Designing a website for your nonprofit involves more than just completing a task. Any ordinary website can display fundamental details about your organization. However, an exceptional nonprofit website, which is properly structured, adaptable, and enhanced for an outstanding user experience, can act as a crucial foundation for both your organization and your mission.

The reason for writing this article is to assist nonprofits in going beyond the minimum requirements when building a new website. This is because having a successful online presence will be vital for your organization’s future. Based on the 2022 M+R Benchmarks report, online revenue for nonprofits experienced a significant 60% growth from 2017 to 2021.

Regardless of whether your nonprofit is well-established and wants to build a new website or if your organization is newer and creating its first site, there are numerous best practices and helpful tips available for your team to utilize in order to create the most effective website. It is important to remember that having a great nonprofit website is now essential for the success of your organization, rather than just being a desirable asset.

If your nonprofit hasn’t redesigned its website yet, it could fall behind as per the 2023 Nonprofit Tech for Good Report which states that 68% of nonprofits have already revamped their websites in the past 3 years. Therefore, it is crucial for your organization to refresh its site without delay.

Contained within this article is an abundance of information that will hopefully serve as a valuable resource for you as you develop your nonprofit organization’s new website. To assist you in navigating through the content more efficiently, we have provided a breakdown of the included sections that are most pertinent to your needs.

Why Does Your Organization Need a Website?

In 2023, it might appear foolish to question whether all nonprofits require a website, considering that everyone seemingly necessitates one.

To clarify, it is definite that this is the situation. However, the question we are focusing on is not that. The actual question is: What are the specific objectives you want your nonprofit’s new website to accomplish?

An effective nonprofit website will be accomplishing multiple goals simultaneously. This is because your organization’s clients, donors, volunteers, and staff all have different needs, and you’ll want your website to be beneficial for all of them.

Here is what we have done: Before you begin constructing your new nonprofit website, it is important to determine the objectives you want the site to achieve. Furthermore, when considering the goals of your website, it can be beneficial to analyze them according to your various audiences.

How Will Clients Use Your Website?

To begin, let’s consider the individuals you cater to. Regarding your nonprofit’s target audience, what specific details would they require when visiting your organization’s website?

The way you rephrase the text may vary depending on the type of nonprofit work you do. If your nonprofit runs a food pantry, it will be essential to ensure that your hours and policies are conveniently accessible. On the other hand, if your organization operates an animal shelter, having a comprehensive list of adoptable pets will be crucial.

Your clients will primarily require information on accessing your services. This information should be broken down into various categories such as contact numbers, email addresses, locations, eligibility criteria, and program overviews. Additionally, explain how a website could streamline the process by enabling clients to submit a form directly through one of your webpages.

As you proceed, make sure to conduct interviews with some of your clients in order to gain a deeper understanding of their interactions with your organization. It could be a revelation to discover what their expectations are for a new website!

How Will Donors Use Your Website?

The main objective when it comes to donors is to motivate them to give through your website. Currently, online giving represents approximately 13% of the overall donations. As younger generations, such as Millennials and Gen-Z, who are familiar with digital platforms, reach the age where they are most likely to donate, the significance of online giving will grow even more. Therefore, it is crucial to concentrate on developing captivating websites that provide convenient access to information about your work and facilitate donations for your cause.

Firstly, it is important to ensure that your donation form is easily locatable. Following that, it is necessary to optimize your donation form so that donors can have a seamless, secure encounter while navigating through it swiftly and ultimately clicking on the “submit donation” button.

In addition to explaining the process of donating, your website should also provide reasons for doing so. This applies to both existing and new donors.

We will discuss this in more detail later, but it is important for you and your team to view your website as a continuation of your fundraising strategy. This implies utilizing your website to showcase the positive impact of your nonprofit and its capability to fulfill its mission.

If you examine the majority of nonprofit websites, you will find sections such as “our mission” or “our impact.” These sections are commonly found because they serve a purpose: When individuals are curious about a particular cause and are researching nonprofits that are unfamiliar to them, they will seek answers to questions such as “What is their mission?” and “What kind of impact are they creating?”

Although standard, it doesn’t imply that they are sufficient. Avoid merely completing this task and proceed. Have conversations with a few of your donors to gain further insight into their reasons for choosing to donate. They will assist in developing a website that compellingly conveys your nonprofit organization’s narrative.

How Will Volunteers Use Your Website?

Many nonprofits rely on their volunteers to help achieve their goals. In addition to contributing to the nonprofit’s mission, a large majority (76%) of volunteers also make financial donations. This is why it is important for your website to be valuable to your volunteers as well. The more convenient you can make the experience for your volunteers, the more likely they will be to contribute their time and funds.

