Website Success:

Developer/Designer Criteria

A website is the hub of your marketing wheel and all your marketing activities should point back to your website. You should spend significant time and energy in thinking through its creation. Defining your website goals will help you match your needs to designer/developer expertise.

1. Website Purpose:  Do you have a clear vision of what you want your website to accomplish?  For instance, is it a donation tool, informational site, or marketing piece?  Defining your website goals first will help you create an effective website and select the right designer/developer.
2. Designer Background: While it may not be necessary for a designer to have nonprofit experience, you do need to match up their experience with your needs.  Do you have database requirements, video needs, blog and other social networking prerequisites? If so, then you’ll need to find a designer with this know-how in order to be successful.
3. Graphics & Images: Do you have all the essential graphics and other images like icons, photos, and videos that are necessary for your website to effectively meet your goals?  If not you will need to create or purchase these critical elements.  Make sure your selected designer can provide, or has access to these elements if you don’t.
4. Template vs. Custom:  Do you require an original design?  Will a template work?  Custom designs can be expensive, but they can provide a unique platform for you to build your brand upon. Templates can give you structure, and are often free, however they can look like cookie cutter solutions.  Understand the pros and cons, find out in advance how your site will be developed, and ensure that you have final oversight on design look and feel.
5. Substance vs. Design: Personal bias here, there are thousands of sites with great visuals that fail to get the message across.  Determine up front if your designer is in tune with your brand.  A designer with a marketing background will work to safeguard brand messaging.  A designer with a programming background will ensure database integrity. Either can be correct choices, if they fit into your overall strategy.
6. Navigation: Think through the elements in your navigation, they highlight your priorities as an organization. Your developer should be able and willing to develop a flexible website map that is easy to navigate and that will grow with your organization.  Menu items summarize your site; use them to prioritize and communicate the key aspects of your organization. Determine in advance what adding menu items and additional pages will cost.
7. Structure & Layout: While craigslist continues to remain popular despite a 1998 design criteria, it’s not a recommended strategy.  Peruse some of the proposed designer’s other work.  Contemporary design criterion like Web 2.0 makes a statement about your organization.  It involves users and allows them to interact and change website content in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited only to passive viewing.
8. Updates & Revisions:  Keep your website fresh and current; make sure your designer offers either a content manager (CMS) that will allow you to make changes, or provides an inexpensive way to update content and images relevant to your changing presence including: fundraisers, press releases and other pertinent information. Get a commitment up front to how long these changes will take on average.
9. Content Relevance:  On the web, content is king and keeping your website current is as valuable as your mission and vision statements.  Determine up front who is providing content.  Web copy is difficult to write.  It must be keyword rich, effectively present your value proposition, and there are many do’s and don’ts to follow.  Since many website designers focus more on design than content, consider hiring a professional copywriter to place emphasis on your unique value proposition.
10. Website Analytics: Web analytic tools are now within reach of even the smallest nonprofit organization. What tools can your developer offer you to track trends and visitor behavior? Website success is more than pretty pictures and clever design: it’s about knowing who is visiting, how they arrived, where they are landing, and how long they are staying.  Armed with this information you can tailor your website for growth and success.