Your organization has a beautifully designed and useful website to serve its supporters, constituents and audiences. As with most things, your work is not done once the website has been built. You'll have to maintain your website in order to keep it running smoothly and helpful.
Maintaining your website will ensure that it remains a valuable asset for you and increase its longevity. You want a website for your nonprofit that is both user-friendly and relevant to your audience. You don't want your site to be vulnerable to security breaches, or go down for extended periods of time. You'll also need to maintain your website.
What is involved in website maintenance? This includes checking that the site is secure, stable, and up-to-date. All open-source CMS systems, such as WordPress or Drupal have security holes, bugs or improvements which require periodic updates. Your site may be hacked or break if you do not update it in a timely fashion. It's also important to update your website with the latest information, functionality, and content.
Here are the top three tasks that you should prioritize when maintaining your website.
1. Make sure the site is safe.
Do everything possible to prevent hackers from accessing donor data. Your website's security should be your top priority. This will increase your credibility and build trust with your supporters, and keep sensitive information secure.
Check the following to ensure that your website is secure:
- HTTPS certificates are required for all websites. This is an encryption technique that connects the visitor's web browser to your server securely.
- Hosting security: Many modern hosting platforms include a free SSL Certificate, which makes it impossible for your visitors to access an insecure version of the site.
- Security of donation forms and payment processors: If you are integrating with a payment processor such as PayPal or Authorize.net on your form, ensure that the front-end forms and any data sent to the processor are encrypted.
- Keep up with any CMS updates and make sure you apply the security fixes to your site.
- Plugins: Like your CMS, updates to plugins keep the tools of your website secure and working.
- Check all user accounts on your website. Make sure you have the right access levels and that any staff or volunteers who are leaving are removed.
2. Check that everything works on your website.
Your website's code is always changing due to regular updates and updates such as plugin updates or platform updates. You'll need to check your website regularly, especially after upgrading.
Check all the important features of your website. You can do this manually by reviewing your website and using forms or features in the same way as a visitor. It can also be automated with platforms such as Ghost Inspector.
You may have a different list, but you'll probably include these items:
- Forms: If you don't have working forms (donation forms or registration forms), email signup forms, contact form, etc., then you may lose important supporters. Test each form on your site, beginning with the action you most want visitors to perform.
- Menus: Make sure visitors can navigate your website using the menus, such as the main navigation, the sidebar, the footer and other elements, like breadcrumbs.
- Links: Check for broken links to ensure that your visitors don't land on missing pages or 404s (and you aren't sending them to other sites with 404 pages). Dr. Link Check and Broken Link Checker are great tools to help you track down your broken links.
- Videos and images: After an update, it's not uncommon for visual elements such as videos or images to no longer display correctly. Check the pages and any videos that are available to ensure they have content.
- Interactive elements: Interactive elements, such as videos, maps, online forums, and animations are the most likely to be broken during maintenance updates. Check them regularly to ensure they are still functional for your visitors.
- Consistent branding. When several people work on the same website, branding can diverge from what you have defined. Watch out for off-brand colors, fonts and images.
3. Verify that the information is accurate and up-to-date.
To keep your website as useful and relevant as possible to your audience, and to support the digital content strategy you have in place, it's important that all the information is up-to-date and accurate.
If the content of your website is accurate and up-to-date, your supporters will be more likely engage with it, and you'll have a better chance at success in your search engine optimization campaign. Google Analytics is a good tool to identify helpful and not-so useful pages.
Verify that the content on important pages is accurate and current.
- Update the following: Overview of programming, impact, values and mission statement.
- Include the latest annual report in your reports.
- Tax information: Make sure your tax information is current, such as the Form 990.
- Calendar/Events: Make sure you check the calendar to ensure that any past events have been removed or archived, and that all upcoming events appear as expected.
- Contact information: Make sure that your website reflects any changes to your contact information!
- Volunteering Resources: Make sure that the opportunities for new and veteran volunteers are current and that they have everything needed to be successful.
As you browse through the pages, keep in mind two important questions.
- Has anything changed since you last checked? If you want to stay up-to-date, your website should reflect any changes to program eligibility or new reports.
- Does this content serve its purpose? You may not be able to see the need for an update, but you should look into its intended purpose. Your volunteer opportunities page, for example, may be aimed at potential volunteers but you use vague descriptions and inaccessible language, making it difficult for them to understand what they are signing up for.
Keep a list with pages that need updating. This will help you and your staff to make the necessary changes as you are able.