It will be important for volunteers to include a list of upcoming events and volunteer opportunities on their site. It is crucial to keep the list updated once the site is live. Additionally, incorporating a sign-up sheet that allows volunteers to easily add their name to an event with just a few clicks would be even more beneficial.

It can be beneficial for the appropriate organization to create a private section of their website for both volunteers and staff, allowing them to log in and access private event details, volunteer requirements, and other pertinent information. However, the feasibility of this will rely on the organization’s resources and the extent of their activities.

When considering the content for this section, you should think about volunteer policies and provide more detailed event information. Additionally, it would be beneficial to include assets such as custom graphics to assist volunteers with their peer outreach, as they are important supporters.

During this process, we strongly advise conducting interviews with your volunteers to gain insights into their intended usage of the site and their actual requirements, as there may be disparities between what they anticipate and what they truly require.

Make a List of Website Goals

After assessing the needs and desires of all your target audiences, convene your team and formulate a set of objectives. Each objective should be a concise and straightforward statement outlining the intended accomplishments of your website.

Here are a few examples of rephrasing the given text while maintaining the same meaning: 1. Original Text: “I will first gather all the necessary ingredients, then I will mix them together, and finally I will bake the cake.” Rephrased: “My first step will be to collect all the required ingredients, following which I will combine them, and ultimately proceed to bake the cake.” 2. Original Text: “Before submitting the report, I will review it for any errors, make necessary amendments, and then send it to the supervisor.” Rephrased: “Prior to submitting the report, I will meticulously review it for any mistakes, make essential revisions, and subsequently forward it to the supervisor.” 3. Original Text: “To solve the equation, I will first simplify both sides, then isolate the variable, and ultimately find its value.” Rephrased: “For resolving the equation, my initial step would involve simplifying both sides, followed by isolating the variable, and eventually determining its value.” 4. Original Text: “To assemble the furniture, I will first read the instructions, gather all the tools required, and then start the process.” Rephrased: “To put together the furniture, my initial course of action will be to carefully read the instructions, collect all the necessary tools, and subsequently commence the assembly process.” 5. Original Text: “Before going to bed, I will first brush my teeth, wash my face, and then change into comfortable sleepwear.” Rephrased: “Prior to retiring for the night, I will initially brush my teeth, proceed to wash my face, and ultimately change into cozy sleepwear.”

Website Goal #1: Our new website will increase online giving
Website Goal #2: Our new website will be the #1 way that new clients find us
Website Goal #3: Our new website will serve as our primary sign-up and information hub for volunteers.

Having this list of goals will be beneficial for all stages of the website process. It may be helpful to have them printed and displayed in your office. Whenever a decision is being made, you can easily refer to them. Ask yourself if this new idea aligns with any of your website goals. If it does, proceed. If not, move on.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Track Success

When considering the aforementioned goals, it becomes apparent that they do not meet the criteria of being S.M.A.R.T. This does not imply that the goals are unintelligent; rather, S.M.A.R.T. is an abbreviation for the process of setting goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Ambitious, Relevant, and Timely.

While it’s acceptable if your overall website goals deviate from this criterion, they serve as overarching objectives to steer your decision-making process. However, this doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t establish precise S.M.A.R.T. goals to gauge your accomplishments.

To ensure success for each of your website goals, establish a set of S.M.A.R.T. goals that are linked to specific metrics and timeframes. The key is to set achievable targets without making them too easy or impossible. Consider this example:

Website Goal #1: Our new website will increase online giving.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal #1: We will achieve a 25% growth in online giving this year.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal #2: We will see 20 new online donors this year.
S.M.A.R.T. Goal #3: We will have an average online donation size of $50 this year.

By following these step-by-step S.M.A.R.T goals, you can assess the effectiveness of your nonprofit’s new website. Additionally, you can establish fresh S.M.A.R.T goals for the upcoming year. For further insights on how nonprofits can utilize Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to gauge their achievements, refer to the article provided.

Registering Your Domain Name

If you already have a website, it is unlikely that this will be an issue as you would have already registered your domain name when your original site was set up. However, for new nonprofit organizations, registering your domain name is essential to prevent others from purchasing it before you.

The domain name consists of two components: the specific sequence of letters and numbers representing the name of your website, and the top-level domain, such as “.org”, “.com”, or “.edu”, indicating the type of organization being accessed by users on the internet.

It would be ideal for your nonprofit’s name to serve as your domain name with the .org extension. However, each domain name must be entirely exclusive, so if someone else has already claimed your desired domain name, you will not be able to use it. In such a situation, you can include a relevant word like “rescue,” “theater,” or “pantry” in your domain name to clearly depict your nonprofit’s activities.

