--- title: "SEO: Looming Google changes mean nonprofits must act now" description: Fixing nonprofit website performance has become even more critical for SEO thanks to an upcoming algorithm update called Google page experience. image: https://blog.rkdgroup.com/hubfs/210107-RKD-SEO--Looming-Google-changes-mean-nonprofits-must-act-now-Doodle-v2.jpg --- [![](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/210111-RKD-Groupthinkers-Rebranded-Logo-Blog-png.png?width=157&name=210111-RKD-Groupthinkers-Rebranded-Logo-Blog-png.png)](https://blog.rkdgroup.com) - [Solutions](https://rkdgroup.com/services/) - [Mid-Level Giving](https://rkdgroup.com/services/mid-level-giving/) - [Monthly Giving](https://rkdgroup.com/services/monthly-giving/) - [Lapsed Giving](https://rkdgroup.com/services/lapsed-giving/) - [Personalization](https://rkdgroup.com/services/personalization/) - [Connectors](https://rkdgroup.com/services/connectors/) - [Machine Learning](https://rkdgroup.com/services/machine-learning/) - [Marketing + Fundraising](https://rkdgroup.com/services/marketing-fundraising/) - [Audience Development](https://rkdgroup.com/services/audience-development/) - [Creative Services](https://rkdgroup.com/services/creative-services/) - [Data Management](https://rkdgroup.com/services/data-management/) - [Strategic Planning](https://rkdgroup.com/services/strategic-planning/) - [Analytics](https://rkdgroup.com/services/analytics/) - [Causes](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/) - [Animal Care](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/animal-care/) - [Food Banks](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/food-banks/) - [Health + Hospitals](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/health-hospitals/) - [Humanitarian](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/humanitarian/) - [Missions](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/missions/) - [Salvation Army](https://rkdgroup.com/causes/the-salvation-army/) - [Results](https://rkdgroup.com/results/) - [Acquisition](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=acquisition) - [Digital](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=digital) - [Mid-Major Programs](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=mid-major-programs) - [Advanced Analytics](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=advanced-analytics) - [Direct Mail](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=direct-mail) - [Multichannel Strategy](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=multichannel-strategy) - [Data Management](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=data-management) - [Media](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=media) - [Website Development](https://rkdgroup.com/results?cat=website-development) - [Resources](https://rkdgroup.com/insights/) - [Blog](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/) - [Benchmarks](https://info.rkdgroup.com/benchmarks) - [Webinars](https://info.rkdgroup.com/webinars) - [Ebooks + Research](https://info.rkdgroup.com/ebooks-research) - [Podcast](https://info.rkdgroup.com/group-thinkers-nonprofit-marketing-podcast) - [Field Guides](https://info.rkdgroup.com/field-guides) - [About Us](https://rkdgroup.com/about/) - [Leadership](https://rkdgroup.com/about/leadership/) - [Careers](https://rkdgroup.com/about/careers/) - [Let's Chat](https://rkdgroup.com/lets-chat/) #### Subscribe to our blog ### Subscribe to Email Updates ## Featured Post   [RKD Group](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/rkd-group) ## [RKD Group Acquires Whiteboard](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/rkd-group-acquires-whiteboard) Premier Marketing Agency Bolsters Conceptual Creative Capabilities by Acquiring Award-Winning Agency PLANO, Texas, July 27, 2026 — Today, RKD Group, Nor\[...\] [Digital Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/digital-fundraising) [Direct Mail Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/direct-mail-fundraising) [Multichannel](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/multichannel) [Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/fundraising) [Nonprofit Industry](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/nonprofit-industry) [RKD](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/rkd) [Brand](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/brand) [Read More](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/rkd-group-acquires-whiteboard)   [Shane Thornal](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/shane-thornal) ## [Why nonprofits must unite SEO, social and paid media in one strategy](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/why-nonprofits-must-unite-seo-social-and-paid-media-in-one-strategy) Someone at your organization “owns” paid media. Someone else—often younger and under resourced—runs the social accounts. A third person (or maybe no one\[...\] [Digital Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/digital-fundraising) [SEO](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/seo) [Digital Media](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/digital-media) [Social Media](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/social-media) [Data & Analytics](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/data-analytics) [Read More](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/why-nonprofits-must-unite-seo-social-and-paid-media-in-one-strategy) ## Recent Posts [Digital Fundraising](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/digital-fundraising) [SEO](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/topic/seo) # SEO: Looming Google changes mean nonprofits must act now By [RKD Group](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/rkd-group)   Search engine optimization is a marketing strategy that nonprofit organizations sometimes take for granted. But doing SEO correctly can provide tangible benefits in the form of [fundraising](https://rkdgroup.com/). The challenge is that “doing SEO correctly” can require a long-term investment in content production, keyword research and link building – an investment that nonprofits often don’t have the spare change to make. However, there is one area of SEO that can be the low-hanging fruit for nonprofits: [technical website optimization](https://rkddigital.com/services/digital-transformation/). And