When was the last time you took a good, hard look at your website?  As summer winds down, and we start getting ready for year-end fundraising, you want to make sure your website is up-to-date, easy to read and navigate,welcoming, and audience-centered.

How does your website fare?  Use the checklist below to find out.

Home page

Your home page is often the first place a newcomer will visit. Make it an entryway to the rest of your website.

• Is it free of clutter and easy to navigate and read?
• Does it include an engaging photo and a small amount of text, such as a tagline or position statement?
• If you are highlighting something such as an event, is the information up-to-date, and is it the most newsworthy item you can feature?
• Does it include a Donate Now button that’s prominent without being tacky?
• Does it include a newsletter sign up box and social media icons?
• Is the navigation bar easy to use?
• Does it include a search feature?

Donation page
More people donate online now.  Get your donation page in shape for your year-end appeal.

• Is it easy to use?
• Does it include a strong call to action with the same messages as all your other fundraising appeals?
• Does it show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund?
• Does it include an option for recurring gifts?
• Does it have an engaging photo?
• After someone donates, does it take the person to a thank you landing page and generate a thank you email?

The rest of your pages
Now take some time to look at the rest of your web pages.

• Are they easy to read/scan and navigate?
• Do all your pages have a consistent look?
• Is the content well written in a conversational style (no jargon) and free of grammatical errors and typos?
• Are your pages audience-centered? Remember, some visitors know you well and others don’t. A person visiting your volunteer page may not know much about your organization, so you will need to include a compelling description of what you do.
• Do your pages contain a clear call to action? For example, your volunteer page should make someone want to volunteer.
• Does each page have one or two photos related to its subject matter? Going back to your volunteer page, you could include a photo of volunteers interacting with clients.
• Is all the content up-to-date?
• Do all your links work?
• Do all your pages include a Donate Now button, navigation bar, social media icons, a newsletter sign up box, and a search feature, so your visitors don’t have to go back to the home page?
• Are you using analytics to see how often people visit your pages? If you have pages that aren’t generating a lot of interest, assess why that’s happening. You may need to make the page more enticing or take it down.
• Do you periodically survey your supporters to get feedback about your website?
• Is your website mobile and tablet friendly? Use responsive design to make it easy to read on any device.  Is Your Website Optimized for Mobile Devices?
• Is there other content you should include (or take out)?

After you’ve made any necessary changes, have someone who isn’t as familiar with your organization (maybe a friend or family member) look at your website to see if the content is clear and that it’s easy to navigate.

Remember, your goal is to have a website that’s welcoming and audience-centered for everyone from first-time visitors to long-time supporters.

Read on for more information on creating a great website.

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