Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website

and easy way to help out. You will want to adjust your SEO plan accordingly, giving

extra effort to link-building.

And what is even better than inbound links from other sites? How about some fabu-

lous “site of the day” awards from major web presences like Yahoo! and

USAToday.com? “Site of the day” editors are always on the lookout for worthy sites,

and nonprofits are in a perfect position to tap into this source of visibility and traffic.

It’s helpful—but not necessary—if you have something new on your site to show off.

Be sure to include some time in your SEO Plan for building that “site of the day”

potential. Sure, it’s a little like winning the lottery of SEO, but for you, it’s worth a try.

Your odds are a lot better than for-profit sites’ odds.

Advantage: Simple Website Structure

And there’s more good news: some of the charac-

teristics that might, at first glance, seem like disadvantages for nonprofits are actually

not so bad. Oftentimes nonprofits are short on cash but have plenty of untrained man-

power available. Using your as management and training time for a small

team of sharp-witted college students might just be the SEO strategy that brings you to

the top. Another “problem” that might not be as bad as you think: an old website.

That’s right, your cruddy old 1999 website was probably built using no Flash, little

JavaScript, and an absence of dynamic bells and whistles. Well, guess what? Those are

just the things that can send

search engine spiders

packing anyway! A “classic” all-text

site can be just the ticket for getting noticed by the search engines. Before you make

any changes, make sure you aren’t in an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” situation.

Advantage: Less PPC Competition

Many nonprofits think that there’s no way that

they can survive in the competitive world of paid listings. However, there are a few

ways that you can, as a nonprofit, get your foot in the door. For one, it’s very possible

that the keywords that matter most to you are not the same words that commercial

organizations are vying for. After all, nobody’s out there selling “AIDS in China.” Even

better, both Google and Yahoo! offer free advertising programs for nonprofits. Be sure

to check their websites for current programs and availability.

Challenge: Internal Issues

Internal disorganization, an overworked and underpaid

workforce, lack of funding, and lack of a clear bottom line could throw hurdles in the

way of Your SEO Plan. If you are a small operation, you may not even have a market-

ing department to manage the website. And without a clearly measurable bottom line,

it may be very hard for you to prove the value of your efforts. You will need to do

some creative thinking to figure out a way to get that ROI measured. Is there a specific

event that you can promote? A campaign or drive that can be earmarked as an SEO

testing ground? With any luck, your SEO campaign will be funding itself after a few

months of effort. You may be surprised to find that it becomes one of the most impor-

tant outreach venues your organization will use.

c02. 7:58 35