Website design has become much more sophisticated in the past decade. As a result, users expect even low-budget grassroots groups to have a professional-looking and regularly updated web presence. The good news for your preservation group is that many user-friendly and low-cost (even free) website design tools are now available. If your group's website is dynamic and well-designed, it can even act like a team of staff members.

You can use the tips described below to help you plan or update your group's website. However, as you develop your group's online presence, keep one thing in mind: When you post content on your website, make certain you protect your group's original content and respect others' intellectual property rights.

Compare Your Design Options

When you are creating a new website, one of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether to hire a professional web designer or to create your website in-house. On average, a professionally designed website costs about $5,000. Some sites may be much more expensive. You may be able to find a design firm that offers a sliding scale for nonprofit organizations or a designer who will provide pro bono design work.

Off-the-shelf website design software, such as the Adobe suite of programs, is much cheaper than professional design services. You may even be able to get free or discounted software. Check with the software company or visit TechSoup to learn about software discounts for nonprofit organizations. Design software programs, however, require some skill to use. If you decide to use design software, anticipate the time needed to navigate the learning curve and plan additional expenses for training.

Blog-hosting sites have built-in website templates that look reasonably professional. If you are starting your own grassroots advocacy effort or a new nonprofit organization, one of the following sites might be a good starting point:

Blogger

Weebly

WordPress

If you later register a website domain name, you can link your blog site address to your registered domain address.

Design Your Website for the User

It is critical that your website has a user-friendly design. If the organization of the content on your website does not make sense to the average user, your content will be buried and inaccessible. The following TechSoup articles have some great tips to help you with your website design:

A Nonprofit's Guide to Building Simple, Low-Cost Websites

Tips for Designing (or Redesigning) a Nonprofit Website

A Cooperative Approach to Web Design

5 Tips for Visually Enticing Nonprofit Websites

Keep Your Content Timely

While you are evaluating your group's resources, consider how you will maintain your website. Web maintenance can often require a team of staff members or volunteer helpers. At a minimum, websites need to be current with working hyperlinks. The content will be your group's primary public presence, and it should reflect what is happening with your group. Each of your primary program areas should be represented on your website.

To ensure your content is fresh and timely, create an editorial schedule that includes weekly, biweekly, or monthly updates. It can be part of your group's work plan so your web content will be tracked with your other primary tasks. It is also important that your content be well-written and easy for web users to scan.

Some organizations use consultants on retainer to ensure someone is constantly checking and updating information. Since web editing software has become so user-friendly, it is not unreasonable to task a staff member or volunteer with this work.

Include Meta Tags on All Your Web Pages

A meta tag is a web (HTML) code word that provides information to web searchers about what they might find on your website. Meta tags, also called search engine optimization (SEO) words, are like keywords or index terms for your web pages. Good meta tag usage can help your website appear among the first listed when someone does a web browser search for your cause.

Each page on your website should include meta tags to help web search engines find and catalog your pages. Insert meta tags near the top of a page's code. Many web design templates will include a keywords field where you can type in your meta tags.

To see what meta tags look like on a page of web code, visit the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse (PAL). On PAL's home page, right click your mouse to open a drop-down menu. Scroll down and select the option "View Source." Near the top of the page, you will see this line:

<meta name="Keywords" content="la crosse, lacrosse, preservation alliance, historic, preservation, lacross, wisconsin" />

Note that PAL included spelling variations of La Crosse in this page's keywords. This is a prudent practice. The best meta tags anticipate how browsers might look for your page.

Learn More

Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide

Find more how-to articles about historic preservation advocacy.