Top the Web Search Lists, Pt. 2

By Lance Trebesch, Taylor Robinson and Denise Moorehead

In Part 1 of Top the Web Search Lists, the authors outlined the basic steps – submitting your website to directories, listing keywords, and researching title and header tags – that lead to capturing a coveted top spot in Web search results. Here they provide recommendations beyond those first basic steps.

You can dramatically improve your Web search placement. According to NewScientistTech magazine, ranking high in search engine results makes money for businesses. Even some local, neighborhood stores are hiring search engine optimizers to increase their search rankings.

Making the top pages on Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc. is just as valuable for a non-profit organization, whether it’s to increase membership, rally activists, educate the public or raise funds. But few nonprofits are in a position to hire an SEO firm.

However, thanks to organizations like TechSoup, NTEN and resource sections on non-profit websites like ours, your nonprofit can learn how to capture prime top-page real estate for Web searches on issues and programs in which your organization has expertise.

What You Need to Know

Phase Two Objectives. Now that you’ve focused on directories, keywords and your website’s tags and titles, your next set of objectives involves implementing a sitemap and creating and maintaining a successful blog. 

Creating a Sitemap

Having a sitemap that connects the entire website will eliminate the need to have multiple links on the homepage and will make the pages more crawlable by search engine spiders. A sitemap’s purpose is to provide a central link hub for the website, allowing search engines or users to easily navigate the various pages.

Search engines recognize new pages by following links from existing pages, so having a sitemap will ensure all pages are indexed properly. While this will have no effect on the websites SEO campaign, it is an important element of any successful website and will also help when introducing a blog. To download software to create your own sitemap, visit Site Map Pro.

Developing a Blog 

As you know, a blog is basically an open forum where participants can discuss various topics. Your nonprofit can use them to tell readers about organization projects, outreach programs and upcoming events.  

For SEO purposes, a blog is beneficial because other sites and blogs link to read the content of your non-profit organization’s blog. Therefore, the website’s overall page ranking increases.  

However, blogs are not only important for SEO purposes, they are also excellent tools for program marketing and fundraising. They help your nonprofit convey your mission “from the heart.”  

Create your blog. Starting a blog is not only easy, but also inexpensive. There are dozens of free or nearly free services to create a blog including Blogger, Blog-City, EasyJournal, Blogeasy, Typead, Grey Matter, Userland or Movable Type. Simply follow their step-by-step instructions to create your own blog today. 

Use blog directories and related blogs. Once you have created a blog, you will need to spread the word about it. To do this, begin by submitting your blog to directories.  

Good blog directories include Technorati, Blogcatolog, Topblogarea and Bloghub. The directories will categorize your blog and make it available for others to read about it.  

Next, use one or more of the listed directories to find other blogs focused on similar topics. Identify what blogs are most closely related to your organization and read posts to gain a better understanding of blog format and writing style.  

One of the best ways to get new people looking at your blog is to post entries on other blogs with a link back to your own. About two-thirds of bloggers find their information by following links from other blogs.

However, bloggers do not appreciate worthless entries with the sole intention of back links. When you make a post, be sure to add something useful to the conversation and explain why your link will be worth following.  

Gain subscribers. Arguably, the greatest measure of blog success is the number of subscribers. Subscribers are usually consistent readers and often post entries onto the blog. The greater number of subscribers your blog has, the more easily you can promote an upcoming event or inform constituents of a recent projects success.  

According to Copyblogger’s article, “10 Effective ways to Get More Blog Subscribers,” you can increase the number of blog subscribers by making subscribing easy and obvious, having a clear, precise focus, and cross-promoting your blog with a group with a different (but related) focus. These are just a few of a number of great tips in the article.  

You will definitely want an RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) for your blog to allow subscribers to receive updates when you add new blog posts.  

Make your blog work for you. To learn more about how to put blogs to work for your organization, read Blog for a Cause (use your directional keys to move through the booklet online) or one of the many informational articles on Techsoup. For examples of other non-profit organizations that have successfully used blogs visit:

http://www.aspca.org/aspcablog/index.html

http://network.bestfriends.org/Blogs/

http://www.waterconserve.org/blog/water_conservation/

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blog/ 

Phase 2 Checklist

So your next steps to improving your nonprofit’s website ranking are to:

  1. Create a sitemap
  2. Find a blog provider
  3. Create your blog
  4. Visit topically relevant blogs and post entries
  5. Submit your blog to directories
  6. Get subscribers
  7. Research other ways to harness the power of your nonprofit’s blog

For more on search engine optimization, Top the Web Search Lists, read:

Lance Trebesch and Taylor Robinson are with TicketPrinting.com, an online technology company with expertise in the dynamic area of online marketing. Denise Moorehead is a staff member at TSNE. 

Want to be kept up-to-date on our latest articles? Sign up for the TSNe-Bulletin, a monthly e-newsletter providing tips and ideas to help you strengthen your nonprofit’s impact with and for the communities you serve.


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