To register your domain, you have two options – contacting your Internet service provider or referring to the list of accredited registrars maintained by ICANN, a nonprofit organization. After choosing a registrar, you can utilize their search bar to find an available domain name and make the purchase.

Note that domain name registrations are not permanent. The purchase price you pay only includes registration for one year. Afterwards, you will have to pay an extra fee (usually ranging from $10 to $15) each year to renew your domain registration.

By the way, there is no rule mandating that nonprofits must have a website with a domain ending in “.org.” However, this practice is so widespread that it is advisable to adhere to it; using a domain ending in “.com” may likely cause confusion among potential visitors.

It might be worth considering registering the .com and .net versions of your domain, even though it is not necessary. If you choose not to register them, there is a risk of someone else registering those domains and potentially utilizing them for fraudulent activities on unsuspecting donors.

To Free or Not to Free: How Much Should Your Nonprofit Spend on a Website?

Nonprofits are aware that overhead costs are a highly delicate matter. The presence of third-party ratings systems such as Charity Navigator, which penalize nonprofits exceeding a 30% allocation to overhead and fundraising, and the reasonable expectation of donors that their funds primarily benefit the cause they are supporting, create an understanding that nonprofit employees are accustomed to achieving greater results with limited resources.

To avoid “doing less with less,” it is important to remember that certain investments are valuable. Investing in technology, such as websites, is particularly cost-effective. However, if you desire significant achievements with your nonprofit’s website, you will need to allocate additional funds.

However, there are still some nonprofits that may consider the expenses related to a paid website builder or web host and conclude that the constraints of a free website are worth the money saved. Therefore, we will now delve into the distinctions between the two main cost levels in nonprofit websites: free and not-free.

The Case for Free Websites

A free website will come with fewer design options, fewer interactive features, less bandwidth, and could even come with a cap on monthly visitors. Your site might also come with ads on it, and your domain name will usually include the name of your host (i.e. yournonprofit.webhost.com).

Alternatively, free websites have minimal or no expenses, do not require contracts, and can be beneficial for trial and error to determine the most effective site structure and content for individual preferences.

If you opt for a free website, you will pay nothing but receive fewer benefits in return.

The advantages of free websites:

Did we mention that they’re free?
No contract
Designed to be self-managed
Good for beginners

Here are the drawbacks of free websites:

They’re slow (limited bandwidth)
Limited design options or templates
No personalization options
May come with ads
May come with web builder’s logo
Limited analytics
Limited customer support
May come with cap on monthly visitors
Might be limited to a “.com”

If you want to save money, you should use a website that doesn’t require payment.

If your newly established nonprofit is operating on extremely limited resources, it is crucial to prioritize upgrading your website at the earliest opportunity. This is particularly essential in today’s digital era where people are spending more time online. Regardless of whether they belong to Generation Z or are Baby Boomer donors, individuals will visit your website to gather information and show their support for your cause. Possessing an outdated website could potentially give the impression to visitors that your organization is inactive or not attentive to its online audience.

The Case for Paid Websites

If you choose a paid website, your expenses will be higher, but you will receive significantly more benefits. However, the extent of what you receive will be determined by your price range and the website builder you select.

Paid websites often offer faster load times, improved design options, increased personalization, and enhanced security, in comparison to their free counterparts.

Many website hosts offer a discount for nonprofits, which is an added bonus.

The advantages of paid websites:

Faster loading times
Better design options and templates
More customization options
Additional functionalities
Options for website personalization
Better security
Better customer support
No caps or higher caps on monthly visitors
No ads
Discounts for nonprofits

The drawbacks of paid websites:

They cost more than free sites
You’ll likely be locked into a contract
More complicated/more difficult to manage
If you’re relying on a third-party webmaster, updating the site can be slow

It is advisable to utilize a paid website if …

If your organization is beyond the early stages of formation, investing in a website is an investment in the future success of your nonprofit. In fact, allocating funds towards optimizing your website could potentially yield the highest return on investment for your nonprofit.

Paid websites are particularly crucial for nonprofits aiming to engage with younger audiences or donors. The initial action taken by these individuals upon hearing about your nonprofit is to search for your website. If your website appears outdated and free, it could potentially result in the loss of their interest.

5 Things to Look for When Shopping for a Nonprofit Website Builder

Before we move on to discussing various website builders for your nonprofit that you will be investigating, let’s provide you with a brief overview of the essential features you should consider while searching for the ideal one.

When conducting research on a potential website builder, ensure that you verify these five aspects.

