The Nonprofit Web Site: Tips for Attracting and Retaining Visitors
By Marilyn L. Gross
Most visitors to your Web site have logged on with the expectation of making a contribution, whether in dollars or time. The simplest - but most frequently ignored - dictum in Web site design is: "Make it easy for them!" Here are some suggestions for doing so:
How can we encourage visitors to linger at - and return to - our site?
Guarantee that their tour of your site will be fast and simple: Be sure that visitors can get to most of the information they need (or that you want them to see) with no more than two or three mouse clicks.
Use uniform "navigation buttons," located in the same spots on every page, so that visitors can visit every sub-site without having to return to the home page.
Have "Return to Top" and "Home" buttons at page bottoms - particularly for lengthy sections.
Keep graphics and photos to a minimum, unless you can be sure that they are quick loading. Remember: many visitors to nonprofit-related Web sites have old computers and slow browsers.
Don't use "frames" unless there is a good reason to do so: many readers find them confusing to use, they often won't print out easily (if at all) and they frequently make text so broad that it "falls off" the edge of the screen.
Before launching your site, test view it from a "typical" visitor's computer to make sure that the text is not too wide for the average monitor, and that items line up as you would like them to.
2. Make your site visually appealing:
- Use a variety, though not a confusion, of colors.
- Employ contrasting colors. For example, never use brown or navy print on a black background, light over dark blue, etc.
- Keep in mind that too much moving text or spinning graphics are distracting, and will cause people to forget why they came to your site in the first place.
3. Keep the content interesting, varied and fun:
- Provide changing news items, tips, contests, etc. on a regular (e.g., weekly or monthly) basis - but only do so if you can update with consistency.
- Give something away: trivia, quotable quotes, jokes, downloadable screensavers or photos are sure pleasers.
Some common pitfalls to avoid:
- Old schedules, past events, expired offers. There is no greater turn-off than a Web site with obviously outdated information.
- Visit counters - unless you can demonstrate that your site's been popular. ("This site has been visited 37 times" will not inspire much confidence.)
- "Dead" links. Periodically check to make sure that the resources outside your site to which you connect your visitors are up and running.
Once we've gotten visitors "hooked" on our site, how can we encourage them to do what we would like them to do? For example, make a contribution, volunteer their time or buy our products or services?
Capture your goals in simple words, which translate into catchy, easily understood "buttons": e.g., "Donate," "Volunteer," "Join," "How to Help."
Locate these navigators on every page - preferably in the left-hand column, on the page top or bottom. They can even appear in more than one place, so long as this is consistent throughout the site.
Be sure that every way to reach you is prominently displayed. Your physical and/or mailing address, phone and fax should be provided in addition to the electronic means of contacting you. Enable payment by check as easily as by credit card.
While providing a human touch can make a critical difference, don't promise what you may not be able to deliver. Sites offering to respond personally to every inquirer have sometimes found themselves overwhelmed - and therefore paralyzed - by demand.
Don't get locked into thinking "it's high-tech or nothing." Although you should be open to the possibility of accepting online donations down the road, it isn't necessary to make the commitment at the outset to having a secure server or accepting credit cards. Yes, these options will likely increase business, and having your Web site designer add them "piecemeal" will be more expensive, but initially limiting the choices to e-mailed or faxed pledges and mail-in checks may be an appropriate place for your organization to start. From here, you can always grow.
Marilyn L. Gross is President of Educational Funding Strategies, Ltd. (http://efsinternet.com) and publisher of the free e-mail newsletter "THE INTERNET INSIDER - for Grantseekers & Fundraisers." Marilyn provides in-person and online training that integrate use of the Internet with fundraising, grantseeking and management issues for nonprofits. E-mail her at: mlgross@aol.com. See "FATAL ERROR: Where Did I Go Wrong and What Can I Do Now?" for information on Marilyn's upcoming workshops.
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