We were very excited to recently publish our first post on 501CONNECT, a site that provides a variety of excellent resources for nonprofits.  In the post, 8 Tips for Writing Great Nonprofit Website Content, David outlines various ways that nonprofits can ensure they’re writing content that is compelling and engaging.

You can read part of the article below or check out the full post over on 501CONNECT.

8 Tips For Writing Great Nonprofit Website Content

It’s one of the most daunting parts of a web project. Sitting there, staring at the vast whiteness of your computer screen, watching that thin black cursor mockingly blink at you. You have a website design you love and hammered down a page structure that makes sense. But now you sit, after everything you’ve been through, hung up on the dreaded step: content.

Alright, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic. But content is tough. And it takes a surprisingly long time to write. Sure, you know what your nonprofit does. But how do you convey it in a way that’s easy to understand and is enticing to the impatient crowds soon to frequent your site?

Hopefully the following tips will be helpful.

1. Just Start Writing

Once you have the page structure figured out, create a content outline with a designated space for each page on your website. Then just start writing. Don’t overthink every word – you can (and absolutely should) edit later.

Are you an outliner? From one outliner to another, trust me when I say it’s fine to jot down a few key pieces of information to focus on for each page. But then let the words flow.

2. Focus on Visitor Expectations

Think of everything from your visitor’s perspective. Trying to decide what to write on a given page? Think about what information a visitor to that page would be seeking. Want to know what you should include on your homepage? Consider what’s most important to your visitors and prioritize it.

Your website is all about your visitor. Yes, it showcases your organization, but every decision should be made with the user in mind. The more you think of your visitor, the better their experience will likely be on your website, which can quickly translate into donations, volunteers and more benefit to the community you serve.

3. Drop the Jargon

You’re an insider. You know the lingo. Your website visitors do not.

Use words that your visitors will know. If you absolutely must use technical language, explain it in plain English. And establish acronyms on each page before you start using them throughout your content. For instance, if you’re going to be writing about search engine optimization (SEO), tell people what SEO stands for (see what I did there?) before you start dropping it in.

It can also be helpful to ask people outside of your organization to read over your content and highlight portions that are confusing. Your writing likely makes sense to you (or at least it should) because you wrote it. Ask others what they think.

Read the Whole Post

To read the article in its entirety, check out the whole post on 501CONNECT.

Comments