Setting Up Basic SEO for Beginners

How to Help People Find Your Nonprofit Online

What Is SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

SEO simply means making small improvements to your website so that search engines (like Google) can easily find, understand, and recommend your nonprofit to people searching online.

Good SEO = More Visibility = More Supporters.

You don’t need to be a tech expert to start.. just a few small steps go a long way!

Step 1: Use the Right Words (Keywords)

Think about what people would type into Google if they were looking for you.

Example Keywords for Nonprofits:

  • "Support foster care nonprofits near me"

  • "Donate to children’s hospital programs"

  • "Nonprofit helping homeless families in [City]"

Include important keywords naturally:

  • In your page titles

  • In your headings (H1, H2)

  • In your first paragraph of text

  • In your image file names and alt text

Step 2: Write Great Page Titles and Descriptions

Every page on your website should have:

  • A Title Tag (shows up in search results)

  • A Meta Description (a short 1–2 sentence summary)

Example:
Title Tag:

"Cuddles of Hope Foundation | Comforting Children in Need"

Meta Description:

"Cuddles of Hope Foundation provides stuffed animals to children facing medical emergencies and foster care challenges. Donate today!"

Keep Title Tags under 60 characters and Meta Descriptions under 155 characters.

Step 3: Make Your Website Easy to Navigate

Use clear menu labels like:

  • About Us

  • Programs

  • Get Involved

  • Donate

  • Contact

Every page should be reachable in one or two clicks from the homepage.

Add internal links (example: from your mission page to your volunteer page).

Step 4: Use Alt Text on Images

Alt Text = a short description of an image for accessibility and SEO.

Example Alt Text:

"Volunteer delivering comfort kits to children in hospitals"

Bonus: Google favors accessible websites, it’s good for SEO and for your mission!

Step 5: Make Sure Your Website Loads Fast and Looks Good on Mobile

Use compressed images (smaller file sizes) to speed up your site.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly! Over 50% of traffic is now from phones!

Free tools to check:

  • PageSpeed Insights (Google)

  • Mobile-Friendly Test

Step 6: Set Up Free Tools

Google Analytics to track who visits your site and what they do.
Google Search Console to see if your site has SEO errors and track your search performance.

Both are completely free and easy to install with basic instructions from Google.

Quick SEO Tips for Nonprofits:

·  Focus first on local SEO (add your city name in your content where appropriate).

·  Write clear, helpful content for humans first.. Google second.

·  Update your site regularly (new blog posts, event updates, program news).

·  Claim and update your Google My Business profile if you have a physical address.

Final Thought:

SEO isn’t about "tricking Google", it’s about making your mission easy to find for people who want to help.

Start simple. Stay consistent.
Over time, your nonprofit will show up when it matters most.