Can My Site Rank Higher on Google?
Yes it can! You’ve probably heard the dreaded words “search engine optimization” or SEO a lot. The team at TechSoup held a great online event (and subsequent documentation) that describes what that really means (and what you can do to achieve better rankings). Here are the top things you can do to better your search ranking:
- Having a “good” site
- Finding out what keywords and phrases people use to find sites like yours.
Using the keywords and phrases on your site as much as possible AND still using good English - Submitting to as many search engines and directories as possible.
The short answer though, isn’t about technology, it’s about marketing, testing, and research. Back in the day, you could “trick” the search engines by typing the name of your nonprofit over and over again in the keyword section of your website. Not only did the search engines get wise to that - they became adept at punishing folks that cheat!
Today, you have to use keywords properly, and you have to encourage links to your site. Short of that, you have to pay a search engine (Google, Microsoft, Yahoo) to get better results.
I’m reminded a bit of fundraising and the ubiquitios “donate now” button, which many thought would revolutionize fundraising for our sector. The truth is - it didn’t. We discovered that while a donate now button can make it easier for some people to donate - you STILL had to bring them to your site, develop a relationship, and tell your story effectivly - both before and AFTER receiving a donation. And that is hard work!
So is optimizing your site. There aren’t any magic bullets or quick answers - but there are a lot of resources, including a local Seattle company called SEOMOZ -and they are providing a lot of free information regarding increasing your search rankings. The Seattle Times has an article about this local company, which is worth a read.
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