It can be difficult to maintain your website, but you must do it if you want your site to perform well for your visitors. These three tasks will help you to provide the best possible experience for your audience and encourage them to return again and again.
The post Prioritizing 3 Important Nonprofit Website Maintenance Tasks appeared first on Marketing Insider Group.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of search engine marketing?
Search Engine Marketing (SEM), is an essential component of digital marketing. SEM covers paid search engine optimization (SEO), sponsored links, display advertisements, paid inclusion and social media marketing.
What are 7 steps in an internet marketing strategy plan?
Internet marketing strategies help businesses achieve their goals through online media. The seven basic steps include planning, research, implementation, monitoring, analysis, optimization, and evaluation. Each step should be repeated regularly to ensure effective internet marketing.
- Planning – This is the step that involves identifying your target market and creating a plan on how to reach them. Consider who might purchase your product/service.
- Research allows you to better understand your customers' needs and interests so you can make the right product or service choices. Research also provides valuable insights into trends and consumer behavior.
- Implementation includes choosing a platform (e.g., Facebook) and determining where to place your ads. Once you have chosen your platforms, it's important to ensure that they are correctly configured. Also, decide whether to pay per click or spend money on advertising.
- Monitoring – This is how you can see if your efforts have been successful. Google Analytics is an analytics tool that tracks traffic flows, conversion rates, customer demographics, and other metrics.
- This allows you to compare results to benchmarks or previous performance levels. If you find areas underperforming, this step guides how to improve.
- Optimization – Making changes to your website in order to attract more visitors is called optimization. For example, you could add new features or change how users navigate your site.
- Evaluation – Evaluate your campaign's performance to see where it is at the moment. Do you see any areas for improvement? If not, then you may have reached your goal. If there are still problems that need to be addressed, you will need to reevaluate.
What are the 5 marketing concepts?
The five marketing concepts are:
- Branding – A brand is what people think of when they hear your name. It's what people associate with you when they hear your name. It's important to establish a brand identity that is consistent across media.
- Positioning – How you position yourself in your market. What is the best way to describe yourself?
- Message- This is your message's main content. What is your point Why should someone purchase from you?
- Marketing mix – This includes channels, pricing, promotions, and other marketing tools that help you reach your target audience.
- How do you measure success?
What are the best digital marketing strategies that I can do from home?
Digital marketing is an effective way to reach customers who spend most of their time online. It is also an excellent way to generate leads that will help your business.
You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to promote your brand. To send emails out to potential clients or prospects, you can also use email marketing tools.
There are many ways to market your product/service using digital media.
If you're able to use these channels effectively, it shouldn't be a problem getting started.
What is eCommerce marketing?
Ecommerce marketing refers to online shopping. It's selling products via the Internet. This includes buying goods from companies and selling them over the web. If you are an individual selling, this could include selling on eBay. It is possible to also start a business and sell goods for profit. Selling items online is the key to making money.
Here are some more details regarding eCommerce marketing:
It is important to determine what kind of products you wish to sell in order for your eCommerce site to be successful. Next, choose whether you want to sell a single item (e.g. a book) or multiple items (e.g. books and DVDs).
Once you know what your product is, you need to find suppliers. A supplier is a company that makes and sells the product you want to sell. If you wanted to start selling greeting card, you would first need to find suppliers that make and sell them.
Once you have found a supplier you will need to set up a website that displays the products and allows buyers to buy them. Some suppliers offer templates that you can use, while others require you create your template. Once you have your website online, you need to promote it to draw visitors. This involves posting articles on forums and websites, advertising on Google Adwords and emailing relevant contacts.
You have many options when it comes time to promote your eCommerce business. These include email, search engines, social networks, and mobile apps.
- Email marketing is a smart choice for most companies. It is cost-effective, simple to implement, and produces results. It takes time and effort to generate high quality leads.
- Search engine optimization is a technique for improving the rank of a website for specific keywords. Link building is a common method to improve pages' rankings in search engines.
- LinkedIn and Facebook are important for business promotion. These social networking sites are used daily by millions of people to communicate with their families and friends. Posting interesting content on these sites will help you get exposure to thousands more people.
- For eCommerce marketers, mobile apps can also be a great tool. Customers love shopping on their mobile devices. Apps allow you to reach customers from anywhere.
eCommerce is now a major business. There are many options to promote your company. Be wise when choosing an eCommerce marketing strategy to maximize your business's potential.
What are some examples of direct marketing?