1. Self-Service

When considering a website builder, it is crucial to ensure that it is user-friendly. While many advanced web builders offer self-service options, it is essential to have the website admin present during the purchasing process to test the ease of navigating the self-service features. If choosing a website platform requires depending on a third-party webmaster to manage the site, it is advisable to reconsider as this may lead to slower updates and become a time-consuming task.

2. Nonprofit Templates

It is important for a web builder to offer website templates. This is because small or medium nonprofits do not have time to create a website from the beginning. However, it is crucial to consider the quality of the templates provided and assess how well they align with your website objectives. Additionally, it is beneficial to examine the web builder’s selection of nonprofit-specific templates and ideally find ones that are tailored to your mission. The quality of the templates will greatly impact your ability to construct and launch your site with ease.

3. Page Speed

To achieve success, it is crucial to have a website that loads quickly. We have all experienced losing interest in a site when it takes too long to load. In terms of search results, Google gives preference to websites that load quickly. If you are discussing website development with a sales representative, don’t hesitate to ask them about page speed and how your nonprofit can enhance the speed of your website. To test your page speed, you can rely on the useful tool called Google Page Speed Insights.

4. Personalization

Personalizing a website is not as simple as it may initially seem. It entails customizing a visitor’s experience on your site using data from their previous visits. If a website builder includes personalization capabilities, you can adjust an individual’s experience on your site based on factors such as their past visits, location, or even the date and time. When going through the purchasing process, it is important to inquire about the personalization features offered by the website builder and assess how user-friendly they are for your admin to set up and utilize.

5. Security

Website security is undeniably crucial. We want to emphasize that website security is extremely important, even though it may seem obvious. If your website is hacked and your donors’ information, particularly their financial details, become accessible, it will severely damage their trust in your organization and may lead to severe consequences. When selecting a web hosting provider, make sure to thoroughly examine the security features they provide, and it is advisable to choose a provider that requires minimal consideration for cybersecurity.

When choosing a website builder, it is important to consider the price. However, it is also important not to prioritize the bottom line number to the extent that the actual value of what you are paying for is overlooked. Some website builders offer more features and benefits even among paid services.

Nonprofit Web Design: Telling Your Nonprofit’s Story

Once you have established the structure of your website, you can proceed to the design phase of the build. This section will discuss the website design process, the significance of maintaining consistent branding, and seven essential web design best practices to consider.

The 5 Steps to Designing Your Nonprofit’s Website

Breaking down the process into five steps can help make the task of designing a new nonprofit website seem less overwhelming.

Create Wireframes: Wireframes are rough outlines of pages that designers can use to create the finished product. As you design your pages, wireframes will help guide your designer—even if the designer is you!
Writing Copy: Every page is going to require copy. Don’t be afraid to reuse copy from emails, direct mailers, etc. to help you tackle this mondo task.
Visual Design: This step is about more than adding images and photos to your site—it’s about deciding the overall look and feel of your homepage and your individual pages, too. For more on visual design, see the next section.
Coding: If you’re using a template, this process will mostly involve dragging and dropping your elements. If you’re creating your own site, it will mean writing the code for each element. This step also covers website integrations like your fundraising software or nonprofit CRM . It’s critical that your donation form be easily accessible on your site!
Testing: This is the final stage where you and your team go through and use every element of your website to make sure that it works. Make sure to test on different devices, browsers, and operating systems.

After completing all five steps, you will be prepared to launch your new website! The following two sections will explain how paying attention to branding and website design best practices can guarantee that your efforts will produce an excellent website. For extra web design tips, refer to the article provided below:

The Importance of Website Branding for Nonprofits

When you create your website, it is important to ensure consistency in your nonprofit’s brand elements. These brand elements encompass

Your name and logo: These are pretty self explanatory. Your name and your organization’s logo are the two most important pieces of your brand. Your logo, specifically, will be the centerpiece of your organization’s visual identity.

Your color palette and fonts: A good brand will have a series of specific colors that not only capture your brand, but that speak to different elements of your mission. A good brand will also have designated fonts that capture the essence of your organization.

Your mission statement: Yes, this is part of your brand as well! Your mission statement doesn’t just spell out the work your nonprofit does and the outcomes you seek to achieve, it is the cornerstone of your organization’s identity.

Boilerplate copy: Your boilerplate is a succinct description of your organization, your work, and your mission. It’s less aspirational and more practical than your mission statement. A boilerplate should be three to five sentences long.

Your values and your story: Even if your nonprofit’s values aren’t publicly available, they still guide your work. Your story, meanwhile, is a key part of how you build relationships in your community. A brand that isn’t grounded in an organization’s values might as well be a bunch of shapes, colors, and random words.

