SEO for nonprofits: 12 ways to grow your online presence

Landing a coveted first-page spot on search engines can spike traffic to your site—and that could lead to a major boost in donations.

But how do you get there? The answer is SEO.

If search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t part of your nonprofit marketing toolkit yet, now’s the time to start. Below, we explain what SEO for nonprofits is and how you can use it to increase your visibility with potential donors and supporters.

12 steps to succeeding at SEO for charities 

While Google’s algorithm is always evolving to provide a better user experience, there are still a few tried-and-true nonprofit SEO tips for landing that top spot on search engine results pages (SERPs).

1. Make great content ✏️

Search engines aim to help users find answers quickly and confidently. That means what’s best for the reader is also best for your charity’s SEO.

To create content that Google recognizes as accurate and well-informed, focus on creating copy that is:

• Free of errors ✅
• Conversational in tone ✅
• Clear and concise ✅
• Easy to scan and read ✅
• Aligned with your brand ✅
• Not stuffed with keywords and jargon ✅

⭐ Tip: Enhance your content’s design with images, graphics, and charts. Visual elements not only make your content more engaging, but they can also earn you valuable backlinks when others link to your charts and graphs as a resource.

2. Improve your site speed 🏃

Content isn't the only ranking factor that impacts nonprofit SEO. According to Google's Core Web Vitals, site speed is directly correlated to the overall user experience of your website and, therefore, your rankings. 

To improve your site speed:

• Resize images to fit your content management system (CMS)
• Compress images to under 100kb
• Assess issues related to plugins, ads, and even custom fonts
• Ensure your site is mobile-friendly

Don’t forget to optimize for both desktop and mobile visitors

While 52% of nonprofit website traffic comes from mobile devices, a massive 78% of revenue happens on desktops. Make the experience seamless across both, and your supporters will journey from passive readers to active donors.

⭐ Tip: Use the PageSpeed Insights tool to uncover any speed issues—and learn how to fix them.

3. Do your keyword research 🔍

Though every charity would love to rank for broad target keywords like “nonprofit,” those search terms are highly competitive. So, what SEO keywords for nonprofits should you be targeting, and how do you find them?

Longer-tail keywords, such as "volunteer opportunities in Kansas City" or "medical volunteer opportunities near me," are often a better bet. Location- or interest-based phrases are more specific and likely to draw the right audience.

Use SEMrush to uncover high-impact keywords:

1. Open the Keyword Magic Tool 
2. Enter a relevant phrase (e.g. “volunteer opportunities in Kansas City”) 
3. Filter by keyword difficulty, volume, or question-based terms 
4. Export your keyword list and build content around the best-fit opportunities 

Focus on crafting pieces that answer your audience's questions or interests. Incorporate top keywords naturally, ensuring your content is both discoverable and enjoyable. — Bryan Acosta, Givebutter Expert and CEO and Co-Founder of Advent Trinity

⭐ Tip: SEMrush’s Keyword Difficulty (KD%) score shows how competitive a term is—look for opportunities with medium to low difficulty and strong search intent.

4. Use the right formatting ✍

While keyword research and strong writing are essential, how your content is formatted can also make or break whether it ranks.

Follow these technical SEO guidelines:

• Word count 💬 Unpack an important topic in its entirety, whether that takes 400 words or 1,400. Quality beats length.
• Linking 🖇️ Always link to the original source when using stats or direct quotes.
• Alt text 🖼 Add alternative text for all images, which is a brief description of the image shown to visitors using screen readers or when an image is broken.
• Descriptions and titles 📚 Create a custom meta description and SEO title for every post to entice readers to click your link on the Google search results page.
• Headings 🔢 Include headings and subheadings for readability, and remember to maintain the heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3).
• Layout 🎨 Break up long paragraphs with bullets, whitespace, and even emojis to keep the page visually engaging.

5. Invest in a link-building strategy 🔗

Google rewards websites that have high "authority," meaning they're known to publish high-quality content and are trusted by other websites on the internet. 

Over time, publishing helpful, educational content will organically earn backlinks to your nonprofit’s website. These inbound links influence your domain authority (DA)—a rating of how reliable and authoritative your site is. 

Gaining backlinks will happen naturally if you create and share great content. However, there are a few ways you can help speed up the process: 

• Guest blogging ✍️ Invite industry peers or thought leaders to write guest blogs for your website—and share on their own channels. Repeat the process, but with you as the guest expert on others’ websites.
• Internal links 🤝 Add a handful of links to your own website's content within every blog post you write. Use anchor text—the words that are linked—that matches the topic of the blog post you’re linking to.
• Outreach 👋 Reach out to relevant websites and politely ask them to mention and link to your content.

