Effective and Inexpensive Web Sites for Charities
A How-To Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers in the Non-Profit Sector
Also see our Meta Tag Tutorial
Every non-profit organization can have a web site, regardless of size, budget, or staff numbers. You can have a quality, in-depth web site that costs nothing more than the time it takes to create it. In this article we will cover every aspect of site design, from finding a web host to promoting your site to search engines and directories. We will go through all of the basics, and then you can learn more as you feel the need. Try WebMonkey for web design tutorials and tips. CNET has a wealth of useful information for web designers.
Why do I need a web site, you ask? The web can help you to recruit volunteers, enhance staff collaboration, find more members, and raise funds for your organization. The internet today is like the yellow pages was a few years ago, people expect to find what they’re looking for on the web, including information about your organization. But now you can also interact with your visitors, inform them, and provide information without lifting a finger. You can spread the word about the mission of your organization without lifting a finger, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All of this with a small investment of time and effort which will quickly return itself, and more.
Site design can be as straightforward a process as you want it to be. Now we will break down this process into simple steps: planning, hosting, content, designing, graphics, promotion, and maintenance.
The first thing you need to do is plan your site. Determine your audience – senior citizens, children, etc. Establish a budget for developing your site. Plan the focus of your site – will it be a source of information about your organization, a fundraising tool, or something else? Start collecting content from newsletters and other publications. Then decide what features and services you want to include in your site, like guestbooks and chat rooms.
Once you know what you want in your site, you can start looking for a host. A web host provides the space on the net where your site is stored. There are several options available. If you use a host like WeCareToo, a free non-profit host, you can use their service to build a very simple one-page site. The free host Tripod offers a page-building tool with templates that you can use without learning a single HTML tag, as well as uploading your own files. As far as size goes, 5 MB is fine for a starter site; 10 MB is good for a moderate site. You can search for a host at HostCompare.com or HostSearch.
You should register a domain name, although it is not necessary. Domain names are easy to remember, improve search engine positioning, and make it easier to move your site to a different host. You want people to be able to remember your URL, just as your organization’s name should be memorable. Search engines have started penalizing, even not accepting, sites that don’t have a domain name. If you find a host that offers a URL like yourname.host.com (such as Tripod), you can avoid search engine penalties. Also, having a domain name makes things simpler when changing web hosts. When you have a domain name, you just change your settings to point to your new host. If you don’t, you will have to change the URL in every search engine listing, reference on the web, and inclusion in your print media. Registering a domain name costs $25 a year for .org extensions. To register, go to NameSecure or Network Solutions and search for available names. Have a list of ideas ready; your first choice may not be available.
Every site needs to have the same basic content. Your site should include the following sections: about, contact information, links, and programs. Useful content is crucial to designing a good site. Links are great for generating traffic; include sites that your visitors will find useful and you can attract more surfers, and get some of them to come back to your site. As you collect content, from organization literature and from the web, convert it into useable formats, add links where appropriate, and begin to structure it so that visitors can proceed through your site in a logical manner and easily find information they are looking for.
There are many ways to include more content on your site. From news listings like the service offered on Bravenet, to adding a joke of the day. Search through 4FreeContent.com or Woo Doggy for more free content.
There are several scripting languages used to create web sites, but HTML is the most widely accepted. HTML is very easy to learn; there are only about a dozen tags that you absolutely have to know. Go to iBoost and PageTutor.com for HTML tutorials. You can get software to help you design your site, or just use a text editor and a web browser. FrontPage is one program that is easy for beginners to use, and now comes with the Windows operating system. CoffeeCup Free HTML (on ZDNet) is a free program that is easy to use. You can also search ZDNet for freeware page designers.
Once you have an understanding on HTML, you can move on to other scripting languages, such as Java. Java Developer Connection has several Java tutorials. You can find free Java scripts at Javascripts.com, Java-Scripts.net, or JavaScript Source, and add features like effects and multimedia to your site.
To design a site, you should learn how web visitors will behave. CNET explains in-depth how to design a site that is easy to use. Site usability is an significant aspect of web design. Your site should be simple to navigate, easy on the eyes, and quick to load. Don’t try your visitors’ patience, they’ll leave rather than wait. Make an immediate impression, and then show them how to find what they’re looking for.
There is one important set of tags that you need to understand, which is your meta tags. These are what the search engines use to place your site in their database. There are three tags: your title, description, and keywords. See our Meta Tag Tutorial for more information. SelfPromotion.com has several articles on creating your meta tags. You can also use an automatic meta tag generator like SiteOwner.com, but it is best to do your meta tags yourself. The better your meta tags are, they better a position you will get in search engine listings, and the more hits your site will get.
Graphics are an uncomplicated way to make your site look unique. You can use graphics you’re already using in print media to reinforce the established look of your organization. There are many sites where you can find free graphics, like All Free Original Clipart and #1 Free Clipart. Make sure you read and follow the terms of use for these graphics; do not violate someone else’s copyright. To generate customized web graphics, try AnimationOnline, FlamingText, or MediaBuilder. The smaller the file size of your graphic, the faster the page will load. Use Spinwave Crunchers to optimize your graphics.
There are many free services you can use to add features to your site Bravenet offers guestbooks, mailing lists, chat, email (feedback) forms, and much more. Yahoo Groups and Intranets.com offer group areas for discussions, calendars, file sharing and more.
There are also many sites geared towards helping non-profits. Even if you don’t have a site, a GuideStar listing can provide information about your organization to web surfers. Entries in the GuideStar database are also included in the listings of both Helping.org and Just Give , which have non-profit listings, volunteer postings, and online donation acceptance. IGive.com and GreaterGood.com offer programs where online shoppers can donate portions of their purchases to selected charities. Idealist.org, Netaid.org, and VolunteerMatch are popular sites for finding volunteers. CharityVillage and Internet Nonprofit Center offer articles and resources for non-profits.
Once your site is up and running you should use evaluation tools to tinker with and perfect it. These tools include NetMechanic. You can apply for a child-safe rating at the United Federation of ChildSafe Web Sites.
Once your web site is thoroughly tested and you are happy with it, you can begin site promotion. You want your site listed in as many search engines and directories as possible, to draw more visitors to your site. Some non-profit directories include CharityNet and Charity USA.org. SelfPromotion.com is an incredible site that submits your site for you, and has articles on site promotion, like how to get into Yahoo. You can use software like AddAce (on ZDNet) or use online services that submit your site for you, but most of these do not allow you to customize your submissions. Always remember to promote your site. Anything that has your street address should have your URL. Anything with your phone number should also have your email.
The last step in site design is to maintain and update your pages. Don’t let your site become stale, keep your content and look fresh. Check frequently for broken links, and make sure that your pages and graphics load. Use site feedback to improve your site.
Now that we’ve gone through the site design process, you should be ready to start your own site. And best of all we’ve shown you how to do it all for free! If you have questions, the CNET discussions should have answers. This article has explained all of the basics, and pointed out useful sites on the web. There is a lot more to web design than we have covered here, but that can come later.
- Melissa French is a web designer for NetCastles. She lives in Rochester NH with her husband and two rugrats, Andy & Linda.