Serenity at Heart is the website of Serenity Compassion Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit in Phoenix, Arizona, that helps individuals and families facing hardship connect with support services and resources. It does not sell anything. It relies on donations and volunteers, and on people in difficulty being able to find it.
Over six months of our 2023 SEO engagement, Search Console recorded 733 clicks and 43,700 impressions. Those totals look respectable. The chart tells a different story, and we are publishing it because it is the most useful lesson in our whole portfolio: most of those clicks came in a single burst between mid-May and early June 2023.
| Metric | April to October 2023 |
|---|---|
| Clicks from Google search | 733 |
| Impressions | 43,700 |
| Average click-through rate | 1.7% |
| Average position | 28.6 |
| Shape of the chart | One burst, mid-May to early June |
Why We Publish a Chart That Did Not Keep Rising
Most SEO agencies show their best chart. A results page that only shows the best chart does not prove anything, because a reader cannot tell what was left out. In our SEO results portfolio we show every client site we have data for, including the two where the totals look fine and the chart is flat. This is one of them.
What Search Console Showed
Google Search Console, serenityatheart.com, 11 April to 10 October 2023: 733 clicks, 43.7K impressions, 1.7% CTR, average position 28.6. Most clicks came in one burst in May and early June.
This screenshot was taken in October 2023 with Search Console set to "last 6 months". Read it from left to right:
- April to mid-May: clicks and impressions near zero. The orange average-position line moves a lot, which is normal when a site appears for only a few searches.
- Mid-May to early June: clicks and impressions jump together, peak, and fall back. Most of the six-month click total sits in these few weeks.
- June to October: clicks and impressions near zero again, while the average position settles at a better level than in spring.
The screenshot does not record why the burst happened. The honest reading is the one we give every client: a spike is not a trend. A six-month total can hide the fact that nearly all of it happened in a few weeks.
Most of the clicks arrive in a few weeks and then stop. The six-month total looks healthy; the chart shows it was not a trend.
Clicks stay at a level, or rise and stay. Forest Hills Lab's chart is the example: steady for six months, position improving.
When anyone reports SEO results, ask for the Search Console chart and the date range, not only the totals.
What Steady Visibility for a Nonprofit Needs
This is how we would approach a nonprofit site today. It is the approach in general, not a record of the 2023 work.
Pages for the searches people in difficulty actually make. Someone looking for help searches for the help, not for the organisation: food assistance, housing support, help for families, in their city. A nonprofit that wants to be found needs a clear page for each kind of support it connects people to, with the area it serves stated plainly.
Pages for donors and volunteers. These are different audiences with different searches: volunteering opportunities in the city, ways to donate, what a gift achieves.
A Google Business Profile, so the organisation appears on the map for local searches.
Google Ad Grants, if eligible. Google offers eligible nonprofits in-kind search advertising, widely reported as up to $10,000 a month, through Google for Nonprofits. It brings visitors while SEO builds, at no cost beyond the time to run it well. Eligibility and rules are set by Google, so check its current terms.
Consistent publishing. A spike usually comes from one page catching attention. Steady visibility comes from many pages, each answering a real question, added over months.
Look at the Search Console chart, not just the totals. If most clicks fall in a short burst, treat it as a spike, find which page caused it, and build more pages like it. If clicks hold or rise across the period, it is a trend, so keep building on what is working.
Organic Clicks vs Paid Clicks: Pricing the Same Traffic
Assumptions: 733 clicks from Search Console over six months, priced at LocaliQ's 2026 all-industry average of $5.42 a click (US data, updated 1 June 2026). LocaliQ does not publish a nonprofit category, so treat this as scale.
| Volume | Organic clicks | At $5.42 a click |
|---|---|---|
| Six months, as recorded | 733 | about $3,970 |
| The same six months without the burst (our reading of the chart) | a small fraction | a small fraction |
For an eligible nonprofit, Google Ad Grants changes this comparison: paid search clicks can be free within the grant. That is why the best nonprofit plan uses both, the grant for immediate visibility and SEO for the pages that keep being found after the grant's budget is spent each month.
The Competitor Pulse Check
| Factor | ValueStreamAI approach | Typical agency report |
|---|---|---|
| What is reported | The chart and the date range | Six-month totals |
| Spikes | Named as spikes | Reported as growth |
| Nonprofit options | SEO with Google Ad Grants where eligible | SEO sold on its own |
| Content | Pages for help-seekers, donors and volunteers | Generic organisation pages |
What This Engagement Confirmed
Totals can mislead. 733 clicks over six months sounds steady. The chart shows it was not.
The position improved anyway. By late summer the average-position line had settled at a better level than in spring, which is the foundation further pages could build on.
Nonprofits have options businesses do not. Google Ad Grants and the goodwill of local directories and partners make visibility cheaper for a nonprofit than for almost anyone, if someone puts in the work. For how long SEO usually takes, see how long SEO takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SEO work for nonprofits?
Yes, when the site has clear pages for the searches people make: the help they need in their area, how to volunteer, how to donate. Nonprofits can also use Google Ad Grants, which offers eligible organisations in-kind search advertising, alongside SEO.
Why did Serenity at Heart's clicks come in one burst?
The Search Console screenshot does not record a cause. Bursts like this usually come from a single page catching a period of search interest. The lesson is to read the chart, not only the total, and to build more pages that answer similar needs.
What is Google Ad Grants?
A Google for Nonprofits programme that gives eligible nonprofits in-kind Google search advertising, widely reported as up to $10,000 a month, subject to Google's eligibility rules and account policies. Check Google's current terms before applying.
How do I tell a real SEO result from a spike?
Ask for the Search Console chart with its date range. A real result holds or rises across the period. A spike shows most of the clicks in a few weeks with little either side, even when the total looks good.
Why publish a result that did not keep rising?
Because a results page that shows only the best chart proves nothing. We show every client site we have data for, and say plainly which ones are spikes.
What's Next
If you run a nonprofit and the people you help cannot find you, start with a free call. We will look at your site and your Search Console data and tell you honestly what would make a lasting difference.
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