SEO Case Study: Shelter Home Community Center
SEO Case Study for ShelterHomeCC.org
Background
Shelter Home Community Center aims to improve its online visibility to reach more individuals in need, engage volunteers, and attract donors. The website serves as a crucial point of contact for the organization, offering information on services, volunteer opportunities, and ways to donate.
Objective
To enhance the website SEO performance, with the goal of increasing organic search traffic, improving keyword rankings for relevant search terms, and ultimately driving more engagements
and donations through the site.
Starting Point
1. Website Analysis: Initially, the website was informative but lacked SEO optimization. Key issues included poor keyword optimization, slow loading times, and a lack of engaging, shareable content.
2. Keyword Research: Focused on relevant terms such as homeless shelters, community support services how to help homeless people, along with local-specific terms to capture regional search traffic.
3. Competitive Analysis: Showed competitors had stronger content strategies and more robust backlink profiles.
Strategy
On-Page SEO Enhancements: Revised content to include targeted keywords naturally, updated meta titles and descriptions, and optimized images and headings.
Content Development: Created a blog to share stories of impact, advice for those in need, and information for potential donors and volunteers, aiming to establish the organization as a thought leader.
Local SEO: Optimized for local search by claiming and updating the Google My Business listing, encouraged reviews from volunteers and beneficiaries, and created location-specific pages on the site.
Technical SEO: Improved site speed and mobile responsiveness. Ensured the site architecture was easy to navigate for users and search engines.
Implementation
Over a six-month period:
1.Published 40+ pieces of content, including impact stories, how-to guides for supporting the homeless, and volunteer testimonials.
2. Implemented a targeted backlink strategy, securing links from local news outlets,national homeless advocacy organizations, and related local businesses.
3.Conducted monthly technical audits to identify and resolve issues, ensuring optimal site performance.
Results
Organic Traffic: Achieved a 75% increase in organic search traffic.
Keyword Rankings: Secured first-page rankings for 15+ targeted keywords, including several top-3 positions for highly relevant local search terms.
Engagement and Donations: Saw a significant increase in user engagement metrics, including time on site and pages per session, and a 40% increase in online donations.
Lessons Learned
Content is Crucial: High-quality, relevant content not only supported SEO goals but also helped to communicate the organization's mission and impact, driving user engagement and support.
Local SEO Matters: For community-focused organizations, local SEO is vital in reaching the target audience and serving the community more effectively.
Ongoing SEO Efforts: Continuous optimization and content creation are key to adapting to algorithm changes and maintaining competitive search rankings.
Future Steps
The strategy moving forward includes expanding the video content on the site, enhancing social media integration to boost engagement and shares, and continuous monitoring and optimization of SEO performance to address any shifts in search engine algorithms or user behavior trends.
Conclusion
This hypothetical case study for ShelterHomeCC.org demonstrates the importance of a multi-faceted SEO strategy, incorporating on-page and technical SEO improvements, content marketing, and local SEO efforts. Continuous evaluation and adaptation are crucial for sustaining
and building upon the initial success, especially for non-profit organizations aiming to maximize their online visibility and impact.
