At the end of January, we hosted our first-ever SEO Clinic specifically for charities – a day dedicated to empowering and educating professionals in the charity sector about SEO: where to start, how to improve, and what to prioritise. The day was attended by a diverse mix of charities and professionals, primarily based in the south-west, all with one major thing in common – a shared desire to use their time to make a difference.

This idea was one I had some time ago for a variety of reasons. For quite a while now, Organic has been championing “Digital for Good,” meaning we work with brands to create positive digital experiences that can improve their customers’ lives. For me, providing free support to charities that are helping others in need seemed like one of the best ways to truly stand behind this mission and show that it’s not just a slogan on our office wall.

By hosting a day like this in our office with the entire SEO team, we were able to maximise the number of charities we could help in one go, while also giving organisations that couldn’t usually afford our rates access to our full SEO team.

We did have a few test runs prior to organising this version of the event – two hosted in our office and one at the Waterfront in Bristol. These allowed us to test the theory of gathering a group and teaching them about the fundamentals of what we do. These sessions were really well-attended, with lots of great feedback from the businesses that joined us. So, toward the end of last year, we took the plunge and committed to organising our first charity-focused event.

Sign-ups came in thick and fast (despite the relatively quick turnaround), and by the end, we were unfortunately having to turn people away as we limited attendees to 15 to ensure everyone received the full benefit. Prior to hosting the clinic, we conducted an audit of each charity’s website so that they could take away real, actionable insights to implement in their own organisations.

Luckily for everyone, the day ran smoothly! The attendees arrived to a buffet breakfast ahead of the morning session, which featured a presentation by myself and our SEO consultant, Izzy. This presentation focused on SEO theory, demystifying how Google works, and ended with advice for those looking to do SEO in-house or work with an agency, helping them understand the most important areas and the benefits it can offer.

Lunchtime brought even more food (because what’s a great event without great catering?!), and one of my favourite parts – seeing all of the charities network, sharing tips, stories, and advice with each other. Afterward, we headed into the afternoon workshop session.

This part was much more hands-on, giving attendees the chance to go through their audits with a member of the SEO team and ask specific questions about their sites or general SEO topics. After that, it was time for a quick wrap-up chat and to say our goodbyes!

The entire team involved felt the day went better than we could have expected, and it was great to chat with so many amazing individuals and hear about the work they’re doing. For any other agencies considering hosting a day like this, my advice is to go for it! Yes, it’s a cost. Yes, you don’t necessarily get any financial reward back, but being able to transfer skills to people who are making such a huge difference for so many others is really quite rewarding.

Hopefully, we’ll be running many more of these events. If we do, there are just a few things I’d change next time:

• Leave more time for our team to do audits. Between client work and other day-to-day tasks, things were a bit down to the wire for the audits, and ideally, we wouldn’t be fitting them all into the final two weeks.
• Invite more people! It was great to connect deeply with everyone, and we’d like to keep that personal touch, but there was definitely room for more charities to join us this time.
• Expand the day to include other disciplines within the agency, such as insights from the paid team, UX, and strategy.

And just in case you want to hear feedback directly from the attendees themselves, we’ve posted some of their testimonials below. Our next event will be happening soon, so why not sign up for our monthly SEO newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest news and developments in SEO? As soon as our next clinic date is live, we’ll be sure to update you via this email.

Nicola at Community Council for Somerset: 

“I wanted to extend a huge “THANK YOU” for the outstanding SEO training. It was incredibly informative and provided an excellent foundation for our charity. The entire team was so helpful, and I’m excited to implement the suggestions on our website.”

Charles at Wildscreen:

“I can’t recommend this event enough for anyone starting their journey in SEO or looking to update their knowledge and skills. Organic gave us actionable steps that would improve our practice, that we can implement tomorrow. Their insight was accessible and invaluable and I used the information they shared to inform our strategy immediately.”

Naomi at Devon Air Ambulance: 

“The SEO day was excellent. We felt really well supported by the friendly and knowledgeable team at Organic and came away feeling reassured and more confident. Thank you for your support and hospitality.”

Holly at Hospicecare: 

“Attending Organic’s Charity SEO workshop was an incredibly valuable experience. The insights and practical strategies I gained will certainly help us improve our online presence and make a greater impact. I’d like to say a huge thank you to the team for generously giving up their time and sharing their expertise to support our adult hospice charity.”