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