The document outlines an SEO training session aimed at charities, emphasizing the importance of search engine optimization for increasing online visibility and credibility. It distinguishes between on-page and off-page SEO, with a focus on keywords and backlinks, and discusses methods for measuring SEO effectiveness and setting goals. The session includes practical exercises and tips for hiring SEO services tailored for the nonprofit sector.

1. SEO Training
Helping your charity get found online

2. Hi! 👋
Charity Box is a company that works exclusively
with third sector organisations.
● Digital design and development
● Support and mentorship
● Digital training workshops.
Follow me:
www.charitybox.io
www.twitter.com/WeAreCharityBox

3. Thank you to our sponsor, Lightful...
● Social media monitoring tool for charities
● Free plan available
● Get 50% off forever on any paid plan by entering
the code CBOX at checkout
http://bit.ly/lightful-cbox

4. This session
● What SEO actually is
● Google’s relevance to SEO
● On-page vs off-page SEO
● Backlinks and keywords
● Shout-out quiz (make notes!)
● 10 minute break
● How to measure SEO
● What to look for in an SEO provider
● Q&A

5. What does SEO
mean to you?

6. What is SEO?
● SEO stands for “search engine optimisation”
● It is all about helping your organisation to be found online
● SEO can broadly be categorised into “on page” and “off page”
Because SEO is so important, you’ve probably received spam emails from “SEO
experts” promising to get you page 1 rankings.

8. ● A good SEO profile indicates a healthy marketing strategy
● Being easily found online is an indicator of authority and trust
● If people come to you, it makes life a lot easier
Having an SEO strategy enables you to be seen by more of the right people,
reduces how much you need to spend on advertising and enables your
organisation to gain more support and improve its impact.
Why is SEO important?

9. Let’s talk Google...

10. There are other search engines...

11. ?%
Google’s UK market share
https://www.statista.com/statistics/280269/market-share-held-by-search-engines-in-the-united-kingdom/

12. 87%
Google’s UK market share
https://www.statista.com/statistics/280269/market-share-held-by-search-engines-in-the-united-kingdom/

13. Google is synonymous with “search”
● Google’s technology has driven what it means to catalogue and search for
information on the internet.
● In the nineties it patented its own algorithm called “PageRank” which it saw
as the optimal way to index web content. PageRank is still used today.
● Google is driving search in other areas, such as local and voice search.

14. What’s the
difference between
on-page and off-
page SEO?

15. On-page vs off-page SEO
● Page titles
● Contact information
● Website HTML code
● Website loading time
● Website security
● Press coverage
● Blogger outreach
● Social “buzz”

16. Your web page title
● Your page title is the most important on-page SEO factor
● It should accurately describe the content of the page
● Add key search terms to maximise your chance of being found

17. Contact information
● Your physical address, telephone
number and email addresses
● Helps you to rank when people search
for your services in the local area
● Adds authority to your organisation as a
“real” business
Be sure to register with Google My Business
to appear in local search results.

18. Website code
● Websites are created using a combination of HTML, CSS and Javascript
● This determines how accessible and responsive the website is
● Google appreciates websites that have been built well.

19. Website security and loading speed
Google prefers websites that are:
● Fast loading
● Secure (SSL)
Why do you think this is?

20. Well-made, fast,
secure websites that
work for all make
Google a better
search provider

21. What is off-page SEO?
● Relates to any marketing activities
that happen outside the website
● Relates directly to Google’s
PageRank algorithm
● Is way more important than on-
page SEO

22. What is
PageRank?
👈 this is PageRank

23. ● Every link that points to your website is an “endorsement”
● The more links that a website has, the bigger the endorsement
● The more links, generally, the better (but quality is important)
Links determine popularity

24. What examples of
backlinks can you
think of?

25. Backlink examples
● Blog post mentions
● Press releases
● News coverage
● Social media posts
● Partner/supplier/customer mentions

26. Exercise:
Write down the places you could
get some coverage right now.
Who’s interested in your story?

27. Where you can get coverage right now
● Your beneficiaries - sharing their story
● Your fundraisers - they may have their own networks
● Partner organisations
● Local press - always looking for stories and good news
● Local business directories

28. Keywords are
important.

29. What are keywords?
● Keywords describe the core services you offer
● They are often location-based
● They can be “head” or “tail” keywords

30. What is meant by
“head” and “tail”
keywords?

31. Head vs tail keywords
“Head” keywords
“Cancer charity”
“Chinese restaurant”
“Second hand cars”
Why do this?
“Longtail” keywords
“Testicular cancer support charity Leeds”
“Vegetarian cantonese restaurant”
“Buy second hand cars Manchester”

32. Why “longtail” keywords are important
● Easier to rank for
● More likely to convert

33. How to get keyword ideas
https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/

34. Exercise:
Write down some keyword ideas
that apply to your organisation.

35. How to use your keywords
● On specific landing pages
● In blog posts
● In paid advertisements
● In press coverage
Think keywords every time you write a piece of content!

37. The shout-out
quiz...

38. What is the most
important aspect of on-
page SEO?

39. The page title tag.

40. What is a “longtail keyword”?

41. A specific, often lengthier keyword
or search term.
For example: “Testicular cancer support charity Leeds”

42. How would you describe a
“backlink”?

43. A backlink is a link to your website
from another, that counts as an
endorsement for your website.

44. Which is more important:
on-page or off-page SEO?

45. Off-page SEO.

46. 10 minute coffee
break.

47. Measuring your SEO
Is the effort worth it?

48. Measuring your SEO investment
● SEO is not cheap, in time or money
● It can take several months to see the fruits of your labour
● But when you do, how do you determine its value?

49. SEO is difficult to
“measure” because
it is a company
mindset more than
a set of activities.

50. ● Number (and quality) of backlinks
● Domain authority
● Organic website traffic
Check your backlinks and authority at https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker
Key performance indicators (KPIs)

51. Setting goals
● Investing in your website is pointless without goals
● And setting goals is pointless unless you track them.
What goals might we set?

52. Goals are outcomes,
such as enquiries or
sales, not KPIs, such
as website traffic.

54. How
might we
track each
step?

55. Tracking awareness
● Number of website visitors
● Social media engagement, such
as likes and retweets
● Ad impressions

56. Tracking interest
● Number of web pages viewed
per visit
● Time spent on site
● Percentage of returning visitors
● Average bounce rate

57. Tracking desire
● Enquiries/social media
messages
● Repeat views of appeal pages
● Clicks to “donate” before drop-
off

58. Tracking action (goals)
● Donations
● Advocacy (social shares)
● Job/volunteer applications
● Newsletter subscriptions

59. What has this got to
do with SEO?

60. SEO keeps
the sales
funnel
topped up.

61. SEO services
A guide to hiring

62. Not this 🚫

63. Tips for hiring SEO services
● Know what your goals are
● Know your budget and timescales
● Understand the strengths and weaknesses within your team
● Be prepared to commit

64. What to look for in an SEO company
● Proof
● Ethics
● Good communication
● A partnership

65. Wrapping up
● SEO is not just a way to be found online; it is integral to marketing mindset
● Focus on Google, but be aware of other ways that people find content online
● Off-page SEO trumps on-page SEO
● Get as many backlinks as possible, and use keywords where appropriate
● Measure your progress using the AIDA model, but don’t obsess!
● Consider your strengths before seeking SEO support

66. Exercise:
Write down three takeaways
from today’s session. What have
you learned? How will you apply
your learnings?

67. Q&A
Any questions?