Yikes! If that’s true, there’s no way we can be sure all our content editing, changes to HTML coding and other clever tricks will reach nearly as many people as we thought.
For example, I just Googled the word homelessness. Seven sites appeared above the fold on my screen. And four of them were from the city I live in. That means organizations outside of my immediate area, organizations that might do vital work on a national scale, organizations that I might want to support, have a far lower chance of getting my attention.
And it’s not because I don’t care about supporting national homeless organizations. It’s because Google has decided that for me.
Does this mean SEO is now irrelevant? Definitely not. But it does mean that it behooves us as fundraisers to take a long, hard look at how much it’s helping us expand our reach. And, as with all fundraising technology, consider its revenue potential as compared to direct mail, e-mail and other media — and allocate our resources accordingly.
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- Search Engine Marketing

Willis believes in expressive writing, exceptional fundraising, and exuberant living.
Willis Turner is the senior copywriter at Huntsinger & Jeffer. He was an experienced writer and creative director in the traditional advertising world for more than 20 years before making the switch to fundraising nearly 15 years ago. In his work with nonprofit organizations and associations, he has written thousands of appeals, renewals and acquisition communications for every medium. He creates direct-response campaigns, as well as collateral materials and communications, that get attention, tell emotional stories, and persuade people to take action or make a donation.