Charity begins at the homepage
Posted on 21st April 2017
The importance of a great charity website
In 2017, it’s never been more important for a charity to build a strong online presence – and this starts with a great website.
At it'seeze Web Design Ryedale, we specialise in creating affordable, editable, and easy to use websites that perform in the real world. In this post, we take a look at the benefits to charities of having a great website, and what charities can do to ensure that their websites achieve their potential.
Why you need a great website
Many charities resist spending money on a website – feeling that by doing so, they are diverting money away from their cause.
In reality, a great website is essential, and should be seen as an investment. Having a well-designed, responsive website that clearly communicates your messages to your audience will help your charity to:
Spread the word about your cause
Raise awareness about your charity
Generate online donations
Promote events and fundraisers
Encourage volunteers to join your charity
Maintain relationships with donors
Share good news about the work you do
Get things right, and it will be a powerful marketing tool for your charity, generating value that far outstrips the investment in setting up and managing the site.
What makes an effective charity website
Here are a few essential elements that every charity website needs if it is to perform to its full potential:
A great design
Making sure your website looks great, is easy to navigate, and has a clear purpose will help to improve performance, engagement and conversion rates.
In 2017, responsive design (where the website adapts so it works on every device) is essential, and will help to ensure that your visitors can use your site as they want to, wherever they are. Check out our previous blog post on the importance of responsive design for further information.
A clear mission
Visitors need to know exactly what your charity is about – it’s really important that you can communicate this in a clear, concise manner. Having a clear mission statement in a high profile visible on your website will let your visitors know exactly what you’re trying to achieve.
Show how you make a difference
It’s vital that you can show your visitors what you are doing, and the impact this is having.
Case studies, testimonials, and good photography are really valuable – they will help your audience to visualise and connect with your cause, and demonstrate that yours is a cause worth supporting.
Setting a donation goal is another great way of encouraging donations – it makes your visitors feel as if they are making a real impact.
Tell them what they can do
Make it clear exactly what you’re looking for, and outline the ways that people can support your charity, whether that’s through:
Donations
Fundraising events
Volunteering
Naming the charity in their will
Sharing your causes and events on social media
Make things easy
As with any website, it’s important to make everything as easy as possible for your audience, in terms of navigating the site, getting the information they want, and supporting your cause.
A big ‘donate’ button is just the start - make sure you have a clear purpose and call to action for every page, encouraging visitors to engage with your charity there and then. If you’re planning on sending out marketing materials, make sure it’s as quick and pain free as possible to sign up for your newsletter.
Further info
We explored the key elements of great web design in detail on the blog a few months ago – and all of this information can be applied to the design of a great charity website.
Example charity sites
At it'seeze Ryedale, we have created websites for charities and fundraising events from all across Yorkshire. Take a look through some of our previous projects for inspiration, and a showcase of what we can do:
Charity Websites that work from it'seeze Ryedale
Don’t compromise your charity with a website that isn’t fit for purpose – get professional support from it'seeze Ryedale.
We are here to help your charity or fundraising event to improve online performance through the creation of a custom-designed website that’s focused on your goals. Responsive, beautiful, and easy to edit, our websites are designed to work in the real world.
Set up your free, no obligation meeting with Rob Davies from it'seeze Web Design Ryedale today by calling 01653 690982, or by emailing rob.davies@itseeze.co.uk.
Tagged as: Online Marketing
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