Are you struggling to keep your members and donors engaged on your website? Do you feel your association’s or nonprofit’s digital presence could be more impactful but unsure which DIY tools can help boost your website’s health? Read on…
Your Association and nonprofit’s website serves as more than just your pretty face—it is your brand’s digital personality, dynamic storefront and the primary way for your members and constituents to connect with you. Ensuring your website’s health isn’t just about the tangibles, i.e., how it looks and performs on a mobile device, how it treats users with limited capabilities (accessibility); it’s also about the intangibles, i.e., SEO friendliness, uncluttered back end (admin area), security (your reputation!).
Why Does Your Website’s Health Matter?
A well-maintained website provides a seamless and enjoyable experience for users, encouraging them to explore further, engage with your content, and ultimately take desired actions, whether it is consuming courses, registering for events/conferences, joining your association, or making a contribution/donation to your cause, etc.
- Your website is often the initial touchpoint for most stakeholders (members, prospective members, donors, volunteers, etc).
- A slow, clunky, or insecure website can leave a lasting negative impression, impacting member/donor engagement, member acquisition/retention, and more.
- Keeping your website in good shape regularly avoids spending a lot of additional money later to fix the problems. Fixes that are deferred are often band-aids and do not address the root cause.
4 DIY Tools to Keep Your Website in Top Shape!
Now that you understand why website health is essential, let’s explore how to ensure your website remains in top shape.
- Performance: Website performance not only impacts the user experience but also the SEO. Utilize tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to analyze your website’s loading speed and identify areas for improvement, such as optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and leveraging browser caching. Such tools can also suggest whether you are using the right website hosting. We recommend checking the performance of your website every month because websites are dynamic and an update or a new release can slow down the website.
2. Search Engine Ranking (SEO): If you have a website, the purpose is for other people to find it. Whether the website is built with SEO best practices in coding, content writing, content loading, and page structure could determine whether your website will be shown when your audience searches for your services. Evaluate your website’s SEO performance using tools like SEMrush. Conduct keyword research, optimize on-page elements, and focus on creating high-quality, relevant content to improve your search engine visibility and drive organic traffic.
3. Web Accessibility: Web accessibility is critical to ensure users of all capabilities can browse your website. One essential tool for checking accessibility compliance is WebAIM. By prioritizing accessibility, your website can provide all users equal access to information and services (also boosting your SEO ranking!).
4. Web Security: Needless to say, it is essential to safeguard your website from cyber threats. We recommend using compliance tools like Beagle Security, Sucuri, Wordfence, CloudFlare which offer comprehensive solutions to assess and enhance website security. Using such tools, websites can mitigate risks and protect sensitive data and user privacy. It is more important to be safe than sorry.
Like anything in life, by now, you would have realized that it is not enough to have a website; it is important to ensure the website is well-maintained and continues to do what it is supposed to do.
Leverage these DIY tools to enhance performance, SEO, accessibility, and security, transforming your association or nonprofit’s website into a powerful, user-friendly hub of engagement and impact.
Is your website underperforming or due for a refresh? Contact us now! Together, we’ll elevate your digital presence and empower your association or nonprofit.
