Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of a successful website. Even many governmental organizations (GOs) could improve their sites by following these tips.
1. Everything should be viewed and evaluated with the eyes of the visitor: "What's in for me" as the main benchmark for a successful website. That is pertaining to the copy and to the content what ever directed to members or non-members: "You will here find ...." is a better and more inviting statement at the home page, than: "We are the main organisation of ......"
2. Most visitors on the Internet are searching for information, so please provide them with that.
3. Concentrate content on themes, because that will give you an easier way to the attractive top search positions at the main search engines and to be included in some directories, (Google, MSN, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, Open Directory, AltaVista etc.). Site-Build-It is probably the best approach to fulfil that requirement.
4. Make navigation easy and transparent on all pages.
5. Have a search facility, best on all pages. www.FreeFind.com offers a free and useful service. I use it on a number of websites, for example about photos: www.azfotos.com . In addition to the search facility for the visitor it gives you a record of what people have actually been searching for. In that way you can prioritise the stuff available for people on your website when you revise your pages. Google is also offering a search box, but only with the pages they have indexed, and you cannot get any record of the searches.
6. Try to organise the content of your website quite "flat", meaning the visitor does not have to dig too deep into your website to find what he/she is searching after. Most visitors will at best not go further deep than to the 3rd level. This is the same with "spidering" bots of search engines.
7. Have your contact information visible on your home page (first page), including address, phone, fax, email, may be even postal giro, bank account etc. - All to make it more easy for people to find the kind of information they need about your organisation. Avoid to write the email address, use a script to hide it from email harvesters and spammers.
8. Make it easy for visitors to find information on people, their phone numbers and email address and keep them updated. Do the same for departments of the organisation.
9. Keep each resource in only one place and make many links to them around on other pages..
10. Make it visible when you have provided new material at the website.
11. Make your website SIMPLE and quick loading. Avoid heavy graphics, flash movies etc. They will not help your visitors, but only help them click away. If you use graphics, you have to optimise them for the smallest amount of file size. GifBot, http://www.netmechanic.com/GIFBot/optimize-graphic.htm , can do it free and online. Else use one of the picture editing programmes available with the function like 'publish picture on the web'.
12. Keep your web copy short e.g. use a new paragraph for every 4th line. Make bullet points. files.
13. Manage to have at least your entrance page with a simple domain name, like www.iucn.org or www.ensi.org or www.nature.org
14. It is not enough to have a good virtual address by having an intuitive domain name on the internet. You also have to be registered properly in search engines and directories. The best way is to have other important sites to link to your site. In some months your site will be picked up by the spiders of search engines. For the directories it is best to do it manually, start with dmoz.org and yahoo.com
15. Make it easy for people to link to you. Provide them with a variety of text links, banners and logos and with simple instructions concerning the html code.
16. Encourage visitors to bookmark your site.
17. Exchange links with other relevant organisations. Include your important key words in your link text you ask them to use.
Implement these 17 tips and in half a year you will have many more visitors and they will be much more happy to come back to your organization's website.
Soren Breiting has worked with a number of national and international websites for NGOs and NOs. Find more tools and tips at http://www.allemarketingtips.com . Soren is also the editor of the ezine Stock Photo News http://www.allemarketingtips.com - The first Modern eZine combining Stock Photography and Marketing.
green cleaning service Bannockburn ...Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
Seeing is believing.One trick to increase your visibility as well... Read More
I often wonder how serious people are when it comes... Read More
Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More
There are many ways to add fancy bells and whistles... Read More
When you develop a sales brochure, you have a mental... Read More
Are you thinking that it is about time your small... Read More
When you begin the design of your Web site, one... Read More
Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and... Read More
The ability to create simple, attractive and functional web pages... Read More
What pages need to be included on your website? The... Read More
Websites, there's literally billions of them out there in cyber-space.... Read More
When designing elements for your webpage, you will often be... Read More
When your company built its website, did you think about... Read More
An attractive and user-friendly Web site is crucial to attracting... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
You've got a concept for a business, are excited about... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
The problem with designing your site as a graphic, is... Read More
Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More
I always have people asking me if I know of... Read More
You have only 10 seconds to impress your potential buyer.... Read More
To build a website, there are four methods to choose... Read More
There are lots of websites out there that do little... Read More
recurring housekeeping Bannockburn ...One product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More
The trend today to overuse animation in a website's opening... Read More
Well, a logo for your business. Why is it important?... Read More
To create professional websites is not an easy task by... Read More
This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
Using CGI scripts to add automation to your web site... Read More
1. Lack of overall strategy and clear definition of success:Most... Read More
Here's a really simple way... any novice can create a... Read More
If you are one of those who wonder how people... Read More
Want to know what the worst thing to say on... Read More
The most important person that you need to please when... Read More
Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More
Q: Should I build and maintain my business Web site... Read More
Contrary to the beliefs of some, advertising for web and... Read More
Since you'll spend lots of time and money to create... Read More
This is my second article on maximising web site viewability.... Read More
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in... Read More
If you'd like to create/maintain a website, having some HTML... Read More
Hello, how is your website doing?Are sales flowing in?If you... Read More
These days, it seems that everyone has a website. Unfortunately,... Read More
The most popular method to build webpages today is to... Read More
There are many companies who build websites, all of which... Read More
Novice and professional designers alike ? you may probably be... Read More
Web Design |