Todd Sumamno
A good nonprofit website is the one that clearly communicates the nonprofit’s mission and goals along with other important information. It also allows more users to get involved and provides them an easy way to make donations.
A strategic website design will stand out more to users and even increase donor retention rates.
Given below are some tips to build an impressive nonprofit website.
1. The Site Should Be User Friendly
Every nonprofit website should be designed keeping the visitors in mind. If visitors find your site unappealing and difficult to navigate, they won’t stay on it much longer.
This can really affect the number of donations you receive. Given below are some tips to make your nonprofit website more user friendly.
- Check your site speed. Majority of visitors expect websites to load within 2 seconds. If your website takes a long time to load, the visitor is likely to get frustrated and leave. You can use tools like Google’s Page Speed Insights which will check your site speed and give you tips to improve it.
- Your site should be easy to navigate. Make sure the location of the navigation bar is appropriate so the user can easily find it. The bar should be divided into categories.
- Make sure your site layout is responsive. If the text is too small, the user will find it difficult to read. The text should be properly visible so the visitor doesn’t have to zoom in.
2. The Site Should Have An Easy Donation Process
No visitor wants to spend a huge amount of time trying to figure out a complicated donation process.
Neither do they want to fill out long donation forms which ask for irrelevant details.
- Make sure the donation button is easy to find. It should be the prominent button on your page. The donate button should lead your visitor directly to the nonprofit donation page or donation form.
- The donation form should preferably contain options for pre-filled donation amounts.
- The donation page should be responsive and user friendly. You don’t want to risk your visitors getting frustrated.
- Offer different payment options so your donors can select the one which is convenient for them.
- Limit the number of steps required to complete the donation procedure.
3. Make Your Site Mobile Friendly
It is estimated that about 60% of web searches are carried out on a mobile device. Thus it is important that your nonprofit website is optimized for mobile devices.
- Websites optimized for mobile devices tend to have a higher SEO ranking. A few years ago, Google released a statement that they would begin to rank search results based on mobile.
- Making your nonprofit website mobile friendly will improve user experience. This could potentially lead to more donations. If users have to pinch and zoom into your website, they are likely to get turned off and leave.
4. Calls To Action And Mission Statement Must Be Clear
The call to action is the most important element of a nonprofit website. The design and location will affect the conversion rate of your website.
- Make the CTA button distinct from other buttons on the page. You can do this by giving it a different color or by highlighting it.
- The CTA button should preferably be on top and should be aligned with the goal of your nonprofit’s website.
Another important point to note is that your nonprofit website’s mission statement must be clear.
If the visitor has no idea what your website is about from the first glance, they are unlikely to spend more time researching it.
5. Use Visual Imagery
Visual imagery will not only make your nonprofit website look appealing but will also engage the visitor’s attention for a longer period of time. They can tell your story and bring the nonprofit’s mission to life.
Incorporating images can even contribute to a higher SEO ranking if your images come with attached keywords and descriptions.
Conclusion
If it is within your nonprofit’s budget, hire a good website designer who will help build a user-friendly website and bring your story to life. A good website will help your organization build a strong online presence.
Brittany