⭐ Tip: Keep your page URLs short and make sure they include your focus keyword. Example: “/volunteering-in-texas”

6. Match the user’s search intent 🎯

To earn clicks from search engines, your content needs to align with what users are actually searching for, hence the name “search intent.”

Before you begin writing, look at the top results for your chosen keyword. Compare them to figure out what the ideal piece of content would look like for the user, based on: 

• Word count 📄 Is it a long, 3,000 word blog post or a shorter 1,000 word piece?
• Number of list items ➕ In a listicle-style post, how many items are included?
• Content type 💼 Is it an in-depth guide, a how-to, or a simple overview?
• Title and meta description 💡 Does the title feel clear and useful? What about the meta description?

Creating content that aligns with what’s already ranking can boost your chances of showing up in search results. It’s great to stand out—but not if your content feels off-topic from what users expect to see.

7. Embed video content 🎥

Nonprofits are often experts at sharing their passion and impact, which suits video content perfectly. If you’re already making videos (or plan to), don’t forget to embed them on your website.

Adding video content to your website can: 

• Support your authority 🏆 Position yourself as an expert with a thoughtful, data-backed video.
• Increase engagement and time-on-page 🎉 Someone watching an embedded video will stay on your page longer, signaling value to search engines.
• Boost views on your video 📺 Showcase your video to an audience that might not see your YouTube channel.

⭐ Tip: Check out our guide on how to create a fundraising video for tips and ideas.

Givebutter is the easiest and best platform we have found. It's easy to integrate into our website, emails, and social media. — Givebutter review, Susan L.

8. Check out the competition 👀

Nonprofits don’t usually think of other organizations as competitors—but in the case of ranking in the first few spots in Google, they are. If you want to “beat” the competition, you first need to understand what they’re doing.

The goal isn’t to copy your competitors. Instead: 

• Understand what works ✔️ If a competitor ranks highly for a specific search term, examine their content. What are they doing well? What draws you in?
• Look for content gaps 🔍 Even if it looks like someone is dominating the search results, there’s always somewhere that you can break through. Is there a topic they haven’t covered yet? A fresh angle you could offer?
• Identify opportunities for collaboration 🤝 If they’re winning at SEO, can you contribute a guest post to their blog or collaborate on content creation?

While you can’t fully understand a competitor’s SEO strategy simply from looking at their content, this research can help you spot opportunities to stand out or add more value to users.

9. Optimize for AI search 🤖

Everyone’s buzzing about ChatGPT—and for good reason. As large language models (LLMs) and AI search tools evolve, getting your nonprofit quoted as a source or suggested as a go-to website can help you reach a whole new audience.

Just as people are learning to improve their prompting skills, marketers should level up their GEO (generative engine optimization)—aka SEO for tools like ChatGPT.

It’s still early days, but here are a few easy ways to get in on the ground floor:

• Simplify your language 📕 Replace complex wording with conversational language—the kind of words that your target audience uses.
• Improve your content formatting 📄 Make it as easy for AI tools to understand your content by removing unnecessary formatting and adding structured data.
• Cite your sources 🔗 If you’re referencing statistics or research papers, make sure you link to them to provide credibility.
• Showcase your expertise 📣 Include author bios and credentials to demonstrate your authority on the topic.

Not much is known about how to influence showing up in LLM responses yet, so this is a new area to keep an eye on. In the meantime, focus on making high-quality, user-friendly content. 

⭐ Tip: Read this expert guide on generative engine optimization for a solid foundation on the topic.

10. Claim your business on Google 🌍

When it comes to search engine results pages (SERPs), location matters. For example, if your nonprofit is based in Des Moines, Iowa, you’re more likely to appear in search results if the person searching lives in that area. 

One of the easiest ways to improve local SEO is to claim your business on Google. With a Google My Business Profile, you can boost visibility on both Google Maps and search results.

Plus, it offers additional advantages, like:

• Extra chances to show up 📍 Your nonprofit can appear in local search results as part of the "places" results, often shown before websites, blog posts, and other URLs. 
• Publicizing your business hours ⏰ Clearly list your open and closed times, so users can find them quickly.
• Quick access to information 👀 Your profile will include links to your website, physical address, and more—all in one place.

11. Track your progress 📈

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. To discover which content is ranking well, it's essential to track your success. 

While there are plenty of SEO tools that nonprofits can use to analyze their progress, one of the most popular platforms is Google Analytics. You can track the source of traffic, the number of times a piece of content has been clicked on, and even what action a user is taking on your website. 

