SEO for Charities How to Reach More Supporters Online

Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps charities connect with more donors, volunteers, and advocates by ensuring their website appears in relevant search results. When people search online for causes like yours, an optimised website increases the chance your message will be seen. This guide breaks down the essentials of SEO for charities, offering practical steps to boost your online visibility and support your mission.

What Is SEO for Charities?

SEO is the process of improving your website so search engines can find and prioritisez your content when people search for topics related to your cause. For charities, this means making it easier for people who want to help, whether by donating, volunteering, or learning more, to discover your organization online.

A well-ranking website allows you to engage more people without relying heavily on paid advertising. By improving technical performance, content quality, and site structure, your website becomes a powerful tool for raising public awareness and growing your supporter base.



Why Your Charity Needs Higher Search Rankings

Appearing near the top of search engine results pages means:

More visibility
Increased trust and credibility
Greater supporter engagement, donations, volunteer sign-ups, campaigning, and more

Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console help you track how people find and interact with your site, allowing you to make smart improvements that deliver long-term value.

SEO Basics You Should Know

Search engines decide rankings using automated systems that consider:

  • Content relevance — Does your page answer the searcher’s question?

  • Website quality — Is your site trustworthy and informative?

  • User experience — Does your site load fast and work well on mobile?

Understanding key elements will help:

TermWhat it Means
CrawlersBots that scan and index your website
AlgorithmsRules that determine rankings
User Experience (UX)Navigation, speed, accessibility, design

Getting Set Up for SEO Success

Strong SEO starts with a strong website. Focus on:

  • Fast loading speeds

  • Clear navigation and menus

  • Mobile-friendly design

  • Good technical setup (metadata, headings, internal links)

Next, identify keywords your audience uses when searching for causes like yours using tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Ahref. Incorporate these terms naturally into:

  • Page titles and descriptions

  • Headings

  • Blog content

  • Donation or campaign pages

Setting Website Goals That Support Your Mission

Think about what success looks like for your charity:

  • More online donations?

  • Growth in volunteers?

  • Better awareness of key issues?

Track metrics that reflect these goals, email sign-ups, donation form completions, and return visits to measure progress and refine your SEO strategy.

Keyword Research: Where SEO Begins

Good SEO depends on choosing the right keywords. Start with broad terms related to your work, then include longer search phrases that show clear intent.

Example:

  • Short keyword: children’s charity

  • Long-tail keyword: how to donate to a children’s charity near me

Tips for success:

  • Use keywords naturally avoid “keyword stuffing”

  • Create content that answers real questions supporters ask

  • Monitor performance and adjust regularly

  • Analyse competitor keywords and fill content gaps they’ve missed

Keeping keyword research organised (e.g., with a spreadsheet) helps you track progress and make smart updates over time.

Creating Valuable Content

Quality content is essential for effective SEO. To rank well, focus on Google’s E-E-A-T principles:

  • Experience

  • Expertise

  • Authoritativeness

  • Trustworthiness

For charities, strong content may include:

  • Real-world impact stories

  • Expert guidance or resources

  • News updates and campaign information

  • Research reports and data

Write in a clear, friendly style and always consider what your audience wants to learn. Relevant, engaging content keeps visitors returning and boosts search performance.

On-Page SEO: Optimising Every Page

On-page SEO helps search engines understand what your content is about. Key elements include:

Title Tags

Unique and keyword-focused, ideally 50–60 characters.

Meta Descriptions

Short summaries with a call to action that encourage clicks.

Headings (H1, H2, H3…)

Help search engines and users follow your page structure.

Alt Text

Descriptive image labels that support accessibility and SEO.

Internal Links

Help users and search engines explore related content.

A well-structured page keeps users engaged increasing the time spent on your site, which supports higher rankings.

Local SEO for Charities

Local SEO boosts visibility for people nearby who want to get involved. To improve local reach:

  • Add location-specific keywords

  • Keep your Google Business Profile updated

  • Join local directories and listings

  • Encourage positive online reviews

This helps you grow a stronger local supporter base.

Off-Page SEO: Building Authority Beyond Your Website

Off-page SEO focuses on your reputation and credibility online. The primary goal is to gain high-quality backlinks to your site from trusted sources.

Effective strategies:

Link Building

Create content others want to reference guides, reports, stories, infographics.

Community Participation

Engage in online conversations and partnerships that naturally generate links.

Social Media

Share website content to increase reach and referral traffic.

Digital PR

Pitch newsworthy stories to journalists and bloggers for media coverage.

Guest Blogging & Interviews

Appear on respected platforms and podcasts — with links back to relevant pages.

Online Reviews

Encourage reviews to build confidence and local search authority.

Each credible link improves visibility and trust in your organisation.

Technical SEO: Behind-the-Scenes Improvements

Search engines must be able to access and understand your website. Key steps include:

  • Ensure mobile optimisation

  • Fix broken links and 404 errors

  • Maintain a clear site structure

  • Use structured data (Schema Markup)

  • Submit and update your XML sitemap

These improvements help search engines crawl and index content more easily.

Measuring SEO Success

Track performance using:

  • Google Analytics 4 — insights into user engagement and conversion paths

  • Google Search Console — visibility, clicks, and search term performance

Monitor key metrics like:

  • Organic traffic

  • Time on site

  • Conversions (donations, sign-ups)

  • Search ranking positions

Use the data to refine what’s working and adjust what isn’t.

Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits

Eligible charities can access up to £7,000 ($10,000 USD) per month in free Google Search advertising. This can significantly increase exposure for:

  • Donation campaigns

  • Fundraising events

  • Volunteer recruitment

  • Awareness initiatives

Make sure ads target specific pages aligned with your goals for best results.

Content Marketing: Taking SEO Further

SEO and content marketing go hand in hand. By publishing helpful, high-quality content across formats such as:

  • Videos

  • Infographics

  • Podcasts

  • Guides and resources

…you can reach people at each stage of their journey from awareness → interest → action. Strong content builds backlinks, strengthens authority, and boosts search results long-term.

How We Do Stories Can Help

As a specialist PR and digital agency for charities, We Do Stories can manage your SEO strategy from start to finish from goal-setting and keyword research to content creation and performance reporting. We also offer training and collaborative approval workflows so you stay in control.

Explore our success stories, and let’s discuss how we can help your charity grow online and reach more people who care about your cause.

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