ll add recording, Q&A, etc. in a few days
Next up: Smart fundraising for the summer slump, May 20
and Fundraising with Facebook, June 17
Get in touch: (617) 591-2121 or webinars@firstgiving.com
For sound, use your computer speakers or
call 916-233-3087 code 240-759-769