Not only is it vital to have a website that looks good; it’s important to think about the content that lives within your site’s overall design. Many organizations don’t recognize the absolute importance of clear communication about your mission. We’d like to help you think through this communication strategy. Forget design, forget your look, forget colors and shapes. This is about the words and content that will guide visitors to your site.

Imagine the best website that you’ve ever seen. What made it awesome? Chances are, it was the overall design and ease-of-use that attracted you to it. But imagine that website without any text, or without simple pictures and icons to guide you. Now how cool is it?

A smashing design is nice, but let’s have a chat to nail down the exact words, phrases, and pictures that you want to use to push and pull people around your site. Think about the following questions – each one is very important to determine the overall content strategy of your site.

1. What does your org do well in terms of programs, people, and impact?
2. What does your org not do well in terms of programs, people, and impact?
3. What would you like to tell or show people who visit your site, i.e. the first thing that they see or read?
4. Does your organization rely on storytelling to find supporters and donors? How do you like to tell stories?
5. Is it easy to write about your organization, or can it be difficult to find the right words?
6. What is it about your mission or vision statement that really resonates with your staff, board, volunteers, or donors?