If your organization has a website, it follows that you want people to be able to find it among the incredible maze of sites that exist out there. The process of “search engine optimization” (SEO) is all about this idea of how to make a website more “findable.” And while this can get pretty complicated and technical, simply following some basic guidelines can make a big difference in how often your website comes up in relevant searches.

Following are several ways to optimize your website’s online visibility:

• Select the right domain name.
• Use keyword groupings.
• Invite related websites to link to yours.
• Register your domain name with major search engines.
• Monitor site traffic.

Select the right domain name.

Selecting a domain name that is clearly related to who you are, what you do, and the area you serve is a great way to ensure that interested web surfers will find your site. However, if you are unable to obtain a domain name that clearly reflects your program, try to select a domain name that is easy to remember. Imagine that you are telling someone how to find your website; say it out loud to hear how it sounds.

Use keyword groupings.

When designing your website, create a basic theme for each page and apply keywords accordingly. For example, if you're a Foster Grandparents project in Smith County, New York, the word combinations "Foster Grandparents,""Smith County," and "New York" are all important: These are your keywords!

Once you determine the three or four most important keyword groupings for your homepage, be sure to include them in the first 25 words of the page. (Text needs to be in HTML, not in graphical format.) This information will orient visitors to your site and also let search engines know what the site is about. Then incorporate those same keyword groupings toward the bottom of the page as well; this tells the search engines that the page really does contain the content it "advertised" at the top.

Invite related websites to link to yours.

Most search engines use "relevancy ratings" based on how many pertinent sites link to yours; this establishes a website’s credibility and can result in pushing the most “relevant” websites to the top of someone’s search results. As an example, a Google search for "national service" returns the Corporation for National and Community Service site. This is primarily because the Corporation site is linked to more than 5,000 websites, most of which are related to national service. Try connecting with local government organizations, regional volunteer sites, newspapers, and others to get a link on their sites.

Register your domain name with major search engines.

Google and Yahoo are the most popular web search engines, so ensuring that your website is listed (or indexed) by them increases the odds your website will be found by those searching the web on terms related to what you do. Click on the following links for useful information on how to get noticed by the two most popular search engines:

• Google 101
• Google Webmaster Tools
• Yahoo’s Search Submit Basic
• Yahoo’s Submit Your Site
  

In addition to Google and Yahoo, you may find other smaller sites or directories that could help drive web traffic to your site; and be sure to ask about special pricing for nonprofits. Listing your organization at charity portals is another way to get discovered on the web; for more detail on this topic, see Accepting Online Donations.

Monitor Site Traffic

Your web host, Internet service provider, or system administrator should be able to make available a monthly site traffic report that indicates which web pages were viewed most, how visitors arrived at your site (e.g., from another website, a search engine, etc.), the search terms they used, and more. These reports can provide valuable insight that facilitates fine-tuning your search positioning, tracking progress of marketing efforts, and updating content.

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