The Anatomy of a Great Web Site
Building a Site that Will Get Results

Today’s Agenda

The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website

The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make with their Website

5 Proven Methods for Promoting Your Organization Online

Free or Low-Cost Tools Which You Can Use to Build Your Own
Website

The #1 Factor Nonprofits Should Consider Regarding Search
Engine Optimization

Real-World Examples of Nonprofit Organizations that Have
Mastered Their Online Presence
Rules of Engagement
 Ask questions
 Let’s learn the language together
 Have fun!
The Landscape of the Internet
 United States:
239,893,600 Internet users as of June 2010
77.3% of the population, according to ITU.
 Michigan:
7,899,843 Internet users as of June 2010
78.4% of the population, according to IWS.
Internet Usage by Age
Age
Percent Usage
18-29
93%
30-49
81%
50-64
70%
65+
38%
Growth of Internet Users
US Internet User Statistics
 55% of Americans use the Internet every day.
 Of those, 40% use search engines
 Americans spends 60 hours a month online. If you were
to put those hours back-to-back, you'd be surfing the
web for a whole month out of the year.
 About 70% of American Internet users participate in
social networking.
 In a singe month, a web user visits 2,646 sites and logs
on 57 times.
The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website
 Visibility
 User Experience & Intuitive Navigation
 Visually appealing and simple home page
 Sticky content
 Calls to Action
Visibility
 What’s in a Domain Name?
 Make Your Site Easy to Find
 The Hub of Activity
 Search Engine Optimization
What’s in a Domain Name?
Select a memorable name
 A memorable name guarantees return visitors
 Ask yourself:
Will users remember our web site address after seeing it
written down or hearing it on the radio?
 Tie it back to your business or organization
 Good examples: baker.edu, allegiancehealth.org
 Bad examples: bakercoll.edu, alleghlth.org
What’s in a Domain Name?
Other points to consider:
 Keep it Short - Your URL cannot be too short
 Avoid hyphens and numbers
 Avoid words that are commonly spelled wrong
 Get a relevant Top-Level Domain (TLD)
Best: .org, .edu, .com
Avoid: .net, .biz,
Make Your Site Easy to Find
Do your other marketing materials point users to your
web site?
 Paper fliers/brochures
 Business cards
 E-Mail Signatures
 Billboards
 Radio/TV
Make Your Site Easy to Find
 Ask your partner organizations to link to your web
site (also improves search engine optimization)
 Use social networking tools to drive traffic to your
web site:
 Facebook
 Twitter
 StumbleUpon
 Digg
Make Your Site Easy to Find
 Send email updates or “blasts” to users with links to
new content
 Create a blog that can be updated regularly, giving
users new reasons to visit your site
The Hub of Activity
 Create a reason for users to visit your site regularly
 Crucial content
 Hours of operation
 Contact information
 Services offered
 Update content regularly
 News articles/stores
 Blogs
 Videos
 Periodic tips/advice
The Hub of Activity
 Do not let your website stagnate!
 Once users have seen your page, give them a
reason to come back later.
 How often do you look at your own web site?
This is a good indication of how useful it is to others
outside your organization.
Search Engine Optimization
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
 SEO is essential for improving website visibility and
increasing your traffic.
 Search Engine Optimization is the on-going process of
improving the visibility and ranking of a website or web
page in the organic search engine results presented in
Google and the other major search engines.
 SEO is not a service or process that can produce
significant results in a few days, or even a few months,
like web design or software programming.
Search Engine Optimization
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
 A complex algorithm determines how search
engines list the results for any given search term or
phrase.
 Though the exact algorithm is a very well guarded
secret, many of the most important aspects and
components of this algorithm are known…
Search Engine Optimization
 Keywords – Embedded in the design code of site
 Link back to yourself - Keep users on your site
 Create a site map – Easier for Google to index
 Search-Friendly URLs – Use clear key words
 Use Flash carefully – Does not add to content
Search Engine Optimization
 Image Descriptions – Only text can be indexed
 Content – Keep relevant and fresh
 Integrate with social media
 Link to others
 Ask others to link to you
The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website
 Visibility
 User Experience & Intuitive Navigation
 Visually appealing and simple home page
 Sticky content
 Calls to Action
User Experience
 Aesthetic and visual appeal do matter
 Find the right balance between text, images and
interactive content
 Know your audience
 Parents
 Child
 Donors
 Business Partners
User Experience
 Allow for feedback from your users
 Embed search function within your site to make
content easier to find
 Consider mobile devices
 Mobile version of site
 Limit Flash content in favor of HTML5
 Consistent navigation…
Navigation
 Logo – Click to return to home page
 Main navigation links are clearly labeled and
positioned the same on each page
 Give users more than 1 way to find the same
information or page (Example: North Face)
 Use navigation aids, such as site maps or
breadcrumbs
 Eliminate broken links at all costs
The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website
 Visibility
 User Experience & Intuitive Navigation
 Visually Appealing and Simple Home Page
 Sticky Content
 Calls to Action
Web Design 101
 Use fonts that are easy to read:
 Legible font style (Arial, sans serif)
 Large font size (at least 12 and above)
 Adjustable font sizes, when possible
 Color choices:
 Use consistent colors that do not detract from your key
messages
 Do not overwhelm users with too many colors
 Considering branding when choosing color schemes
 Ensure good color contrast between text and background
color or images
Web Design 201
 Home page should be informational
 Online elevator speech
 Who are you?
 What service do you provide?
 Why are you relevant to your user?
 Assign a title to each web page
 Good for SEO
 Inform the user which page they are viewing
Web Design 201
 Use headers to capture users’ attention
 This has been working for newspapers for years!
 This is your opportunity to tell the user what is
important
 Ensure quick download times…even for those
using…dial-up!
 Check your spellingg!
The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website
 Visibility
 User Experience & Intuitive Navigation
 Visually Appealing and Simple Home Page
 Sticky Content
 Calls to Action
Sticky Content
stick·y con·tent
noun
Parts of a website developed with the intention of
bringing users back to the site. This typically includes
latest news and information, competitions and
interactive content.
Latest News & Information
 Keep your stakeholders up-to-speed on the latest
news and announcements related to your work:
 Newspaper articles
 TV/Radio coverage
 Press releases
 Annual reports
 Updates from the CEO
 This section should be updated regularly to keep
users engaged in your work and progress
Blogs
