Every charity wants more visibility online. More visibility means more donations, volunteers, and supporters. But most nonprofits never check how their website is actually performing on Google.
That’s where an SEO audit for charity comes in.
A simple audit can show you exactly what’s holding your website back. It takes less time than you think. And the best part? Most of it costs nothing.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through a free, step-by-step SEO audit for charity websites. By the end, you’ll know exactly what to fix first.
Why an SEO Audit for Charity Websites Matters
Charities often run on tight budgets. Every visitor matters. Every donor counts.
An SEO audit for a charity helps you understand where your website is losing visitors. It also shows where Google sees opportunities you’re missing.
Here’s what a proper audit reveals:
- Pages that aren’t ranking for the right keywords
- Technical issues are slowing your site down
- Missing information that confuses both Google and visitors
- Opportunities to attract more local supporters
Once you know these issues, fixing them becomes much easier.
Step 1: Check Your Google Business Profile
Start with your Google Business Profile. This is one of the easiest wins for any nonprofit.
Search your charity’s name on Google. Does your profile show up? Is the information correct?
Check these details carefully:
- Your charity’s name, address, and phone number
- Business hours and website link
- Photos of your team, events, and location
- Reviews from donors and volunteers
A complete and updated Google Business Profile helps local supporters find you faster. It also builds trust before they even visit your website.
Step 2: Review Your Website’s Technical Health
Technical issues often go unnoticed. Yet they have a big impact on rankings.
Use a free tool like Google Search Console to begin. It shows how Google sees your charity’s website.
Look for these common problems:
- Pages are returning errors instead of loading properly
- Broken links pointing to pages that no longer exist
- Pages missing from Google’s index entirely
- Duplicate pages competing against each other
Fixing these issues helps Google crawl and understand your site better. If this feels technical, our team at Codestro can review it for you.
Step 3: Test Your Site Speed and Mobile Experience
Most people browsing charity websites use their phones. If your site loads slowly, they leave quickly.
Run your homepage through Google PageSpeed Insights. Check both mobile and desktop scores.
Things to check during this part of your SEO audit for charity:
- Does your site load in under three seconds?
- Are images compressed properly for faster loading?
- Can visitors tap buttons easily on a phone screen?
- Does the layout adjust well to smaller screens?
A faster, mobile-friendly site keeps visitors engaged longer.
Step 4: Audit Your On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is about how each page is set up. Small details make a big difference here.
Open your most important pages, like your homepage and donation page. Check the following on each one:
- Does the page have a clear, descriptive title tag?
- Is there a meta description that explains the page well?
- Does the page use one clear heading structure?
- Are images using descriptive alt text?
These small fixes help Google understand exactly what each page is about.
Step 5: Review Your Content for Relevance and Keywords
Content is how Google decides what your charity is about. It’s also how supporters connect with your mission.
Read through your key pages. Ask yourself these questions:
- Does the content clearly explain your charity’s mission?
- Are you using terms your supporters actually search for?
- Is the information current, or are some pages outdated?
- Do pages include a clear call to action?
Updating old content often brings quick ranking improvements.
Step 6: Check Your Backlink Profile
Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to yours. They signal trust to Google.
Use a free tool like Ahrefs Backlink Checker. Enter your charity’s website URL.
During this part of the audit, look for:
- Total number of websites linking to you
- Links from local news sites or community pages
- Any broken or low-quality links pointing to your site
- Opportunities to reach out for new partnerships
Even a few quality local links can boost your visibility significantly.
Step 7: Track Everything Going Forward
An audit isn’t a one-time task. Charities that track performance consistently see steady improvement.
Set up Google Analytics if you haven’t already. Review these numbers monthly:
- Total website visitors and where they come from
- Which pages get the most traffic
- How many visitors complete a donation or sign up
- Keywords bring people to your site
Tracking helps you measure progress after making changes.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need a large budget or technical know-how to run an SEO audit for a charity website. Take it slow and start with the basics. Fix what’s broken. Then extend on that.
Accumulated small improvements are cumulative. Increased visibility translates to increased people who discover your cause and support your mission.
With Codestro, you can get a comprehensive audit of your charity or nonprofit website and create actionable strategies to grow your website. We are here to help your team review and repair any of these problems.
Want a free, no obligation SEO audit for your charity’s website?
Reach out to our team today, and we’ll show you exactly where your opportunities are.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a complete review of your nonprofit’s website. It examines the technical health, content, keywords and links for room for improvement.
The majority of charities would benefit from a full audit every six months. Regularly smaller payments will help identify problems early.
Yes. Simple audits are possible for any team, with free tools such as Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights.
There are a lot of charities that don’t pay attention to their Google Business Profile. Without a complete profile, it is more difficult for local fans to locate them.
Some fixes have positive outcomes in a matter of weeks. If you want to make better improvements, such as content or backlinks, it can take a couple of months.