Your voice and tone: These don’t dictate what you say so much as how you say it. Voice and tone are vitally important for written communication, and they can include specific terms and phrases for how you talk about your work, your constituents, and your supporters.

Here are five steps you can follow to ensure consistent usage of your brand across your website.

Logo: Your logo should be a part of your top menu, either in the right or left hand corner. Basically, every page of your website should include your logo. And if you have sticky navigation so that it’s literally always visible, no matter where a visitor is on your page, even better.

Brand Colors: All websites are going to incorporate colors into their look. Your website should include your brand colors—especially in areas like your top menu, backgrounds, and even in your copy. Make sure you have a handle on which colors in your brand are the primary colors and which are better used as accent colors.

Brand Images: Your website is going to include images, and your brand will determine what kinds of images are included. If they are photos, do you prefer color or black and white photography? Are your photos people-centric? Do your images have more of a classical, composed look or a rougher, casual aesthetic? Your brand will dictate this.

Copy: Beyond simply your boilerplate and your mission statement—which will both be included on your website—your website copy will reflect your voice and tone.

7 Nonprofit Web Design Best Practices

As you proceed with the development and construction of your nonprofit organization’s new website, it is important to consider the following seven best practices.

1. Include a “Donate” Button

We’ve already brought up this point before, but it is crucial enough to mention again. By adding a prominent, vibrant donation button in your main menu, you can take advantage of the opportunity when someone feels motivated to donate. It is important to select a color that both stands out and complements your brand’s palette. Additionally, for accessibility purposes, it is necessary to ensure that the chosen colors maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1.

2. Focus on Your Homepage

To begin, it is essential for a website to have a stellar homepage as it plays a crucial role in creating a favorable impression on visitors. This is the initial point where you get an opportunity to introduce yourself and provide a basic understanding of your purpose within a few seconds. To achieve this, it is important to carefully select a compelling hero image that aligns with your mission and incorporate a strong, thought-provoking heading and subheading. Your homepage presents the greatest chance to grab a visitor’s interest, so ensure it is impactful.

3. Add a Search Bar

If you come across a website without a search bar, you will likely find yourself requiring one, as the saying goes (source needed). Search bars are not only crucial for accessibility but also allow visitors to search for specific information on your site, which is always valued.

4. Use Multiple Calls to Action

To avoid overwhelming your visitors with CTAs, it is important not to be too secretive. All pages should have at least one Call to Action, and many of them should have multiple CTAs. It is assumed that visitors are interested in your organization and cause, so it is crucial to ensure that they can easily find ways to get involved. Offer as many clear CTAs as possible to assist them.

5. Write Compelling Copy

Taking the time to draft, redraft, and edit your content is crucial in order to ensure clarity, conciseness, and evocativeness. It is important to approach the task of writing an entire website’s worth of copy as a team effort, spreading out the writing and editing responsibilities among different categories of pages. This will prevent burnout and ensure the quality of the work.

6. Choose Captivating Images

The hero image on your website should be the best and most powerful. After that, examine all the images your nonprofit has stored. If you feel there are not enough, take the initiative to create new ones. Ensure that you truly comprehend your brand’s visual representation, particularly when it pertains to images featuring your clients. When sharing client images on your publicly accessible website, prioritize ethical storytelling practices.

7. Make Your Website Accessible

Nonprofit Tech for Good reports that just 22% of nonprofits have websites intended for individuals with visual or hearing impairments, a notably low figure. It is essential for your organization to make efforts to ensure that your website is accessible to all users. To achieve this, following the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is recommended. These guidelines encompass practices such as effectively structuring headers for ease of use with e-readers, incorporating alt-text for images, and maintaining a minimum color contrast of 4.5:1. If you require a comprehensive understanding of this crucial topic, we recommend referring to our article on website accessibility for nonprofits.

Security for Nonprofit Websites: Keeping Constituents Safe

In order for your nonprofit to be successful, it is crucial to prioritize the protection of donor and constituent information. If you request donors to make contributions via your website, you must ensure that your site implements all the necessary protocols to safeguard their financial data. Neglecting to do so can have dire consequences for both the donors and your organization.

If you are utilizing a website builder, it is likely that it will include basic security features. Here are a few recommended guidelines to bear in mind:

Keep Your Website Up to Date

Regardless of the website builder you choose, it is essential to remember that regular updates are made to enhance website security. Promptly installing these updates is crucial, as an outdated website becomes more susceptible to hacking. Although it may seem like a minor action, it is important not to overlook this simple step. Avoid making the mistake of neglecting updates.

Get Your SSL/TLS Security Certificates in Place

When you examine the URL of most websites, you will notice that the initial part of the address is “https.” This abbreviation represents “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure,” indicating that the connection between the user’s computer and the website’s server is protected against third parties.

