Launching your first website or starting over with a new one could mean that you have a bunch of blank pages staring you in the face. Don’t worry! A little planning goes a long way when it comes to writing for your nonprofit’s website. Use this quick website content checklist to start putting your site together page by page. When you’re just starting out, even a two or three sentence summary of what you’re planning to cover could be helpful.
What is the goal for the page?
Starting with a short statement about the overall goal of a page can put you in the right frame of mind for content writing. How would you summarize the purpose of this page on your site?
Who is the main audience?
Think about the visitors that are most interested in this page and what they might expect to find or be able to do after visiting. What messages should be clearly communicated to your personas?
What is the primary call-to-action?
Based on your goal and the goal of your users, identify an action or next step that’s possible because of the content on this page. It could be to donate, volunteer, contact you or even continue to a related page for more information.
What links would make sense here?
Links can make a website go ‘round. Take stock of how to connect related pages through links, using your site structure or sitemap to help see the big picture. You should also start making a list of external links (like partners and earned media) that can lend credibility.
What visual components can I include on the page?
Think about how visuals like photos will augment the content you’ll eventually write. Getting your hands on a powerful image or video can be just the inspiration you need to get writing.
Do I have other supporting resources?
If you have other types of content relevant to this page, see if you can leverage them by integrating them into the page. Could you offer a download, embed a file or repurpose some of your data, stories or messaging?
Who are the stakeholders?
If you want to stay on schedule, identifying other stakeholders in your content writing and editing is an important part of the website planning process. Each nonprofit is different, but you may need to bring in other staff, your board, volunteers, funders or partners to sign off on a page. Make sure they are a part of your page-by-page website writing checklist to avoid delays.
FREE TEMPLATE: Website Content Checklist for Page-Level Planning
Save time in the long-run by putting together a new website content plan that covers every page. Access our free spreadsheet-based template to get your content planning on the right track, entering information about goals, links, visuals, stakeholders and more in a format that makes it easy to see page-by-page details.
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Table of Contents
Nowadays, most nonprofits and NGOs around the world have websites. What are you doing to stand out? Invest your time in creating fresh and compelling content to attract supporters. Go to Chapter 1.
Quickly preparing your website content keeps you on track for a timely launch. Stay focused on the goals and set a reasonable timeline for content completion. Go to Chapter 2.
Website content is more than text on a page. Start collecting other types of content that you can re-purpose to make your site more robust, such as photos, newsletter stories and testimonials. Go to Chapter 3.
It can be tempting to take shortcuts, like fixing outdated information after launch. Now is the time to take your nonprofit website to the next level by making a plan for great content. Go to Chapter 4.
Forget that you even know how to copy and paste! Writing for the web just got easier with these 11 tips that will help you stick to best practices. Go to Chapter 5.
Wishing your web pages looked more professional? The secret to great content entry is staying consistent across your site. Keep track of your formatting with a simple website style guide. Go to Chapter 6.
Just because it looked great in a brochure doesn’t mean your text is website-ready. Writing scannable content that engages your supporters boils down to these 8 simple rules. Go to Chapter 7.
Now that you have a handle on the basics, take your nonprofit to the next level with website content that goes above and beyond. Get inspired by examples from real nonprofits! Go to Chapter 8.