Blog on a website is a useful, but costly element. “Home page”, “About us”, “Our Mission”, etc. can be written once and forgotten. The blog must be maintained regularly and in compliance with SEO rules.
But the advantages of running a blog cover the costs, and now we will tell you what benefits a blog on the site brings, the rules for running it, and provide useful recommendations.
Why blog on the site?
And here’s why:
Attracting organic traffic
Correctly optimized blog articles effectively collect organic traffic and form a permanent base of users who are interested in the field of activity of your organization.
Also, new and regularly updated content attracts more users, because Google’s algorithms more actively promote the most relevant materials.
Maintaining an active user base
Regular content allows you to form an active base of interested users who will support your organization. Also, new materials will create a picture of the organization’s activity, which causes greater trust among donors.
Better understanding of the field of activity
If you have your own non-profit organization, then of course you are well versed in the business in which it operates. But it is impossible to know everything, and regular blogging on the site stimulates interest in trends in the specialized field of the organization and deeper knowledge of already existing information, statistics, etc.
Increases credibility
Competently presented information will interest even the most capricious reader. Interesting articles on highly specialized topics increase your authority in the eyes of users.By showing that you understand your organization’s field of activity, you will increase the level of trust of users.
Community formation
Interesting content not only increases the number of users, but also creates interest, which in turn increases audience activity. People exchange opinions in the comments and actively discuss the topic of the next article.
Also, articles that talk about the “behind the scenes” details of your organization increase audience engagement. Describe your typical work day, talk about your employees, and don’t be shy about being real—people love honesty.
Demonstration of audience input
In the blog on the website, you can tell not only news from your field, but also news about your organization in particular. Share your business and report how you manage user donations. This will strengthen the trust of the audience and attract new donors.
Intermediate conclusions
We have found that a website blog is a very useful promotional tool. It is time to learn how to conduct it correctly.
How to blog on a website
Analyze the audience
Analyzing the interests of the audience is a key detail of blog planning. Usually, in the NGO blog, news and educational materials are written on the topic of the organization’s activities, which is of interest to the audience.
But it makes sense to analyze the interests of your audience and write related materials that can also interest users without directly referring to the activities of your NGO.
For example: if your organization focuses on environmental issues, then in addition to works on the topic of environmental pollution, write about the political side of the issue and the psychology of the population.
Make a plan and template
The first step is to develop a content plan and article template. These tips will help you save a lot of time: every time you start writing new material, you will immediately have a theme and a template for design.
Make different content
Focusing only on news or only analytical articles is boring and brings less traffic. A certain part of users will be interested in the site through current news from the field, the other through in-depth informative articles. Therefore, you should attract different audiences.
List of possible topics for a blog on the NGO website:
- News – attract people through recommendations in the browser’s news feed.
- Reports on the organization’s activities – increase the trust of the audience.
- Great analytical materials – will attract people who are deeply interested in the topic.
- Interviews with people in this field – will also be of interest to users who study the field of NGO activity in depth.
- Interesting stories about the work of your organization and its members – will increase the level of trust and establish closer contact with the audience.
Optimization
The NGO blog is a part of the site, and any site and any part of it must be optimized for search engines and simply work correctly. A separate specialist will help with website optimization, and there are special services such as 1text.com or copywritely.com for checking texts.
We discussed the topic of SEO in more detail in a separate article – we recommend that you familiarize yourself with it.
Don’t neglect calls to action and banners
Place several calls to action in each text. They can be different: a call to donate, a transition to other articles, and any other pages that need to be promoted.
Also actively use banners and pop-ups. But do not overdo it – the text should be read without obstacles.
We partially covered the topic of placement of banners and widgets in a separate article on the design of the NGO website.
Get feedback
The block with comments under blog entries has two advantages at once:
- The possibility of expressing one’s opinion increases the activity and involvement of the audience.
Example:
A person left a comment, they answered, a discussion started, other users also joined in and your NGO stuck in their minds.
- You will be able to improve the quality of content due to feedback.
Make videos
Video production is much more resource-intensive than writing texts. But if you have the opportunity to produce video content, it will be useful for promoting your NGO.
Start small – record small “live videos” about the work of your organization on an ordinary phone. You can also edit videos on your smartphone. The “vividness” of the picture and interest in the internal details of your activity buys the audience and they will watch even non-professional videos.
Extend the blog beyond the site
Users spend most of their time on the Internet in social networks and messengers, and this should be used. Share abbreviated versions of blog content as posts.
Read more about the integration of social networks for NGO in the special material on this topic.
Begin by entering your first and last name to establish your identity. The next crucial step is providing your email address; remember, it must be a business, branded, or corporate email, as generic email addresses are not accepted. This is to ensure a professional level of communication and to filter out non-serious inquiries.
You are also required to include your website’s URL. This is vital as it gives context and allows for a preliminary assessment of your online presence, which is integral to the audit process. Furthermore, you must clarify your status regarding NGO registration or your interest in Google Ad Grants. This information is essential for tailoring the audit to your specific needs and circumstances.
After you have filled in all these details with precision and care, review them to ensure accuracy and completeness. Submitting accurate and comprehensive information is crucial for a meaningful audit.