Nonprofits can certainly function without a blog. A website is sufficient to explain your cause and do your fundraising. However, a nonprofit website and blog combination will greatly increase the reach of your campaign, increase donations, and inspire more people to volunteer their time. Three reasons for this are explained below:
A Blog Increases Your Search Traffic
Blogs are about growth. Consistent posting of new content means that a blog can grow to hundreds or thousands of pages over the long-term. Even if each post drew in modest traffic levels, the combined traffic of the entire blog can readily outgrow that of a website of fixed size. Fresh content is an important SEO ranking factor. Compared to a website, a blog is better suited to constant production of fresh content. A blog can post about anything relevant or related to a nonprofit's mission. An ordinary website simply doesn't have this kind of content latitude.
A large blog also draws search traffic from a wider set of keywords than is possible with a website alone. Search engines often send traffic through keywords you weren't explicitly trying to rank for, yet were implied by your content. It's always better to get traffic from a broad keyword base than to rely on fewer highly trafficked search terms.
A Blog Allows Your Visitors to Get to Know You Better
The greater your visitors' exposure to your content, the greater their trust in you and in your cause. Blog content that covers a variety of relevant topics demonstrates your expertise. This generates more confidence and trust than merely stating that you're an expert and asking your visitors to take your word for it.
A Blog Enables Direct Interaction with Your Visitors
This is largely done through the blog comments of your visitors. They can ask questions, discuss issues, or make suggestions to which you in turn can respond. This back and forth interaction demonstrates the presence of real people behind the website. It further engages your viewers and increases trust.
A blog provides many opportunities to talk about your cause and your organization's story in a way that's personal. Although the list of blogging benefits covered above is far from complete, the benefits are among the most important. To summarize, a blog provides more exposure (from increased traffic) and builds an engaged and trusting audience. If you have questions or want to learn more about increasing your nonprofit's online presence, don't hesitate to contact us.