 Blogs are convenient way to keep users updated on
organizational developments without the need for
making drastic changes to your site
 Blogs will draw users to your site regularly, resulting in
greater brand recognition
 Be more relatable by putting a “human face” on your
organization
 Blogs are a fantastic way to put leverage and strengthen
ties to community partners by inviting them to submit
content
(Interactive) Media
 Effective use of media, such as video and audio can
enhance your site and broaden your ability to
communicate with users
 Incorporate the use of surveys and polls to gain
valuable feedback from users
 Contact Us – A must have for staying in touch with
your users
The 5 Required Elements of an Engaging Website
 Visibility
 User Experience & Intuitive Navigation
 Visually Appealing and Simple Home Page
 Sticky Content
 Calls to Action
Calls to Action
 Users are on your site. Be sure to tell them what you
want them to do!
 You want to create a clear path for visitors to navigate
through so that they’re naturally achieving all the goals
that you’ve laid out.
 If you’re trying to educate the people who land on your
site, make sure you’re directing them to the resources
and articles your site features.
 Your calls to action should be as clear and intuitive as
your navigation. It’s the only way they’ll work.
Calls to Action
 Lay The Groundwork - Before a user is willing to
complete a call to action they have to recognize the
need.
 Tell users that taking action is easy
 Communicate the benefits of responding. What will
the user get out of completing the call to action?
 Draw user attention with size
Calls to Action
 Use Active Urgent Language
A call to action should clearly tell users what you want
them to do. They should include active words such as:
 Call
 Buy
 Register
 Subscribe
 Donate
The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make with Their Website
 Underestimating the Importance of Feedback &
Analytics
 Failing to Plan for Growth & Keep Content Current
 Focusing on the Wrong Audience
Underestimating the Importance of Feedback
 Incorporate a method for the user to provide their
feedback to you (or webmaster) regarding your site:
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Contact Form
Survey
E-Mail Address
 Helpful reasons to welcome feedback:
 Improved design
 Unclear information exposed
 Starting point for FAQ
 Identify typos and broken hyperlinks
 Continuous Improvement and Adaptation of Your Site
Underestimating the Importance of Analytics
Google Analytics
 Free product
 Add “meta tags” to each page to track multiple data
points:
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Page views
Most popular pages
Time spent of each page
Links clicked
How users found your site
Track use over time (day, week, month, year, etc.)
Underestimating the Importance of Analytics
 What do you do with data from Google Analytics?
 Revise your navigation to drive traffic to pages with
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most important content
Find out what matters to your users
Look for trends – Do we see more users in the
summer months?
How much time are users spending on your site?
What region(s) to users live?
Determine when it’s time for a refresh
The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make with Their Website
 Underestimating the Importance of Feedback &
Analytics
 Failing to Plan for Growth & Keep Content Current
 Focusing on the Wrong Audience
Failing to Plan for Growth
 Your website infrastructure and navigation should
be built with the intention of expanding your site
over time
 Healthy things grow
 Roots – Draws users to your website
 Trunk – Home Page
 Large Branches– Navigation Headers
 Small Branches – Sub-Menu Pages
 Leaves – Content (changes over time)
Keeping Content Current
 It important to keep content on your website up-to-
date and fresh
 Remove old content – especially any
announcements or events that have come and gone
 Develop tickler system with web designer to
communicate when content needs to be removed,
updated, or replaced
The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make with Their Website
 Underestimating the Importance of Feedback &
Analytics
 Failing to Plan for Growth & Keep Content Current
 Focusing on the Wrong Audience
Focusing on the Wrong Audience
 Know your audience – Who are you appealing to?
 Each demographic requires deliberate marketing
strategies to increase efficacy of your website:
 Parents
 Seniors
 Children
 Donors
 Business Owners
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
 Social Media
 Search Engine Registration
 E-Mail Signatures
 Promote Your Site with Blogs and Articles
 Word of Mouth
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
Social Media
 Using social media outlets, such as Facebook or
Twitter, significantly multiply access points to your
website
 It’s not just “trendy” any longer. It is vital.
 Use Facebook or Twitter feeds to update content on
your website automatically
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
Search Engine Registration
 Make sure your website is registered/indexed by
major search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
 Register with Google Places – Allows users to view a
map of your location, along with address and phone
number
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
E-Mail Signatures
 Core Information (Name, Address, Phone, Fax)
 E-Mail Address and Website Address
 Social Media Links
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
Promote Your Site with Blogs and Articles
 Fresh content that allows you to send information
and respond to current events in real-time
 Connects users/readers back to your web page for
additional information
 Newspaper articles should direct readers to your
website
5 Proven Methods for Promoting
Your Organization Online
Word of Mouth
 Announce website updates/additions at meetings
(both internal and external)
 Users will want to share great content with their
friends and families (importance of social media
integration)
 Jackson is a “word of mouth” kind of town
Free or Low-Cost Tools Which You Can Use
to Build Your Own Website
Benefits:
 Large savings over paying for professional web
design
 Customization is 100% within your control
 New templates can be added to freshen up your
site
 Free tech support if you encounter problems
Free or Low-Cost Tools Which You Can Use
to Build Your Own Website
 WordPress
 Wix
 SnapPages
 Webs
 Doodlekit
 Website Tonight
The #1 Factor Nonprofits Should Consider
Regarding Search Engine Optimization
Optimized Content
 Useful, informative, helpful, and updated
 Use “high keyword density”
 Heading tags (headlines)
 There’s no “cheating the system” when it comes to
Search Engine Optimization
Real-World Examples of Nonprofit
Organizations that Have
Mastered Their Online Presence
 R.U.4 Children
 Integration of social media
 Attractive use of colors and images
 Simple and clean
 Clear calls to action
 Easy-to-use navigation
 Important content is made obvious with use of
header tags
 Blog
Real-World Examples of Nonprofit
Organizations that Have
Mastered Their Online Presence
 Charity: Water
 Simple and clean
 Blog
 Social media
 E-Mail updates
 Statistics updated quarterly
 YouTube channel
 Calls to action very obvious
 Theme carried throughout website
Glossary
Blog

