You\u2019ve done the work of optimizing your website for collecting online donations\u2014now, how do you make sure both existing and new supporters end up on your website?<\/p>\n
There are many ways to drive traffic to your website, both online and offline, and you\u2019ve probably already tried many of them. The two you simply should not ignore are\u00a0email marketing<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0search engine optimization<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Why? Both can be done either freely or cheaply and have the potential to drive qualified, interested visitors to your website and have an impact on your bottom line. Even better, you don\u2019t need to be an expert to simply get started. Once you start, there\u2019s a lot you can do to make slow, steady improvements and drive more donations. Read on to learn more.<\/p>\n \u200d<\/p>\n Occasionally you\u2019ll hear someone say email marketing is a thing of the past, but it\u2019s not! You can look for proof in the average inbox. First, brands and organizations invest in email marketing, no matter if they\u2019re targeting young or old, and across nearly every other demographic under the sun. Second, the reason you get emails so frequently from big brands, eCommerce shops, and other charities is that every time they send them \u2013 they\u2019re making money! Here are \u00a03 critical pieces every successful charitable email marketing program needs to consider.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hopefully, you\u2019ve already been collecting email addresses from donors, volunteers, and other supporters. If you haven\u2019t, it\u2019s easy to start right now. Here are some ways to grow your list of email addresses:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is so much you can do with email marketing, but the best place to start is with a basic plan and some key emails.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u200d<\/p>\n Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) is critical to reaching both those who already know about your charity and those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n When it comes to those who already know about your charity, the reality is that fewer and fewer people bother typing in a web address and, instead, use Google to find what they\u2019re looking for. Some of the most popular search terms are, in fact, website addresses most of us know like Facebook or YouTube.<\/p>\n Furthermore, you want to make sure your charity shows up when someone searches for something related to your mission. For instance, if someone sees a news story about homelessness in their community and wants to learn how they can help, they might start by searching \u201chow to help the homeless\u201d. If that is what your charity does, you want your website to be one of the first results they see!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In some ways SEO can be quite complicated, there are highly sought after experts and very sophisticated strategies you can employ. But, the basics of ranking in SEO are not hard to get started with.<\/p>\n There are three pillars of SEO, and while you can get very advanced with each, there are some basics you can start on right now:<\/p>\n Technical:\u00a0<\/strong>Essentially, how your site is coded can have an impact on whether you rank or not. If you use a common content management system or online tool to build your website, you\u2019re probably already on the right track, as most are built with SEO in mind. Two technical elements that can impact your ranking is how quickly your website loads and how mobile-friendly your website is, the better your site is in both of these areas, the more likely you are to rank. To see where you stand in terms of how mobile-friendly you are, try the\u00a0Google Mobile Friendly Test<\/a>.<\/p>\n Content:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cKeywords\u201d are a core piece of the content you publish, and serve as the main way that a search engine ranks your website relative to others. Not only should the keywords you want to rank for appear on your website, your most critical words should also be used in headlines, sub-headings, and links throughout your website. You\u2019ll also want to include keywords in your page\u2019s meta-tags, so they show up as your page\u2019s title and what is called the meta description. Again, most common tools to build websites allow you to easily edit these or tell your webmaster what content you want to add to the meta-title and meta-descriptions.<\/p>\n Link building:\u00a0<\/strong>In the eyes of a search engine, such as Google, external links to your website will build your authority and increase the likelihood your site will rank when a relevant keyword is searched. How do you increase the number of links to your site? List your charity in trusted, relevant directories related to the services you offer, look for opportunities to be featured in local media or relevant blogs, or offer to write an article or guest post on someone else\u2019s website. If you find your charity is ever mentioned favourably on another website but isn\u2019t linked, write a note to the webmaster and simply ask if they can add a link.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is critical to decide when you want your charity\u2019s website to show up, or rank, in a user\u2019s Google search results. What are the possible words someone might be searching that relate to your charity? The kinds of keywords you want to rank for might relate to your cause, the services or programs you offer, or your mission. Once you have a list of keywords, it will give you a sense of where to focus next. Here are some ideas to get you started:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you decide which keywords you want to rank for, you need to ensure you have relevant content on your website that contains these keywords. Many of your highest-priority keywords, including your charity name and the specific cause you support, will be on your homepage. But you\u2019ll start to think of additional opportunities as you consider your list of keywords. A few places to get started:<\/p>\n If you expect someone to land on these pages from an online search, ensure that if someone lands on these pages they\u2019ll see the information they\u2019re looking for, and you have provided them with a clear ask or next step to keep them engaged.<\/p>\n To learn more about these essentials and more, watch this CanadaHelps SEO Webinar featuring guest experts, on-demand.<\/p>\n SEO may seem intimidating at first, but you\u2019ll likely already find that you rank for some of the most critical keywords. That being said, the strategy above is really about looking for strategic opportunities to rank for new keywords and ensuring you\u2019re following some starting best practices. At the core, it\u2019s about building a well-coded website, creating compelling and relevant content, and building relationships with others who want to help ensure your success.<\/p>\nEmail Marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Build your email list<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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2. Start planning and get started with key emails<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. Incorporate email best practices to ensure your success
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Search Engine Optimization<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. The big question: how to rank in SEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Considerations for SEO: Choosing the right keywords<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. Considerations for SEO: Where do you want visitors to go?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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