If your web hosting provider does not offer SSL/TLS certificates to secure the connections, you will need to obtain one yourself.

If you do not install these certificates, your site’s address will start with “http” and visitors will be shown a full screen warning that their connection is not secure. This can significantly deter users from visiting your site as Google actively discourages them from doing so.

Maintain PCI Compliance

Not well-acquainted with PCI Compliance? No need to fret, as the majority of individuals aren’t. “PCI DSS Compliance” is an abbreviation for “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.” This standard has been established by leading credit card companies to ensure the safety of consumers’ personal and financial data during credit card transactions.

Adhering to the PCI standard not only safeguards the financial information of your donors but also provides an additional layer of protection for your nonprofit in the event of a data breach.

8 Steps to Optimize Your Website for SEO

There are a total of eight steps that you can follow in order to enhance your website for search engines.

1. Focus on Page Speed

Although we previously discussed this subject in the article, we are revisiting it because the significance of page speed cannot be overstated. Any website that loads slowly will receive a negative ranking from Google and other search engines.

There are many ways to enhance page speed. Some vital methods include compressing images (websites like CompressJPEG.com can do this quickly), hosting large files and videos on third-party platforms (such as YouTube), reducing redirects, and utilizing a plugin for caching.

To evaluate the speed of your website and obtain suggestions, utilize Google Page Speed Insights. You will be provided with a score called Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) that determines the time taken for all the components of your page to load. It is desirable to have an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less.

2. Optimize for Mobile

We have already discussed this topic earlier in the article, but we are reiterating it now because it is extremely important (rest assured, this is the final repetition). Google Search activity on mobile devices accounts for over 60%, therefore it is logical for Google to give priority to websites that function effectively on such devices.

If you’ve chosen a website builder that automatically adjusts for mobile formatting, like Neon Websites, it is hoped that you have. However, regardless of the website builder you’ve chosen, it is recommended that you use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to identify areas where improvements can be made to your site. Additionally, it is essential for your team to conduct thorough testing before launching the new site in order to ensure a seamless mobile experience.

3. Include Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

To ensure that Google Spiders understand the content and relevant keywords of a web page, it is important to provide a title tag and a meta description when creating the page on your website. Google Spiders are responsible for crawling web pages for search engines.

A title tag serves as the title for your page, whereas the meta description provides a concise overview of the page’s content. These two elements, the title tag and meta description, are also what appear in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for your web page. If you perfect these components, it will attract visitors to your site!

It is recommended to have a title tag with a length of 50-60 characters and a meta description with a length of 155-160 characters. Both should include the targeted keywords for the page. There is usually a designated area on the backend of web builders where you can input the title tag and meta description. Remember to complete those sections.

4. Use Headings to Structure Your Pages

Headings are titles and subtitles that are used on a web page to separate different sections and provide guidance to readers. There are six different sizes of headings. The largest size, H1, should be used for the page title. The second largest size, H2, should be used for subheadings, and so on.

Always follow the correct order for your headings when structuring the content on your page. Avoid using an H2 for your title or placing multiple H3 subheadings under an H1 title. The heading used should always be one size smaller than the heading it is placed under.

If you examine this page, you will notice that we begin with H1, followed by H2s for our larger sections. Subsections are designated with H3, and even smaller subdivisions with H4. Properly structuring your pages facilitates the crawling and organization of all page content by Google’s spider bots.

5. Utilize Internal Links

Internal links serve a dual purpose, benefiting not only search engines but also users. By linking to the appropriate page on your site when mentioning an event or program in your content, you increase the likelihood of site visitors clicking on the link if they are interested and wanting to gather more information.

To establish your site as authoritative in your chosen niche, internal links play a crucial role. Including specific keywords in the anchor text of your link, especially on a page you desire to rank for a particular keyword, such as “food pantries in Charlotte,” is highly important. Therefore, when linking, make sure to use a phrase like “Charlotte food pantry.”

6. Create a Sitemap and a Robots.txt File

Sitemaps serve as inventories encompassing all the pages, files, videos, and images presented on your website. Keeping true to its name, Google’s bots utilize this page as a navigational tool that provides them with comprehensive information about your content.

A robots.txt file serves the same purpose as a sitemap in that it informs Google’s crawlers about the pages they should crawl. However, it specifically excludes pages that should not be crawled. Although robots.txt files do not hide pages from Google, they help prioritize the pages that Google should focus on.

7. Add a Google Maps Module

The majority of small and medium-sized nonprofits primarily concentrate on serving their local community, which is why it is essential to appear in searches specific to their region. Including a Google Maps module featuring your nonprofit’s location on your “Contact Us” page will ensure that you are visible in search results for nonprofits in your vicinity.

