4 SIGNS ITS TIME FOR A REDESIGN ON YOUR CHARITY WEBSITE
You might be going back and forth on whether or not you need your website needs an update. It’s a common back and forth that happens. Many NPOs delay and delay and never really know which direction they should lean.
So, today we will discuss the 4 signs and my checklist I use to help a nonprofit determine if their funds SHOULD even be used for a redesign at any given time.
#1 YOUR WEBSITE IS UNRESPONSIVE, NOT MOBILE FRIENDLY
This was a change in May 2019.
Before that time, Google and other search engines did not give preference for mobile usability and responsiveness (how a site looks on different screens). And even prior to that, there was a time when websites were being built in a mobile version and a desktop version… oh the yesteryears. 😂 BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED. Since May 2019, if your website is NOT mobile responsive and mobile friendly, you will be docked in indexing and lose ranking with Google.
Simply put, if you do not have a responsive website, YOU MUST get a redesign to a more compliant platform or theme. This is kinda a nonnegotiable given that the majority of the world wide web IS compliant, you are swimming upstream.
#2 YOUR SITE AS A WHOLE IS MORE THAN 7 YEARS OLD
Others will say 3-5 years but let’s be honest, no one has time or $$ for that
As a nonprofit, I get it…. your funds and your time are PRECIOUS. You are trying to change the world one life at a time. BUT consistency, and trends matter. If you are still sporting website “HIT COUTNERS”, hosted on Geocities or are running Flash… you just might be suffering from the time warp we all experience. Y2K was over 20 years ago and Kurt Cobain died almost 30 years ago. Time can pass by quickly so really do a hard look at your site and its last update.
Simply put, if you do not have an updated website, YOU MUST get a redesign to let others know you are legit and not a scam. This represents stability. While you might think this is frivolous, it will actually help your cause in the long run with earning more donations and securing more funding.
#3 IT LOOKS OUTDATED + YOU ARE EMBARRASSED TO GIVE IT OUT
There will always be web envy but their shouldn’t be shame
As a creative, its hard not to look and be impressed with other designs. Its actually a common phenomena that happens. You design or see something new, you think its amazing and awesome, then you eye gets bored and tired of it, it loses its luster and you kinda become numb to it. This repetition is actually used in branding for recall… so you remember who the brand is. We aren’t all as impressed with the Mona Lisa as we were the first few times we saw it right? When it comes to a website… this boredom shouldn’t mean a redesign! AND this is where I differ from other designers… I will NOT just take your money if a redesign is not really needed. Now, embarrassment is a different emotion all together.
Simply put, if you are already giving people an apology before they log onto your site (trying to excuse its appearance like you are inviting people into your home and saying, “Gosh… this is a mess”) just book a call with me and I will let you know the truth. Sometimes, the site IS truly in need of an overhaul BUT other times… its just design tweaks or training that needs to take place. I am happy to give you my expert opinion and see what we can find as a solution.
#4 CHANGES ARE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE
THIS is my biggest beef and issue (outside of #1 + #2)
If you are not comfortable making edits to your site regularly, updating events, images, text… you need a redesign on a platform you can update!!!! I know I have said it a million times in my blog posts but google and other search engines DO NOT prefer a platform or CMS, Content Management System. They want updated, responsive, clean sites. If you still have a Copyright 2008 or your last blog post was in 2019, you are NOT on the right platform for your charity.
