Some nonprofits are constantly updating their websites; others’ sites remain relatively static. If you are not updating your site on a regular basis, you could fall lower in the Google search rankings. Google is always on the hunt to promote sites that produce fresh content.
The end of the year is coming, and a new year is going to begin. As is often said this time of year, “Out with the old and in with the new.” That applies to your website. For many of you, it is high time for a website refresh!
Where do you start?
Develop and Post Fresh Content
We are sure you have some new initiatives planned for 2018. This is a great time to develop website content for them! Is there something that has emerged in 2017 for your nonprofit that isn’t really addressed or explained on your site? Now is the time to fill in those content holes!
One area to focus on particularly is writing and posting success stories and case studies. Potential donors want to see how their money will be put to use, and need inspiration to make the donation. These stories can push them over the top.
Conduct a Usability Audit
A lot of websites get rushed into existence without enough consideration of the user experience. Now is a great time to determine just how user-friendly your site is. Ask staff, friends, family, even donors and volunteers to take a look at your website, and let you know what areas are difficult to use or need to be improved or enhanced. A good question to ask is, “Is there anything you dislike about our website?” That often spurs some insightful and useful replies. In a lot of cases, it is simply a case of improving your menu structure to make navigation much cleaner and useful.
Give it a Fresh Look
There is a reason major websites change their look every year or two. The same look can get dreary after a while, and as new web tools become available, sites must change with the times or look hopelessly outdated. If your nonprofit is using a web platform, like WordPress or another web content management system, there are usually different website templates (themes) you can activate that will give your site a fresh look, even if you have changed very little actual content. Just make sure that the new template incorporates all of your content and presents it in a readable and easy-to-digest way!
Shoot, Edit, and Post Video
We are surely not the first to tell you that video is crucial in the web world right now, and will increasingly be. Just take a look at your Facebook feed; notice how many of the posts are video? Social media platforms want to highlight video posts. You will need video content to stand out on social. Add a video page on your site, put them in your blog, put them on your front page. Share those videos far and wide!
Mobile Optimization
Your site might look great on a laptop, but how does it look on a tablet? Most importantly, how does it look on a smartphone? In 2017 (and even more so in 2018), a site that is not optimized for mobile devices looks terribly out of touch. Many web templates automatically optimize for mobile. If yours does not, it might be time to change templates to one that does.
Add Social Share Buttons
Your nonprofit website should provide the ability for the user to share content on social media wherever possible — especially your blog posts and videos. Again, website templates differ in terms of how this looks and how it is executed. Find one that does it the way you like it.
Of course, DonorLynk can help you redesign your website; we have done it for many nonprofits! Just contact us and we can get to work on a great new site for you. If you decide to go at it alone, hopefully these tips will get your creative juices flowing!