How to Increase the Visibility of Your Website?

Gaining visibility on the internet is crucial for an association in the digital age. Many association leaders have already created a website for their organization, recognizing the benefits that an online presence can bring. However, having a website alone is not enough to increase visibility. This article explains how to do it.

Why is Internet Visibility Important for an Association?

Unlike commercial businesses that aim to attract new customers through good search engine rankings, the goals of a non-profit association's website are different. The key objectives include:

1. Communicating with members and staying in touch with them.
2. Increasing awareness among the public.
3. Attracting new members.
4. Building a community.
5. Promoting the association's activities and achievements.
6. Sharing news about the association's life.
7. Contributing to the development of the association.

Having a website provides the association with year-round visibility, unlike being known mainly during a specific annual event.

Effectively Optimizing Your Association's Website: What Does It Involve

Being well-referenced involves achieving a high ranking in search engine results for specific keywords. The first page of search engine results receives the majority of the traffic, emphasizing the importance of being positioned there. Here are strategies to enhance visibility:

1. Carefully Choose Your Keywords

Select keywords relevant to your association and its activities. For example, if your association is a sports club, focus on sports-related terms, your location, and keywords like "club" and "association." For humanitarian organizations, understanding your audience's search habits is crucial. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends can help you identify relevant keywords.

2. Create Engaging Content

To optimize visibility, create content that provides value to users. Search engines rank websites higher when users spend more time reading their content. Avoid plagiarism and duplicate content to prevent penalties from search engines.

3. Use Internal Links to Connect Your Site

Include internal links in your content to enhance your site's visibility. Quality links come from pages with an existing number of links and from popular and trusted websites.

4. Ensure Page Accessibility

Avoid broken links that lead to the "404 not found" error, as this can negatively impact your website's ranking. Update internal links when moving pages within your site.

5. Prioritize Mobile Usability

Given the widespread use of mobile devices, ensure that your association's website is mobile-friendly. Google penalizes sites that are not mobile-adapted, so make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices and loads quickly.

By implementing these strategies, your association can effectively increase its visibility on the internet, reaching a broader audience and achieving its goals.