By default, several marketing outlets are interruptive, designed to distract attention from a project, whether it is reading and responding to emails, perusing news posts, searching social feeds, listening to the radio, watching television, the list goes on. SEO is one of the few (the only) marketing platforms that serve to offer something first, rather than requesting before delivering.
While your primary objective could be to spread the word on a global level, by starting on a local one, you can bring a lot of benefits to your nonprofit. When users look for similar nonprofits in their city, local SEO, the practice of ranking in local search results, will improve your SERP rankings. However, your nonprofit must have clear listing data through your Google My Business to rank locally.
According to Google, over the last two years, searches for local locations without the use of "near me" have risen by 150%, indicating that they are increasingly expecting local results as people search. For those organizations willing to take advantage of it, this provides a powerful incentive. Non-profit marketers have the potential to target local markets through the' search and deliver' dynamic of SEO.
It's important to first understand what primary factors affect the local search engine rankings of your nonprofit organization before we dive in. Three key areas can be condensed into this: relevance, trust, and prominence.
Relevance: How well your website matches the search term the user is looking for. If Google determines that your business is a food delivery service, then your website is more likely to rank for the term "food delivery" than any other company that Google determines is a health non-profit.
Trust: Based on its reputation, how trustworthy Google thinks your company is. This could be determined by your number of reviews and ratings, or by the number of high-level websites that link to your website. The quantity and quality of reviews, the quality, and quantity of domain links, the domain age, and the quality of website content are some of how Google can determine its reliability.
Prominence: how much your organization appears on the internet. Examples may be a reference to your online nonprofit (for example, from a local news outlet) or a company listing on directory pages such as Great Nonprofits or Charity Navigator.
Local SEO Best Practice for Nonprofit Organization
Create a Google My Business page:
- Google accounts for 88% of all internet searches, so making the most of Google is important for your nonprofit to establish a strong online presence. Google has also reported that 46% of online searches have a local purpose, so doing what you can to enhance your non-profit local search presence can have a major impact on your business.
- Your non-profit is listed in Google Maps when you create a GMB profile, your chances of being listed in the local 3-pack of Google increase, and you are more likely to improve your overall local search rankings, meaning that you are identified by more people looking for your non-profit (or non-profits like yours).
- The first thing you want to do before you start claiming GMB pages is to collect and organize accurate location details, or "NAP" (name, address, phone number), for all your non-profit locations. When it comes to NAP, a few things to keep in mind:
- Always use your name for the real-world business: The name you mention here should fit the sign on your door, the collateral for your marketing, etc.
- Always use your address in the real world: To identify the venue, don't include details in the address line; stick to your mailing address.
- Using a local phone number vs. a call center helpline wherever possible.
The SEO crew at AXAT will get your rankings to the right position if you're in an SEO rut or don't have any SEO plan at all. We'll launch your plan with either a local or widespread campaign customized to your purpose, vision, and values, depending on your particular SEO objectives.