fixing website performance has become even more critical thanks to an upcoming algorithm update called [Google page experience](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2020/05/evaluating-page-experience.html). ### HOW SEO WORKS SEO involves a series of complex factors that weave together to tell search engines like Google and Bing where your page should rank in search results. Not to be confused with [paid search advertising](https://rkddigital.com/services/digital-advertising/), SEO affects only the organic (or natural) search results – not the ads that appear around them. Over the years, algorithms have gotten more and more complex in how they evaluate websites and webpages. But there are three basic elements to building a strong SEO strategy: - Consistent, regular updates to your content - Links from respected websites to your pages - A speedy, error-free website performance The first two factors involve a well-planned approach to the keywords you want to target, the content (blogs, videos, research, etc.) you build around those keywords, and the respect your content receives from others in your area of expertise. This is why we hear the term “[content is king](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/podcast-rod-arnold-thinks-about-content-marketing-for-nonprofits)” so often. But a new challenger to the crown has emerged. ### WHY WEBSITE PERFORMANCE MATTERS SEO is getting more technical and complex. Content is still king. However, the page that is rendering the content needs to perform well. This is an area that many nonprofits ignore, and there’s a lot to lose here in a competitive online landscape. A nonprofit with a mission to cure a particular disease (e.g., arthritis) may be competing for attention in this area with several other like-minded organizations. If each group produces high-quality, respected content, then the technical factors will make a difference in how Google ranks their pages. Building up authority through content takes months and years to climb to the top of the mountain, but a website that falls behind technically will erode away at the foundation you’ve built. Why should nonprofit development teams care about this? If pages rank lower in Google, fewer people find a nonprofit’s content. And content funnels people to [donation pages](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/current-donation-form-best-practices/). If nonprofits aren’t proactive about fixing their technical issues, they will most likely lose organic traffic from Google, which could negatively impact conversions. ### WHAT GOOGLE’S ALGORITHM UPDATE MEANS In May, Google [announced a new algorithm update](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2020/05/evaluating-page-experience.html) called Google page experience that will go live in 2021. With this change, Google will measure and evaluate websites based on a host of factors called [Core Web Vitals](https://blog.chromium.org/2020/05/introducing-web-vitals-essential-metrics.html). These factors include how fast your page loads, whether people interact with your page, secure connections and more. For a more in-depth look, [click here](https://searchengineland.com/the-google-page-experience-update-user-experience-to-become-a-google-ranking-factor-335252). ![Looming-Google-2](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Looming-Google-2.jpg?width=960&name=Looming-Google-2.jpg) Image: Google   These technical requirements will be too steep for many nonprofits to do on their own. Some may need to change their web host in order to improve their page speeds, but some of these metrics are impacted by the site code itself. In some cases, changes might be as simple as a new WordPress plugin that forces the page to optimize image sizes. Once these fixes have been made, nonprofits must then develop processes that will help them maintain as many best practices as possible. With [year-ending giving](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/year-end-multichannel-fundraising/) on the horizon – not to mention all the challenges of [fundraising during a pandemic](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/how-should-nonprofits-handle-fundraising-during-coronavirus-pandemic) – nonprofits won't have the bandwidth for this issue in December. Now is the time for organizations to take a deep dive into the technical aspects required to prepare for these critical changes coming from Google. ### [RKD Group](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/author/rkd-group) RKD Group is North America's leading fundraising and marketing services provider to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including hospitals, social service, disease research, animal welfare, rescue missions, and faith-based charities. RKD Group’s omnichannel approach leverages technology, advanced data science and award-winning strategic and creative leadership to accelerate net revenue growth, build long-term donor relationships and drive online and offline engagements and donations. With a growing team of professionals, RKD Group creates breakthroughs never thought possible. [Follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/RKDGroup) #### Leave a comment: Previous ##### [Ryan Berman thinks about courage as a business model](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/podcast-ryan-berman-thinks-about-courage-as-a-business-model) Next Post ##### [The 9 building blocks for nonprofit data success](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/the-9-building-blocks-for-nonprofit-data-success) ### Search GroupThinkers ![](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/459002/Assets%20Apr/magnifying-glass.png) [![GP FG - Blog Rail 340x340](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GP%20FG%20-%20Blog%20Rail%20%20340x340.png?width=340&name=GP%20FG%20-%20Blog%20Rail%20%20340x340.png "GP FG - Blog Rail 340x340")](https://info.rkdgroup.com/givingpulse-field-guide-q1-2024-access) [![MidYear Benchmarks-Sidebar_SolidGold](https://blog.rkdgroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MidYear%20Benchmarks-Sidebar_SolidGold.png?width=340&name=MidYear%20Benchmarks-Sidebar_SolidGold.png "MidYear Benchmarks-Sidebar_SolidGold")](https://info.rkdgroup.com/donor-trust-access) - 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