Google announced that it plans to sunset Google Optimize in September 2023, meaning nonprofits must start looking for an alternative solution now. As a nonprofit organization, your website plays a vital role in your ability to raise awareness, engage donors, and ultimately achieve your mission. Without Google Optimize, nonprofits must look at alternative solutions to ensure they effectively use their website and online giving experience to convert visitors into supporters.
While finding and implementing an alternative tool is always a challenge, this is also an opportunity to audit and elevate your website optimization. The right optimization tool can be a strategic partner for your nonprofit. To help, read our four steps to help you evaluate and select the right replacement tool for Google Optimize.
Four Steps to Selecting a Nonprofit Alternative to Google Optimize
Step 1: Identify What Your Nonprofit Needs
Before you begin your search for a nonprofit alternative to Google Optimize, you need to identify your nonprofit’s specific needs. Organizations approach their website and online presence differently, so considering how you are handling all of your content is an important first step. Here are some questions you should answer as a team before you start looking at any tools:
- What are your goals for your website?
- What metrics do you want to use to measure the success of your website?
- What are your current pain points with Google Optimize?
- What specific features are you looking for in a website optimization tool?
Also, consider the other tools you are currently using. A good nonprofit CRM may have some tools built in already. Tracking just the metrics of your website can provide additional help. Attaching those numbers to specific supporters in a nonprofit CRM with automated marketing tools takes the metrics from just numbers to actionable insights.
By identifying your needs, you can narrow your search and find a good nonprofit alternative to Google Optimize that fits your nonprofit.
Step 2: Research Nonprofit Alternatives to Google Optimize
Once you’ve identified your nonprofit’s needs, it’s time to start researching available nonprofit alternatives to Google Optimize. There are many website optimization tools on the market, and not all of them will be a good fit for your organization. It’s important to research each tool and compare them against your list of needs.
Look for reviews and case studies from other nonprofits to get a sense of how effective each tool is in the real world. Nonprofits are unique, so looking to see how other nonprofits use the tools is key to understanding whether that alternative is a good fit for you.
Here are some resources to check out when researching nonprofit alternatives to Google Optimize:
Crowdsourced Review Sites
These sites allow you to look at reviews for particular software and filter by industry and company size categories. You can also compare alternatives side-by-side to look at their products, pricing, and reviews.
Here are some of the top sites out there:
Case Studies
Check out the websites of the nonprofit alternatives for Google Optimize that you are considering. They should have several case studies sharing the stories of active customers. Read through the case studies to see if their stories resonate with your own. Particularly look for case studies from nonprofits or other social good organizations.
Step 3: Evaluate Pricing and Features of the Nonprofit Alternatives to Google Optimize
Once you’ve identified a few potential alternatives for Google Optimize, it’s time to evaluate pricing and features. Pricing can vary widely between tools, and ensuring you can afford the tool you choose is important. Some tools offer a free or lower-cost version, while others require a more significant investment.
The software review sites above can help you compare the alternatives to one another or to Google Optimize to see where the key differences lie. Additionally, compare the features of each alternative tool against your list of needs to see which offers the best value. This is when you should go back to the questions you answered in step one and ensure that you are looking at solutions that align with your nonprofit’s goals and needs.
When evaluating pricing and features of nonprofit alternatives to Google Optimize, it’s essential to consider each tool’s potential return on investment (ROI). While investing in higher-quality tools may require a more significant upfront cost, the ROI may be greater in terms of the impact on fundraising and website goals. When comparing features, prioritize those that are most likely to generate a greater return on your investment and align with your nonprofit’s goals and needs.
Step 4: Demo Your Nonprofit’s Top Choices
Before committing to a nonprofit alternative for Google Optimize, it’s important to understand how the alternative tool works. Schedule some demos and start digging into the options. While some alternatives may have free trials, ensuring that whatever tool you choose will work with your nonprofit’s full tech stack is important. To get a full picture of that, it is often helpful to actually talk to an expert.
Before a demo or even an introductory conversation, review the questions you answered in step one. Bringing your nonprofit’s goals and needs to the table is going to help you narrow in on the best Google Optimize alternative. Stay open to new opportunities that may arise in the conversation, but don’t get distracted by your ultimate goal.
Conclusion
Evaluating nonprofit alternatives for Google Optimize can seem like a daunting task. Optimizing the online experience for your supporters is key to converting them into donors. For an optimized giving experience specifically, check out Virtuous. Virtuous responsive nonprofit CRM includes a bevy of online giving tools that help nonprofits convert website visitors into donors. Virtuous does not replace Google Optimize, but it can work in conjunction with whatever replacement tool you select to create a holistic website experience that encourages generosity and engagement.
