It gives me a headache and makes me feel like I have ADD when I go to a site that is a hodgepodge of graphics and colors with confusing navigation.

I’m a lot less likely to take some sort of action on a website – make a purchase, download a white paper, listen to a podcast, sign up for an e-newsletter, or make a donation when I’m on a website that doesn’t clearly and quickly convey the brand or steer my eye in a particular direction.

At the recent GetTogether2006 – a conference for GetActive Software users – there was an excellent presentation on the topic of planning, designing, developing and managing websites. Eric Helmuth from Join Together talked about the process they went through to launch their new site. Melissa Roberts from Free Range Technologies worked with Join Together on the site design and provided some great advice. She said to make sure that the designers and developers are on the same page and meet early in the process. She also talked about the importance of designing your site with your end goals in mind. If you want to generate more online donations on your website, make sure the donation link is prominent and above the fold for example.

Join Together’s new site generates more traffic and more visitor actions than their old site did. Take a quick look and you can quickly see why:

1. Within a few seconds of looking at the site, you have some understanding of what they do.

2. The ways to get involved with the organization jump right out at you. The donate link, the e-newsletter sign up, and the information about various issues at the state level and how you can get involved are the first things my eyes were drawn to on the page.

3. The site is also designed to provide fresh content on an ongoing basis. People interested in the work that Join Together does will return to the site often to read “Today’s News” in the right hand column. Using a content management system makes it easy for them to keep the content timely.

Take a look at your own site. Within a few seconds will a site visitor understand what your organization is all about and will they be compelled to take the actions that you want them to take?

Seth Godin was the keynote speaker at GetTogether. He was great. In his book “Small is the New Big” he talks about the importance of focusing on the big picture of what you want your website to do. He writes “A Web site must do at least one of two things, but probably both: Turn a stranger into a friend and friend into a customer. Talk in a tone of voice that persuades people to believe the story you are telling.”

How well does your website do those two things? I’d love to hear your thoughts about what’s working and what isn’t and what you’ve tested to increase the percentage of site visitors who donate, subscribe to your newsletter etc…

One of the services I provide for my clients is a website audit from a donor perspective. I look at how well your site tells your story and how effectively it encourages the actions you desire. Please contact me to discuss an audit for your site.

I’ll share more of my thoughts about how nonprofits can apply Seth Godin’s cogent advice in future blog postings or editions of my e-newsletter. (If you aren’t signed up for my e-newsletter, you can sign up here Talk to you soon!

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