A Web site on which an individual or group of users record
opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis.
Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation,
video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for
advertisements, games, and flash animations.
Google Analytics

Google Analytics shows you how people found your site, how
they explored it, and how you can enhance their visitor
experience.
Glossary
HTML5

The upcoming, powerful standard of Hypertext Markup
Language, which has added advanced interactive features,
such as allowing video to be embedded on a web page.
Keyword

Main or oft-repeated word (usually a noun) that is closely
linked to, or describes or defines, a particular subject.
Meta Tag

This is a special HTML tag that is used to store information
about a Web page but is not displayed in a Web browser.
Glossary
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page
in search engines via the “natural” or unpaid (organic or
algorithmic) search results
Site Map

A site map (or sitemap) is a list of pages of a web site accessible
to crawlers or users
Sticky Content

Parts of a website developed with the intention of bringing users
back to the site. This typically includes latest news and
information, competitions and interactive content.
Glossary
Top Level Domain (TLD)
 The last part a domain name, which comes after the
final dot. This letter combination can refer to a
country (e.g. ‘.nl’ for the Netherlands) or a type of
organisation (e.g. ‘.com’ for a commercial
organisation, or ‘.net’ for a public network).
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
 The address of a web page on the world wide web
About Me
Contact Information:
Pete May, Owner
517-315-3563
goperspective@comcast.net
www.goperspective.com