IMPROVING YOUR AGENCY WEBSITE

National Network for Social Work Management Annual InstituteApril 26, 2012 - San Diego, CA

Eriko Kennedy, MSW, PhDResearcher and Consultant

@KangarooGrlekennedy5@comcast.net

OverviewHow to create a successful website:• Clarify your website’s purpose• Address your audience’s key questions• Be simple and clear• Be mindful of technology

YOUR WEBSITE IS YOUR IMAGE (your BRAND)

• Primary information source about the agency.• Imparts impressions of agency reliability,

management, level of experience, and success.• Provides clues to your culture and your fund-

raising capabilities, volunteer utilization, community involvement.

• Highlights what management considers important.

YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME3 seconds- to make a first impression

2.6 seconds - scanning6.48 seconds - logo6.44 seconds - main navigation menu5.94 seconds - site’s main

photo/image5.25 seconds - bottom of website

Sheng and Dahal (2012) Missouri S&T Laboratory for Information Technology Evaluation http://news.mst.edu/2012002?eye-tracking_studies_show_firs.html

YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE SPACE

Introduce your agency in a couple minutes.

Immediately answer client, donor, volunteer, community questions about who you are, what you do, how you do it, where, and when.

Websites are not staticWebsites must change in response to technology

and audience.

• For clues, keep track of a few key websites over the years…

• Text• Docu

ments

Computer scree

n

• Documents

• Links

Cell phon

e

• Text• Links• Visuals

Smart

phone

next?

Last year http://www.projecthope.org/

This year http://www.projecthope.org/

This year…

So, for a successful website…

1. CLEARLY ANSWER QUESTIONS• What problem do you address and what does

your agency do to resolve the problem?• Respond to your target audience(s)

(clients, donors, volunteers, policy makers).Who, what/how, where, when, and (why)?

• Use plain language…not technical jargon.

http://www.housingworks.org/ Great donor reach….and images…

2. VISUAL SIMPLICITY TEXT1. Simple and crisp2. Action-orientedColors Colors Colors Colors Font and type legiblity

CONTENT SHOULD HAVE A PURPOSE>CONTENT SHOULD HAVE A PURPOSE

Link here for more information Address, contact info at bottom of every pagea) Consistency form follows function. Visual design and function. A. EDITING<EDITING< EDIT.

LS

KEEP IT SIMPLE!

3. TELL YOUR PROGRAM STORYEvery picture tells a story.Carefully select images/photos that tell your

program story and success. Your program story is not about the staff.Crop and focus on one or two individuals.

It’s possible to tell your story while keeping client confidentiality…

4. ADAPT TO TECHNOLOGYEasy navigation

Top half of the fold Simple tab organization

Be quick Don’t need fancy videos. One click donations!It’s taking too long to load. My gizmo couldn’t read it.What’s the point? Why did they think that was important?!!Why did I waste my time watching that?!I want to donate already… ls this site safe?

Check website in various formats – Smartphone, iPads...

5. BE CURRENT & CORRECT

• No outdated information.• No grammatical/spelling/information errors.• Have a consistent style (fund raising or fundraising).• Allow for folks to contact webmaster if there’s a

problem on the website.

BE KIND

Nothing is perfectWebsites are always a group processThere are limitations in each technologyWebsites are iterative – revise and revampAlways ask for feedback

WHAT’S YOUR IMPRESSION?Look up agencies in your field…what are they doing right?

What can you learn? http

://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsfhttp://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.htmlhttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/mission/http://http://www.layc-dc.org/

Your agency website - review• What is the problem your agency resolves, and

why is it important? • Respond to target audience questions: who,

what/how, where, when?• Visual and navigational clarity.• Tell your program story.• Adapt to new technology.• Keep current and be correct.