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Tips for improving your site’s Search Engine Optimization…

1. Do the domain name and overall link names throughout the site make sense and incorporate keywords when possible?
2. Is the name of the organization written near the top of the home page in true text (v. just a logo)?
3. Is it clear from the home page where the organization is located?
4. Are you making the most of your “above the scroll” real estate with searchable content?
5. Do you put your most important information first (and your most important pages no more than 1 click off the home page)?
6. Does your home page have a dedicated section, like a blog, for content that changes (to remain current, relevant, trending with “hot topics”) while also providing static information about your positioning?
7. Does the home page include meaningful images/videos that are meta-tagged?
8. Does your home page avoid the use of Flash and heavy graphics containing unsearchable text?
9. Is your site optimized for use on Blackberry and iPhone/iPad?
10. Is there a clear path to answers or actions visitors are most likely seeking?  (Consider: What 3 questions will they want answered? What 3 actions would they want to take?)
11. Do you feature success stories and testimonials?
12. Does the site look professionally done? Is it cohesive, with consistent usage of fonts, styles, colors, margins, etc.?
13. Do you maximize usage of page titles (for browser windows) and page descriptions in the coding?
14. Does your site have the ability to capture email addresses? Do your on-line forms request sufficient (but not too much) information?
15. Is it easy to contact staff?
16. Do you routinely (and quickly) purge out-of-date content?
17. Do you maximize opportunities for in-bound links (e.g. partnerships)?
18. Do your marketing initiatives drive traffic to your web site?
19. Do you have a substantial social media presence with “likes”/”followers” who retweet/repost/link to your content?  Do you have content for them to link to?
20. Do outbound links open a separate browser window (v. directing traffic off your site)?
21. Is there a comprehensive site map that considers different motivations/patterns of thinking by users and makes the site easy to navigate with as few clicks as possible?
22. Is the page content optimized for web copy (with embedded links) v. print copy?
23. Do you have a solid positioning statement and pull from that language throughout your site?
24. Do you monitor the analytics of your web site (e.g. Google Analytics) and adjust as needed?
25. Have you identified strong keywords (through positioning, searching competition, using Google External Keyword Tool, etc.), and do you use them properly as…?

• headings and subheadings
• first and last paragraphs on the page
• anchor text for links
• page titles and tags
• page URLS
• image filenames and image descriptors (metadata)
• use animation sparingly (e.g. Flash), and tag videos
• incoming links to your site (but no link farms!)

Happy Optimizing!
-Carol Reeve, marketing strategist and Girl on the Roof

Content based on both primary and secondary research (including a few tips from  The Nonprofit Marketing Guide by Kivi L. Miller)