Hi there

Hope all is good with you?

In this month's Digital Charity Lab ezine, we have some useful resources that should help you get your head around Generative Engine Optimisation - meaning, optimising your content for AI search (and for considering if this is something you should even do). Plus some upcoming free webinars, and some interesting reading. 

 

AI search optimisation - what should charities do?


AI search optimisation for charities

You've doubtless seen the trend towards using ChatGPT and other AI tools for search; and the knock-on effect from this - traffic to websites from organic search engines like Google is down across the board. Digital publishers and marketers are now looking at 'Generative Engine Optimisation' (GEO) as an alternative to SEO. But it's not something you should rush into - there are serious pros and cons to consider. 

Arguments for:

  • Users are adopting AI search and there's a risk that if our content doesn't appear there, we lose ground
  • AI citations and links can help to drive relevant traffic
  • And there's the future proofing part - some tools may move to entirely AI-based search whether we like it or not


Arguments against:

  • Hallucinations (a kind word for glaring errors) - these are a huge issue with LLMs, and not one that's going to go away. AI search could get something dangerously wrong attributed to you, and this is particularly risky with sensitive topics.
  • The intellectual property concern - you may want some content kept away from AI scraping completely, particularly if you have content about or created by service users or volunteers
  • Becoming over-reliant on AI - there's very good evidence that AI is in a huge hype cycle at the moment, and we could see a situation in the next year or so where previously free AI tools are withdrawn because they're costing their providers too much money 

Read more on the Digital Charity Lab blog »
 


 

🗓️ Some upcoming free online events you might find useful...



What: Webinar - The Silence of the Ads: What’s next for political campaigns after the EU ban? 
Who: Clare O'Donoghue Velikić and the European Center for Digital Action
When: Tuesday 16 September, 15:00 CEST
Free, just register for your place

Friend of Digital Charity Lab Clare O'Donoghue Velikić is a leading expert on Meta Ads for political and social causes. She'll be sharing advice at this session on new strategies for Meta Ads after the political / social issues ad ban is implemented. 

What: Webinar - How to Build a Winning Video Strategy for Your Campaigns
Who: VideoRev
When: Wednesday 8 October, 1–2pm BST
Free, just register for your place

VideoRev are fantastic at campaign videos, and are always focused on practical, accessible video skills that can be carried out without expensive equipment

What: Presentation Club
Who: Russell Davies, writer and strategist
When: Wednesday, November 5 · 7 - 8pm GMT
Free, just register for your place

Marketing strategist Russell Davies says he gets asked for advice on presentations all the time, so is starting a monthly evening session for people to practice and get supportive feedback on their presentation delivery. Nice! 


 

Handy articles & resources
 

🗃️ Really helpful resource from Outlandish where various CRM experts share their advice about planning and choosing a new CRM

👛 Guide from The Social Change Agency about how to pay people for getting involved with your cause through things like sharing case studies and lived experience - a nice resource for ensuring you're compensating people in a fair and equitable way

🕹️ Gen Z protesters in Nepal are using Discord to organise
 

🧮 This made me laugh: It Took Many Years And Billions Of Dollars, But Microsoft Finally Invented A Calculator That Is Wrong Sometimes, from Defector

📋 Some good guidance from Nick Burne Digital about how charities can prepare for Meta's upcoming ban on political and social issue ads

Thanks *|FNAME|*! Please send on your feedback and suggestions any time. 

Warm regards,

Jean
Digital Charity Lab

Digital Charity Lab
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