This article covers the basics of search engine optimization and explains what you can do in Springly to improve your website's visibility.
If this matters to your nonprofit, it's worth thinking about a long-term content strategy to steadily improve your search engine visibility.
What is SEO?
Website SEO refers to appearing in search engine results (e.g., Google). The goal is to be visible online and show up on the first page of results.
There are two main types of SEO:
- Organic SEO;
- Paid SEO.
Organic SEO
Organic SEO is when search engines select results they consider most relevant based on content and keywords.
Websites are analyzed by crawlers that browse pages and score them based on a range of criteria (learn more).
In Springly, much of this work happens automatically — your site is optimized by default. That said, a few steps described below are still up to you.
The terms "organic SEO" and "SEO" are used interchangeably.
Paid SEO
Paid SEO is when a website's position in search results is purchased. You'll sometimes see these at the top of search results, labeled "Ad." This article does not cover paid SEO. To learn more: Google Ad Grants for nonprofits.
SEO optimization
SEO optimization encompasses techniques designed to improve a page or website's ranking in search engines — in other words, getting your site onto the first page of results. It rests on three pillars:
1. Technical optimization
Technical optimization includes a set of best practices that Springly already handles for you:
a) Clean HTML code
When you build your website on Springly, the code is automatically generated following coding best practices, making it easier for search engine crawlers to read.
b) The ability to customize your website URL — partially or in full.
You can update your URL as follows:
- Go to: Website > Settings & Theme > Domain Name
- Click "Click to edit" in the "Domain Name" section: you can choose a domain name without the .assoconnect.com extension, or simply change what appears before ".assoconnect.com/...".
If you'd like to remove ".assoconnect.com" entirely, see this article.
These changes can have a significant impact if you've already started sharing your website. All links pointing to your site (social media, partners, etc.) will need to be updated to avoid broken pages.
c) Creating pages and articles around topics and keywords
A few best practices:
- Publishing content regularly boosts your SEO — try simple articles about your nonprofit's news and activities;
- Never copy-paste content from other sources: it hurts your rankings;
- Articles can also help keep your Home page (or other pages) fresh with updated images and content that automatically reflects what you publish.
To learn more about SEO optimization for articles, see this article.
You can display your articles on a custom page using the Articles block. This requires having created at least one article page.
2. Content
Content refers to all the text on your website. It should be clear so visitors can easily find what they're looking for, and it should be organized with headings and subheadings.
Quality content must be well-organized (with headings and subheadings) and original — avoid copying content from other sites. Duplicate content is very likely to hurt your SEO rankings.
Structuring your text
- Text type: When you create a text block, you can choose the text type: heading, subheading, or normal. Multiple types can be used within the same text block. Use them to structure your content — it helps crawlers read your pages and improves your SEO.
- Font size: Font size is not an SEO factor, but it does affect the user experience on your site.
- Text & images: For crawlers to read your content, avoid placing text inside images — crawlers can't interpret it. It's not forbidden, but SEO best practice favors text outside of images.
Optimizing images using Alternative Text (ALT)
You can optimize your images by adding Alternative Text (ALT). This is done using the image function within the text editor on Springly's custom pages.
How to do it:
1. Open a custom page for editing: Website > Menus & Pages > ... > Edit (choose your custom page);
2. Drag a text block into the editing area (or use an existing one);
3. Use the image function in the text editor;
4. An advanced image upload tool will appear;
5. Enter the Alternative Text in the highlighted field below, then click 'OK':
ALT text shouldn't be too long or too short — it should be descriptive enough to convey what the image shows. A good rule of thumb: keep it under 80 characters (including punctuation).
Important note: the image block also lets you add images to a custom page, but it does not support ALT text. If SEO is a priority, use a text block and insert your image from there instead.
3. Popularity and external links
Social media
Social media is an effective way to drive attention to your website and build quality signals for search engines. If you have social media accounts, always include a link to your website on each of them.
The more active your social media presence, the more likely people are to click through to your website — and more visits means better SEO.
External links
External links are links to your website found on other websites. They have a positive impact on your SEO. Examples include links from partner websites, other nonprofits that mention your organization, or a member's site referencing their involvement with your group.
This lets you leverage the authority and trust that search engines already give those sites to boost the credibility of your own.
Changing your domain name will automatically affect your SEO, since any external links pointing to your old URL will break. If you change your URL, make sure to ask sites that link to you to update those links — a broken external link also hurts the site that hosts it.
Springly limitations
Some things are not possible in Springly.
Adding META tags to the HTML code
Most tags are automatically generated by the platform and cannot be edited. Only two are editable: meta-title and meta-description (see this article to learn more).
Adding H1 tags
You cannot add H1 tags (the main heading format), except in article titles. However, you can create H2 and H3 tags.
Customizing your URLs by removing the page ID
Springly URLs include numbers that correspond to page IDs.
In the example below, it is not possible to remove the number <856640> from the URL "https://www.amis-musee-art-industrie.org/page/856640-actualites":
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