| Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't | | | | All to make it more easy for people to find the kind |
| understand these important aspects of a successful | | | | of information they need about your organisation. |
| website. Even many governmental organizations | | | | Avoid to write the email address, use a script to hide |
| (GOs) could improve their sites by following these | | | | it from email harvesters and spammers. |
| tips. | | | | 8. Make it easy for visitors to find information on |
| 1. Everything should be viewed and evaluated with | | | | people, their phone numbers and email address and |
| the eyes of the visitor: "What's in for me" as the | | | | keep them updated. Do the same for departments |
| main benchmark for a successful website. That is | | | | of the organisation. |
| pertaining to the copy and to the content what ever | | | | 9. Keep each resource in only one place and make |
| directed to members or non-members: "You will here | | | | many links to them around on other pages.. |
| find ...." is a better and more inviting statement at the | | | | 10. Make it visible when you have provided new |
| home page, than: "We are the main organisation of | | | | material at the website. |
| ......" | | | | 11. Make your website SIMPLE and quick loading. |
| 2. Most visitors on the Internet are searching for | | | | Avoid heavy graphics, flash movies etc. They will not |
| information, so please provide them with that. | | | | help your visitors, but only help them click away. If |
| 3. Concentrate content on themes, because that will | | | | you use graphics, you have to optimise them for the |
| give you an easier way to the attractive top search | | | | smallest amount of file size. GifBot, , can do it free |
| positions at the main search engines and to be | | | | and online. Else use one of the picture editing |
| included in some directories, (Google, MSN, Ask | | | | programmes available with the function like 'publish |
| Jeeves, Yahoo, Open Directory, AltaVista etc.). | | | | picture on the web'. |
| Site-Build-It is probably the best approach to fulfil that | | | | 12. Keep your web copy short e.g. use a new |
| requirement. | | | | paragraph for every 4th line. Make bullet points. files. |
| 4. Make navigation easy and transparent on all pages. | | | | 13. Manage to have at least your entrance page with |
| 5. Have a search facility, best on all pages. offers a | | | | a simple domain name, like or or |
| free and useful service. I use it on a number of | | | | 14. It is not enough to have a good virtual address |
| websites, for example about photos: . In addition to | | | | by having an intuitive domain name on the internet. |
| the search facility for the visitor it gives you a record | | | | You also have to be registered properly in search |
| of what people have actually been searching for. In | | | | engines and directories. The best way is to have |
| that way you can prioritise the stuff available for | | | | other important sites to link to your site. In some |
| people on your website when you revise your pages. | | | | months your site will be picked up by the spiders of |
| Google is also offering a search box, but only with | | | | search engines. For the directories it is best to do it |
| the pages they have indexed, and you cannot get | | | | manually, start with dmoz.org and 15. Make it easy |
| any record of the searches. | | | | for people to link to you. Provide them with a variety |
| 6. Try to organise the content of your website quite | | | | of text links, banners and logos and with simple |
| "flat", meaning the visitor does not have to dig too | | | | instructions concerning the html code. |
| deep into your website to find what he/she is | | | | 16. Encourage visitors to bookmark your site. |
| searching after. Most visitors will at best not go | | | | 17. Exchange links with other relevant organisations. |
| further deep than to the 3rd level. This is the same | | | | Include your important key words in your link text |
| with "spidering" bots of search engines. | | | | you ask them to use. |
| 7. Have your contact information visible on your | | | | Implement these 17 tips and in half a year you will |
| home page (first page), including address, phone, fax, | | | | have many more visitors and they will be much more |
| email, may be even postal giro, bank account etc. - | | | | happy to come back to your organization's website. |