Planning a website for your program

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Abstract

Organizations that fail to have an online presence fall short in several areas: marketing, recruitment, sustainability, and perhaps even credibility. This effective practice, adapted from materials written by ETR Associates for technology trainings, provides a basic outline for planning a successful program website.

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Issue

Even a basic website is a powerful tool, but sometimes program directors feel they don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to invest in creating one.

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Action

Pinpoint Your Market and Goals

Think about the following:

  • Who is the intended audience for this site?
  • What do you want site visitors to do after (or while) viewing the site?
  • How can you provide the necessary tools for visitors to take action?

Look at Other Sites

Take a look at your favorite volunteer-oriented sites to see how they provide information and empower visitors to do something useful with it. Also note what doesn't work, so you can avoid making the same mistakes on your own site.

Make a Site Diagram

A simple diagram that illustrates how information on your site will be organized can be very helpful. It will also help you to determine what content can be gleaned from existing documents and what will have to be written from scratch.

Pick a Team

It's imperative that everyone in your organization understands who is responsible for creating the site and who is responsible for maintaining the site once it is has been built. If possible, the primary content manager should also have an assistant to fill in when needed. Although the webmaster does not need to be an HTML expert, she or he will need to learn some basic web development skills.

Build the Site

Keep copy short and to the point; web visitors tend to scan for information rather than read long passages. Use some graphics to add interest, but be sure they are optimized for web viewing so that pages load quickly.

Test It

Invite a few people who are unfamiliar with your program to take a look at your website. After they've had a chance to peruse the site, ask some simple questions such as:

  • What is the program's mission?
  • What has the program accomplished?
  • How can you contact us?
  • What opportunities are available?
  • What action do you want visitors to take?
  • Are you motivated to take action? And if so, is it clear how to do that?

If these test visitors can't easily answer these questions, then you may need to modify the site in order to make certain information more visible, clear, or “user friendly.”

Launch It

Once you've built your website, you need to find a host that will suit your needs. Considerations when selecting a web host include:

  • Speed: The longer it takes your web pages to load, the more likely it is that visitors will leave the site.
  • Security and Stability: If “crackers” are successfully attacking your web host's servers, your site may be affected.
  • Reporting: Evaluating how visitors use your site is important.
  • Service: The administrative and person-to-person tools provided by a web host are vital.

Hosting prices vary greatly, depending on the amount of storage space required, the operating system used, and the degree of support provided.

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Context

A wide variety of site-building software is available. Some of the most popular ones are listed below.

Note: This information does not represent endorsement of any of the products listed. It is provided to illustrate the range of products that are commercially available for constructing websites.

HTML Tools

Graphics Tools

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Posted On

May 1, 2009

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