When attempting to enhance your performance on Google’s search engine, it is advisable to use Google Maps instead of any other module, regardless of personal preferences. It is generally recommended to utilize Google’s own products in order to achieve the desired outcome.

8. Avoid Duplicate Content

It is crucial. In a previous part of this article, we discussed the extensive task of generating content for a nonprofit website. However, if your organization chooses to take shortcuts by reusing substantial portions of text on various pages, the consequences could be costly.

If there is excessive duplicate content on your site, it will raise a significant alarm for Google that indicates your site is involved in spammy actions. Consequently, this may result in a penalty, causing your site to barely appear in search results, or in severe instances, being completely banned.

Creating completely original content for every page on your website may seem overwhelming, but not doing so could lead to serious consequences. To gain further insight, you can refer to our article titled “Nonprofit SEO: 10 Tips to Optimize Your Website.”

6 Low-Cost Website Options for Nonprofits

In order to perform effectively, it is necessary to have appropriate tools at hand.

Your nonprofit’s website plays a crucial role as one of its most significant assets. It allows you to gather donations, raise awareness about your mission, and establish a prominent presence in the global community. If your website appears unappealing or substandard, it could potentially convey an inaccurate representation of your nonprofit.

Starting the process of creating your nonprofit’s website may seem intimidating. There are many components involved, such as designing an appealing layout and crafting compelling content. However, there is some good news – website builders have made this task much simpler. These tools have simplified the website creation process to the point where anyone, even someone with little experience like yourself, can do it.

You can get a feel for the website builder for free with these resources, which also offer paid upgrades. These tools will help you achieve a high-quality website.

Nonprofit Hub acknowledges the importance of investing in websites and advises against compromising on quality. Though it may not be feasible for every nonprofit to afford a comprehensive website, we are aware of alternative low-cost options to temporarily serve your needs until a more substantial investment can be made. Here, we present five such options for nonprofits.

Squarespace

Squarespace, being compared to Apple in the website-building industry, is known for its simplicity, sleekness, and professionalism in both its interface and appearance. By eliminating unnecessary clutter, Squarespace effectively guides visitors to your site towards a well-defined call to action.

Adding new pages and including new content through galleries, event calendars, blog posts, and other features are made easy by Squarespace. Additionally, Squarespace provides a donation functionality that enables you to accept donations directly on your website. You have the ability to customize your donation page and specify suggested contributions for donors. Moreover, you can personalize email receipts, ensuring that each donor receives a unique experience.

When it comes to structure, your customization options are more limited on Squarespace compared to other website builders. However, this limitation is not a negative aspect. Squarespace has expertise in creating a seamless online experience. By imposing some constraints on website builders, it ensures that you do not unintentionally clutter your site. If you are willing to compromise some control in order to have an elegant site, Squarespace is your ideal choice.

If you are thinking step by step, you should use Squarespace.

Your nonprofit has an arsenal of stand-out photos to use. Squarespace’s templates are very visual and photo-heavy. You’ll get the most out of it if you show the people and causes you support instead of just writing about them.
You want to focus on blogging. Squarespace is loaded with helpful features to boost your blogging game. It has options for tagging, organizing categories, integrating your blog with Disqus and customizing your URLs. Their post editor is one of the easiest to use, too.
Your organization has some cash to splash. We know that money doesn’t grow on trees in the nonprofit sector, but if you decide to spend a little extra somewhere, then your website is a great investment. Squarespace doesn’t offer any free website options, but they do give free trials if you want to sample the features before diving into a paid plan. If you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck, Squarespace has some tips for creating an awesome nonprofit website on a shoe-string budget.

Weebly

If you desire more control over your website than what Squarespace offers, Weebly is the next best alternative. Weebly sites are built using a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) system, allowing you to visually arrange components on a page. You can conveniently edit your website by simply dragging and dropping elements onto the template.

In Weebly’s App Center, you will find numerous apps that can be installed on your site. These apps cover a wide range of functions, including syncing social media accounts and creating dynamic team pages. Additionally, Weebly offers a category of apps specifically designed by them, allowing you to enhance your site’s functionality without compromising its overall design.

If you are thinking step by step, you should choose Weebly.

You want more control—with a safety net attached. On Weebly, you can drag and drop all of the elements on your pages to create something of your own. The elements automatically fit into columns and rows to make sure there’s still a neatness to your site and a method to your madness. From there, you can customize each element even further to fit your website’s theme.

