Intro to Web Design for Nonprofits

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “All roads lead to Rome.” But here at 立博客户端app下载 Corporation, we say, “All roads lead to your website.”

So what does that mean?

THE ROADS

For the past several months, my blog has had a strong focus on internet marketing for nonprofits. We’ve discussed tactics like SEO, social media marketing, paid search and email marketing.

So now, let’s talk about why you use these internet marketing tactics. The reason you implement SEO? To drive searchers back to your website. And the reason you conduct an email marketing campaign? To bring email recipients back to your website. And the purpose of developing a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin? To bring friends, followers and connections…back to your website.

This method of using multiple internet marketing strategies to achieve a single goal (more visitors to your website) is often described as the “hub and spoke” model. This model places your website as the centerpiece (or hub) of your organization’s online presence.

THE WEBSITE

But sometimes organizations are tempted to spend all of their time, resources and money on “building the roads,” and they forget all about the destination – the website. In these cases, even if an organization has developed a brilliant social media campaign, they’ll only be sending visitors to a shabby, behind-the-times website. All of your marketing efforts will have been in vain or, even worse, will have been detrimental to your organization’s credibility.

It’s just like selling your house. You spend a great deal of time and money on For Sale signs and ads promoting your Open House. But what if, when people arrive, the grass is overgrown, the paint is peeling off the exterior of the house, and the kids’ toys are scattered all over the living room? All of your efforts to get those potential buyers to look at your house were a complete waste.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GREAT WEB DESIGN

A beautiful and well thought out website design is vital to your organization’s online success. Your website is how online visitors will form a first impression and determine the credibility of your organization. 

These statistics illustrate the importance of web design:

• Upon viewing a website, it only takes a visitor .2 seconds to form a first impression. (Missouri University of Science and Technology)
• 46.1% of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of the organization. (Billion Dollar Graphics)

HOW TO MAINTAIN A GREAT WEB DESIGN

Web design is like fashion – it is constantly updating and changing, with new styles and trends emerging each year. In order to stay up-to-date and maintain a credible reputation, your organization’s website will require a redesign about every two years.

That’s why you’re not going to want to miss this new blog series, Website Design for Nonprofits! For the next several weeks, I will be discussing the latest website design trends, different web design philosophies, and the process of working with a web design company. Plus, as always, I will be providing tons of tips and best practices for your organization to begin implementing right away!

YOUR TURN

What are your toughest web design challenges? 

Please share your questions in the comments section below. Your feedback will provide me with a better understanding of the information you would like to see in this new series.