Kevin Lee and Bill Snyder, We-Care.com

Many nonprofits are using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a free way of driving relevant traffic to their websites from Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft searches. They often find the process to be time consuming, but this doesn't need to be the case. By integrating best practices into the standard operating procedures for your various teams, you can achieve significant SEO benefits without investing large amounts time.

To begin with, those writing website copy and press releases must understand how to write for humans and search engines and how external and internal links improve site visibility.

Though we can't cover all the specifics in a short column, it's crucial to note that copy works best if it is written in the journalistic "inverted pyramid" style. That means you should put the punch about what makes the page or press release important right up front. As for links, press releases need to include ones that anchor the text not only to the homepage but also directly to related website content. These links will not only drive traffic but also improve SEO -- especially when they're reprinted on other sites.

Links from external websites, particularly those with good reputations, will improve your rank and reputation, as well. This is one area where nonprofits have a huge advantage over for-profit entities: your supporters love you and are much more willing to add links and badges from their site to yours than they would be for a typical for-profit company.

Badges are an excellent way to get your supporters linking to you, but too many nonprofits make a common mistake: they fail to incorporate text links into their badges. Search engines prefer text links to graphics, as they signal which keywords are related to the linked page. (Remember, search engines can't read graphics. Yet.) So, ask your supporters for links and be sure to provide them with SEO-friendly badges.

SEO isn't the only search strategy nonprofits should consider. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is a great way to drive traffic to your site and get your message out. PPC puts your message right at the top of the page for contextually relevant searches.

When it comes to PPC, many nonprofits focus on fundraising, but the possibilities are far broader. Savvy for-profit marketers have realized that PPC search isn't just about revenue and purchases, though they are driving factors. These marketers are also gathering data about success metrics correlating with positively influencing the consumer toward eventual purchases, larger purchases, or higher-profit purchases.

Likewise, nonprofits can not only use PPC as a fundraising tool, but also to raise awareness of an issue, their work, and their brand -- to build the types of constituent relationships that lead to long-term growth. In other words, PPC can play a larger role in your communications strategy and in driving traffic to your website.

Thanks to Google Grants, PPC doesn't always involve paying. Google Grants offer free Google AdWords to nonprofits. Google is very generous with this program, and we applaud them for this initiative. Better yet, Google expedites the review of grant applications for NTEN members. Many nonprofits have extended their PPC campaigns well beyond Google Grants, purchasing ads from Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft.

If you need help with SEO, in addition to the NTEN forums and events, there are two additional online options we'll mention here.

The first is SEMcares.com, the brainchild of Gregory Markel, founder and president of Search Engine Marketing firm Infuse Creative. SEMcares started immediately after the 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia and surrounding shorelines. Markel wanted to provide a place to match SEM professionals with the nonprofits who needed help. Any search marketer can sign up, as can any nonprofit. The site pairs them up.

SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) is another great resource. The SEMPO board of directors recently voted to adjust the request for services page to accommodate nonprofits. Search engine marketing agencies are often interested in doing low-fee or pro bono work, and you can put a request in at www.sempo.org.

In a nutshell, have your teams learn enough SEO to incorporate it into their daily tasks. Creating web content and press releases in an SEO-friendly manner quickly becomes second nature, and the payback can be significant. Also, develop and actively manage your PPC campaigns, regardless of whether that money is an in-kind Google Grant or hard cash. The opportunity PPC advertising presents is real either way.

Kevin Lee is the founder and Chairman of the search engine marketing company Didit and the founder of We-Care.com, a company that allows nonprofits to receive donations when their supporters shop at major online retailers. Bill Snyder is the General Manager of We-Care.com and Didit's Nonprofit Liaison.