You can also use Google Search Console to understand how your website is showing up in search results.

⭐ Tip: Find even more fundraising and marketing tools in our nonprofit software roundup. 

12. Audit and update your content 🔄

SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” activity. The best results come when you commit to working on your SEO regularly. 

An easy way to do this is by setting a schedule (yearly, semi-annually, or quarterly) to run a simple audit that helps you:

• Analyze performance 📊 Is the content ranking well? Is it trending up or falling off?
• Evaluate the impact 📈 Can you track the number of volunteer signups, donations, or expressions of collaboration from this piece? 
• Compare against existing competition 🔎 Is it still a strong piece of content? Are competitors covering the topic more effectively?
• Add internal links 🔗 Could this page link to others on your website? Can other pages on your site link to this one?
• Enhance your content ✨ Can you add more data or link to new research? Can you create a new infographic or chart?

Want to boost your SEO and content like a pro? Research trending topics that get attention, use strong backlinks to elevate your content, and keep your content fresh with regular updates!— Kevin Watkins, Givebutter Expert and Founder and CEO of Farewell Media

Tackle all things SEO fundraising with Givebutter 🚀

When it comes to growing your nonprofit’s online presence, SEO is one of the most powerful tools you can use—and Givebutter helps you put it into action faster and more effectively.

With Givebutter, you can:

• Customize SEO settings for every campaign, form, or event page—including editable SEO title tags, meta descriptions, and preview images that improve how your pages appear in Google search results and on social media shares.
• Take advantage of Givebutter’s high domain authority to boost your own SEO visibility. Campaigns hosted on Givebutter benefit from strong domain trust, helping new or smaller nonprofits surface higher in search results.
• Strengthen your backlinks by linking back to your nonprofit’s website from your campaign page—supporting your site's authority and SEO growth over time.
• Embed rich media like photos, videos, and QR codes to boost user engagement, which increases time on page and signals higher content quality to search engines.
• Troubleshoot social media sharing with easy debugging instructions, making sure your latest SEO updates appear correctly when shared across platforms.

By using Givebutter’s built-in SEO tools, you can increase your nonprofit’s visibility, drive more organic traffic, and attract more donors—all without needing a developer or expensive SEO consultant. 

It's incredibly easy to set up and implement, with an intuitive interface that makes it accessible to everyone on our team. The platform offers a fantastic range of features and integrates seamlessly with our website, allowing us to streamline our fundraising processes. — Givebutter review, Matt H.

Sign up for a free Givebutter account and start growing your impact today—with powerful tools that help you get seen, get clicks, and get results.

Nonprofit SEO FAQs

Have a question about SEO for nonprofit organizations? Here are some questions we see the most, along with our best advice on the topic.

What are the 4 types of SEO?

The four types of SEO are:

• On-page SEO: Covers your content and keywords 
• Off-page SEO: Relates to your authority and backlinks 
• Technical SEO: Focuses on site speed and structure 
• Local SEO: Helps with location-based optimization 

What is the 80/20 rule for SEO?

Some marketers apply the Pareto principle to SEO, saying that 20% of your efforts will deliver 80% of your results. You could use this to focus your attention on high-value pages, then optimize the rest after you’ve completed work on your main focus.

What is the golden rule of SEO?

The golden rule of SEO is to put your users at the center of what you do, not search engines. Experts believe that creating good content and showcasing your authority will naturally help earn you traffic through search engines, and that user-focused tactics are more effective (and sustainable) than “black hat” SEO techniques that are frowned upon by search engines.

Which techniques should be avoided in SEO?

Savvy nonprofit marketers know there are some tactics you should avoid, but this list can change as trends do and search engines further refine their algorithms. SEO techniques to avoid include:

• Keyword stuffing
• Cloaking
• Paid backlinks
• Hidden text
• Low-quality guest posts

What are some common SEO mistakes?

SEO is constantly evolving, which means that mistakes are common in SEO, including: 

• Ignoring technical aspects like site speed and mobile optimization
• Using low-quality links 
• Duplicating content
• Skipping keyword research 
• Not tracking analytics

What is SEO for nonprofits?

Search engine optimization (SEO) for nonprofits is the process of creating and optimizing web content so it’s more likely to be shown on search engines like Google. 

Your audience is already searching for solutions that you provide. When you create and optimize your content for SEO, you can help them find those answers—and become loyal supporters in the process.

Just like social media or email marketing, SEO for charities should be a central part of your nonprofit marketing strategy. Without it, you risk leaving donor dollars on the table. And with 44% of nonprofit site visitors arriving via organic search, that could be a lot of donations left behind.