Deep inside the dungeons of Google Analytics, I find the juiciest gems. Here’s one of my favorites:
The events that you post to your nonprofit’s website continue to help your search engine optimization looooong after the event is over.
So, smart cookie that you are, now you have a reason to pay special attention to the event pages on your website.
The Principle Behind this Long Tail of SEO
The full details of the Google algorithm are a closely held secret, but we do know this:
- Google loves fresh content,
- Google loves timely content,
- Google loves content that is shared via social media and
- Events are usually among the few pieces of content on your website that are fresh, timely and shared widely.
So if we worked together, we would open up Google Analytics and see that your event pages are attracting visitors from search engines for weeks, months and sometimes years after the event has ended.
Just check out this screenshot. The page for this organization’s 2014 5k fundraiser has still been drawing visitors throughout 2015.
How to Take Advantage of this Juicy SEO Gem for Your Nonprofit Website
1. Circle back to the webpage after the event is over.
Add this task to your post-event checklist!
2. Encourage visitors to sign up for email updates so they receive an invitation to the next event.
Even if you don’t know if the event will take place again, update the event page and invite website visitors to sign up to be invited to any future event. A person who was interested in a past event is pretty likely to be interested in one of your upcoming events.
3. If you know the event will take place again, add a note to let visitors know.
It can be as simple as “Join us for ____ in 2016!”
4. If you have a date for the next instance of the event, add the date to the “old” event page.
It can be as vague as “Join us for ____ in March 2016” or “Join us for ____ in Spring 2016”.
5. Add a link to a different, relevant page of your website.
Here’s your opportunity to drop a little knowledge on people, and build up your internal links (SEO juice alert!). Was the event a fundraiser? Link to a profile of a service recipient. Was the event an educational seminar? Link to a resource in the same topic.
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