Introduction
What Is On Your Website Design Checklist? Your website is the face of your organization—and if you’re a nonprofit, it’s the most valuable resource. That’s why it’s important to have a site that reflects who you are and what you do.
But before we get into specific design elements, let’s talk about what goes into creating an effective online presence. In this post, I’ve compiled nine things that should be on your checklist for creating a successful web design.
Your Website Must Load Quickly.
- Test your site’s load speed.
- It’s important to know how long your website takes to load. You can test this by using a speed testing tool like Pingdom or GTMetrix, which will provide you with an overall page loading time and specific information about elements that take longer than expected to load. They are both free tools, so using them doesn’t cost anything!
- An ideal page loading time should be under 2 seconds (yes, I said 2 seconds). If your site takes more than 4 seconds, users will likely abandon the site and go elsewhere if they have another option available. This means that you must ensure everything on your page loads quickly and efficiently for people to find what they are looking for and stay engaged long enough for them to buy something from your website!
What Is On Your Website Design Checklist? Your Website Should Have Valuable Content.
It’s the most important part of your site, so it makes sense that you want to ensure it’s good.
If you don’t know what “good” looks like, how can you even begin to create something useful?
Your Website Should Be Responsive.
Responsive design is the future of website design. It’s a way to create one site that works on any device. From mobile phones to desktop computers and everything in between. And it’s not just your ability to read and interact with your site.
That will be improved by responsive design—it also makes it easier for search engines like Google to recognize what kind of content you have on each page, allowing them to rank your pages accordingly and properly.
Suppose you don’t have a separate mobile version of your website. But still want visitors using smartphones or tablets (or even older versions of Internet Explorer) to access all the information on your site without hassle. In that case, responsive web design is an excellent option for you!
Your Website Will Look Different On Every Device.
Your website will look different on every device.
Most people use their smartphone and tablet devices to browse the web. So it’s important to ensure your website works well on these devices.
Your site might look great on your desktop computer. But it can be a completely different experience for users who visit your site through their smartphones or tablets.
You Don’t Need To Create A Unique Mobile Design.
Mobile design is not just a smaller version of the desktop design. Mobile designs should be optimized for the device they are being viewed on and the user’s context (i.e., where they are and what they’re doing).
These factors may require that you modify your existing website’s responsive layout or use different images based on screen size and other factors—but this doesn’t mean you need to create an entirely new site!
You Can’t Ignore The Role Of Content In Web Design.
You can’t ignore the role of content in web design. Content is what makes your website unique. Will help you connect with your audience, and is the heart of your website. As a designer, you need to know where you can add value. And identify areas where you may not be able to make an impact. The last thing anyone wants is for a client to get stuck with a site. That doesn’t work for them because their SEO. Or conversion rate wasn’t considered during development.
The Best Nonprofit Websites Are Easy To Navigate And Understand.
The best nonprofit websites are easy to navigate and understand. They use a clear navigation bar. They make sure their content is easy to find. And use headings, bulleted lists and numbered lists. They also use images and videos (if appropriate).
The best nonprofit sites have good fonts that are easy on the eyes. Finally, they ensure that their content is well organized so users can easily find what they’re looking for.
If You Can Learn These Nine Things About Your Visitors, You’ll Be Able To Create A Site That Will Help You Reach Them Better.
A website design checklist is a useful tool for answering the following questions:
- Who are your customers?
- What do you want from them?
- What do they want from you?
Once you’ve answered these questions, deciding how to build your website is easier. For example, if you know what type of content your audience is looking for and their main goals, then it’ll be easier for you to create relevant content on the site that helps them achieve those objectives.
And if there’s a particular type of user interface (UI) element or feature that’s been shown to increase user engagement with a similar product in another industry, then incorporating this into your site will also likely improve conversion rates overall among visitors who have similar needs and interests as users who’ve tried other products before buying yours.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick tour of the most important considerations regarding nonprofit web design. But there are so many more ideas we didn’t have time for, like the importance of mobile optimization and responsive design.
To learn more about creating a great nonprofit website, check out our article on designing for nonprofits: How to Design a Nonprofit Website That Converts Visitors Into Donors.