Your site is centered around donations. Weebly is loaded with different options to personalize your donation process. Although visitors can’t donate directly through Weebly, you can install the DonorBox app to accept one-time and recurring donations set suggested gift amounts and to collect donor information.
Video is in your wheelhouse. Weebly recently launched video headers on their site, which are great ways to bring your website to life. If you upgrade to a Pro account, you can add video backgrounds to your pages and encourage visitors to keep scrolling.

Wix

If you still want more control over the layout of your site, Wix has the solution. Among these website builders, Wix is one of the most flexible and ideal for beginners. Wix also employs the WYSIWYG system but offers the ability to drag and drop elements wherever you desire, unlike Weebly. Wix has implemented some measures to ensure that this practice doesn’t cause any issues. For instance, if you enlarge a block of text, Wix will automatically adjust the other elements in your template to avoid overlapping and ensure that each element is displayed prominently.

Wix should be used if:

You want to keep your options open. Wix hits a grand slam when it comes to flexibility. It has lots of choices to give you maximum control over your site’s layout. All those customization choices can make the builder seem a bit bulky—if you’re searching for simplicity and ease in a website builder, then Wix may get overwhelming. If you want options up the wazoo to make a site that’s uniquely your own, then Wix is the tool for you.
You have an idea in mind. With all of Wix’s options, it’s easy to get carried away with your website design. If you go this route, it’s helpful to sketch a framework for your site first to decide the essentials that need to be on each page. From there, you can sprinkle in the fun stuff.
You’re PayPal savvy. Wix doesn’t offer a platform for onsite donations. Instead, you can install a button that sends your website’s visitors to PayPal to make a gift. You can’t customize email receipts on PayPal, though, so make sure to create a plan for following up with and thanking donors that give through your website.

WordPress

To maximize the potential of your website using WordPress, it is important to note that it has a slightly steeper learning curve. The platform consists of two sections: My Site and WP Admin. My Site functions as a website builder, while WP Admin serves as a management system to keep your ongoing content, such as blog posts, organized in a centralized location. Although having two interfaces may seem complex initially, once you become familiar with it, your nonprofit website will be effectively equipped.

The main disadvantage of WordPress for nonprofits is the absence of a built-in donation platform on the site. To install a donation plugin, one needs to upgrade to a business plan, which is disappointing. However, if you are willing to invest in a website builder, WordPress offers numerous possibilities for customizing and enhancing your site through its paid account options. Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with WordPress through their introductory guide.

WordPress should be used if:

You’re big on blogging. Out of these website builders, WordPress is the most well-equipped for blogging. You can add categories and tags, edit each post’s URL, moderate comments and much more. If you only blog every once in awhile, you can easily get away with the blogging platforms on other website builders. If blogging is a regular part of your schedule, though, WordPress is a fantastic asset.
You want to amp up your website—not just with design. The plugins on WordPress are one of this builder’s best features. At its core, you can design a simple, clean site on WordPress. From there, you can install plugins to add features on the front and back end of your site. With a handful of plugins, your website can become a powerful tool.
You have a developer whiz on your team. If someone on your team is a web genius, you can put them to work here. WordPress has options for editing HTML, boosting search engine optimization on your site and installing countless helpful plugins. Your website wizard will be able to navigate all of that with ease and get the most out of WordPress for your nonprofit.

Strikingly

With expertise in constructing one-page websites, Strikingly excels in this field. If you desire a streamlined structure, Strikingly is the ultimate choice. By incorporating additional content sections, you have the flexibility to create webpages of varying lengths.

If you are thinking systematically, you should consider utilizing Strikingly.

You want a no-frills approach. If you need a simple platform for creating a simple site, Strikingly is your best bet. The builder provides straightforward information sections and room for large photos. There aren’t many customization options, though, so you might want to explore other options if you’re in need of a more tailored look.
You’re short on content. If your website is minimalistic, a one-page layout can make your content easy to digest all at once. Say you just have a few staff members or a concise “About” section—instead of having separate, plain pages, you’ll be better off consolidating them into one dynamic page. Your site will look richer and full if your smaller pieces of information are part of a larger theme.

Firespring

Firespring offers stunning websites, marketing materials, and technology to numerous nonprofits globally. In addition, they have been involved in education for more than ten years, providing webinars, guides, blog posts, and other resources for free. Apart from creating visually appealing and user-friendly sites, they also share advice and techniques to help maintain the site’s quality.

If you want to consider using Firespring, here are the reasons why:

You want to easily update your website. Firespring’s website builder was designed specifically for those who, well, aren’t website builders. You can make changes easily and quickly and in real time without the need for a programmer or web developer.
You want to work with people familiar with nonprofits. Firespring has been building websites for organizations like yours for more than a decade. You can trust that they understand your struggles and have your best interests in mind.