What is the state of your nonprofit organization’s website content? Do you simply need to make a few content updates, or is it time to rethink your overall website content approach?
Web copy updates vs. new website content strategy
Here’s my help with deciding which path makes the most sense for you:
Option #1: Make a few necessary content updates
Because you must continuously manage your website content, several pages might need your attention at any given point in time. Perhaps you know precisely which pages you need to update. If not, consider:
Have any pages become out of date in the last year or so?
Things change (both internally and externally), and your website content needs to change along with it. For example, if there have been changes to your employee team or board of directors, you need to update the relevant pages. Perhaps your organization is reckoning with a lack of diversity on these teams, and for now, you need to add a message stating what you’re doing about it.
Do certain pages need to do a better job of answering questions?
Are you website visitors getting the answers they need? Consider the number or types of email inquiries your organization receives via your contact form or general email. What content do you need to add or improve to answer them?
Do you need pages that support engagement that you’ve initiated elsewhere?
If someone arrives on your site via a social media or direct mail campaign, do they immediately feel that they’ve arrived at the right place? Do you need to add or enhance content to provide a seamless and continuous experience?
Are any pages glaringly missing?
Are you offering any programs or services that have no description or presence on your website? Perhaps there’s an offering you launched quickly in the last year or two and didn’t have time to set up the relevant website content. Or does the content on existing pages sufficiently explain and showcase those offerings?
Are any pages… Embarrassing?
Is there content on your nonprofit’s website that’s embarrassingly bad? Certain pages might be severely outdated or were written piecemeal, hastily, or “by committee” in the first place. Certain pages may have been tweaked or added to so often over time that they no longer make sense.
After reviewing this list, have you identified a few pages of your nonprofit’s website that need attention? Make the necessary updates – they will make a big difference for your visitors and help you feel more confident about directing people to your site.
Do you need help with making your web copy updates?
Here’s a roundup of prompts for updating some of your important or high-traffic pages. And if you’d like my help with making web copy updates, consider my web copywriting package.
Option #2: Reconsider your website content strategy
What if you now realize that more than a few pages need help? If a few tweaks and updates aren’t going to be enough, you might need to reconsider your website content as a whole. This review will be necessary eventually and might currently be the case if your organization has:
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- Launched major new campaigns
- Gone through a rebrand
- Shifted in its approach or offerings
- Undergone a significant change in focus or priorities
And if it has simply been a few years since you took a holistic look at your website content, it’s probably time. There’s a good chance that your organization has gone through more than one of the changes listed above. In this case, it’s time for a new website content strategy.
A more holistic, strategic approach to content improvements
Website content strategy development is an investment in getting content right for your most essential digital asset. The process should be consultative and you should emerge with alignment, clarity and document agreement around your website’s:
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- Purpose and objectives: What your website must do to support your strategic priorities and operational plans.
- Audiences: Identified and prioritized website visitors and their information needs.
- Voice and tone: The language, personality and style you’ll apply in your content.
- Key messages: The core messages your website must convey to your priority audiences and the narrative it will help deliver.
- Content: The priority categories and topics– and their hierarchy – that will deliver your messages and support your objectives.
Once you’ve made these decisions, you’ll have a better understanding of the content you can reuse or update, and the new content needed to bring your strategy to life. You’ll be able to assess whether you can implement these content changes on your organization’s current site or require a redesign. And if you decide to build a new website, you’ll enter the process with a plan that informs and guides many design and development decisions.
Do you need help with developing your web content strategy?
If you need a new website content strategy and have the resources to do the work in-house, check out this roundup of website content strategy guidance and tools. If you’d like to bring me in to guide you through the process, have a look at my website content strategy package.
Whether the approach you need is a few copy updates or a new website content strategy, make sure you’re giving your digital home base the attention it deserves!
