A while back I wrote a post about setting yourself apart from the pack. Here is what I came up with and how I arrived at it.

As an SEO. One of the more challenging areas of Search Optimization, at least from my perspective, is the Link Building. So I’m always looking for ways to do it. One of the best things I can think of is to build or write something that is beneficial to someone else and they will want to link to it. Always in the back of my mind (right under the spot that used to have hair) is a reminder to think of things in terms of connections.

A Few Examples

My brother, the college women's volleyball coach. ( “Who do you have to kill to get THAT job?” ) was trying to raise money to defray team expenses and held an online auction. He sent his team out to get items from local business people to be auctioned off. They raised some money but after they paid the auction service (a few thousand dollars) not as much as they could have.

While having my vehicle serviced at my local dealer, I noticed a wall covered in plaques and memorabilia in recognition of what the dealer had done for the community. This dealership has been part of our area for over a hundred years. Not only are they good at what they do, they give back to the community.

It struck me that the only people that knew about all this philanthropy were people that actually visited the dealership. What if it were visible on line?
Instead of giving out plaques and nice thank you letters, offer a permanent “Thank You” in the online community with a link to the business tied back to the charity recognizing their support.

The Solution

I built an exclusive site to the nonprofit industry. It is a full featured auction program. There are no fees or percentages charged. (FREE is better) Every penny that comes in to the auction goes directly to that charity. No hosting or setup costs. The software is built specifically to serve the nonprofit industry and each charity gets their own dedicated auction to use as often as they want. They get complete administrative control over their individual auction.

Sure there are other online auction services, even ones that specialize in charity. But they all charge for their service, (usually about ten percent of the money brought in). There is nothing to acknowledge or promote the online business that donates. When the auction is over, that’s it. If the Charity wants another event, they have to pay for it.

The only requirement for a nonprofit is that they maintain their own .edu or .org site and that they have at least one permanent link to their dedicated auction. That way the online businesses that donate get a “Thank You” that is tied back to the charity. Also, every item donated gets a separate thank you page. It isn’t some endless list of business names and websites.

Okay, that's it. I found a need that I could fill that would be a benefit to both Charity and Search Optimizing. I hope my run down will help you find an opportunity to do something that will help you stand out from the crowd.

By the way, my tool is available to all of you. No tool is any good unless it's used.
This is a good way for your clients to get an online recognition that points to their business and an encouragement from the charity that the business be supported. More they donate, the more connections they have pointing all that good will and recognition to them.

If you want to get involved tell all your favorite charities. Get them an auction(its free). Tell your clients to donate. It will bring in free money for worthy causes, and get online recognition for their business. People shopping online will see that they can buy from the auction and all the money they spend (not just a portion of it) goes directly to charity.