We’ve talked about why your nonprofit needs to focus on design, how you can apply that to your graphical offerings, and how your videos can stay top-notch. But it all could mean nothing if your web presence isn’t up to snuff.

In our graphics post, we talk about some general design elements that are good to keep in mind, such as making sure your call to action is easy to read. But a good web presence is what can separate your nonprofit from the rest, and below we’ve listed a few things that top nonprofits have down pat in order to make their website and online community special.

1. Know your audience. This might not sound like it has anything to do with web design, but it does more than you know. If your nonprofit is aimed towards millennials, make sure the language and the design scheme you’re using is something millennials would be interested in. If your site looks like it was made before they were born, they’re going to skip your nonprofit – no matter how awesome your work may be.

2. Utilize a CMS + CRM software. Your content management system and a constituent (customer in the business world) relationship management software make a huge difference, and without the right ones it could be very difficult to keep your site updated. A good CMS makes frequent content updates easy even for non-technical users. It also goes beyond a basic blog feed with dynamic layouts and targeted, relevant content and actions. A strong CMS is just as good at feeding the same content to a website viewed on a desktop or a mobile app. Utilizing a CRM allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of your nonprofit and who’s engaging in it. Some of the best that we use include ActionKit, Salsa, and NationBuilder.

3. Install Google Analytics. If you don’t know how people are getting to your site or if people are even making it there, you’re going to be in big trouble. Google Analytics does the heavy lifting for you - it just needs to be installed on your domain so you can see who’s finding your nonprofit through search engines or social networks and determine what’s working and what’s not for your campaign.
 

4. Optimize for mobile. You’d be surprised how many of your visitors come from mobile (unless you followed my third tip, where that number could be displayed for you). If someone has to squint to use your site on a mobile phone or tablet, they might not be so tempted to remember you and return when they’re on their laptop or desktop. Make sure your mobile site is as engaging as your site on the desktop. Our designer Martha spotlights some of the best here.

Following the above tips can turn your nonprofit’s web presence into a social experience for your visitors, and enhance the results you can get from each individual one. Design matters, and knowing how you’re designing your web presence can make all the difference.