Direct Marketing Examples include postcards, brochures, flyers, e-mails, etc.
Direct marketing is a great way to reach people anywhere you are. It is the best way to reach customers who already prefer your product or services over others.
It is important to know the type of message that appeals most to your target audience.
The key is to find out what your customer wants and then give it to them.
Direct marketing is a great way to promote your brand. You could send brochures to potential clients or advertise in local newspapers.
A unique mailing list can be created from your existing customers. If you have good contacts, it is easy to add new subscribers.
Ask current customers if their would like to receive promotional materials. Some companies offer discounts to those who sign up for special offers.
What are the four functions marketing serves?
Marketing is the art or creating demand for products and/or services.
It gives information about the company's offerings and its values and how they affect customers' lives.
Marketing stimulates interest, creates awareness, and finally drives action (or purchase), in response to an invitation.
The following are the four functions that marketing has:
- Create Demand – This involves building relationships with potential buyers to convince them of the value in your product or service.
- Stimulating interest – This is when you increase consumer awareness about your product or service.
- Building Awareness: This refers in part to making sure your consumers are well-informed about your product/service and why they might choose to buy it.
- Driving Action – This is ensuring that customers make purchases once they are aware of your products or services.
Statistics
- This allows us to deliver CPCs that are 80% less than average and CTRs 4-5 times higher than average. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
- Meanwhile, a PartnerPath poll found that co-marketed ads help 68% of consumers arrive at a buying decision before even speaking to a salesperson. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- 81% of brands employ affiliate marketing, and eCommerce sites are particularly good candidates. (blog.hubspot.com)
- A poll earlier this year found that 14% of older Gen Z's had bought an item in the previous six months based on an influencer's recommendation. (influencermarketinghub.com)
- According to statistics, 60% of online shoppers worldwide actively search for coupons before purchasing from a virtual shop. (influencermarketinghub.com)
External Links
statista.com
moz.com
- SEO Learning Center – Moz
- [Case Study] How We Ranked #1 for a High-Volume Keyword in Under 3 Months – Moz
neilpatel.com
youtube.com
How To
Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Strategies for 2022
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular online advertising methods marketers use today.
It allows companies and individuals to promote products with no upfront costs. Affiliates are paid a commission when users buy the advertised products.
There are two types main affiliate programs: cost-per sale or performance-based. Affiliates who are performance-based get paid when a certain amount of sales occur. Affiliates earn a fixed amount regardless of whether they sell anything.
We'll be discussing the top 10 best affiliate marketing strategies in 2022. Each strategy will be explained and illustrated with examples.
#1. #1.
E-commerce sites are increasingly adopting loyalty programs for brands. Customers can earn points each time they visit a website or shop online.
These points may be used later to receive discounts, rewards, or special deals.
Amazon Prime members have access to exclusive deals, perks and more.
Amazon also runs a referral program called Associates. This program lets merchants refer shoppers to Amazon and receive a percentage of the revenue generated from those referrals.
#2. 2. Use social media to promote products
Perfect places to promote products are social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Advertisements can be run by companies to directly target buyers. Facebook, for example, allows advertisers to target certain groups of people based upon their interests and demographics.
They can also target people who live within a certain distance of a store location.
Twitter is another platform that allows companies reach targeted audiences quickly. Companies can quickly send tweets to their followers and ask questions.
Instagram is similar to Twitter because it allows brands to interact with consumers. Instagram, however isn't able to allow businesses direct messages.
Instead, followers will see posts automatically in their feeds.
Pinterest is yet another social network that allows businesses to connect with customers. These connections include the sharing of images, asking questions, and answering customer inquiries.
#3. #3. Offer Special Discounts for Influencers
Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool to increase brand awareness. Brands may partner with influencers in order to give them incentives for posting material about their products.
This partnership often includes giving influencers test products or free products.
These partnerships do not only include product reviews. Brand ambassadors are also possible for influencers.
Brands can employ influencers for giveaways, opinions, answering questions, or to simply showcase their products.
#4. Make video ads
Video ads have become increasingly popular. People enjoy watching videos online, especially now that tablets and smartphones are mainstream.
Advertisers may use video ads as a way to get attention and persuade viewers of their products to click on the links.
YouTube is one the most popular websites where advertisers place video ads. YouTube allows advertisers upload 60 second clips.
Google AdWords is another option for placing video ads. Google uses keywords to match ads to relevant searches.
#5. Run Mobile Campaigns
Mobile apps have become increasingly popular. Mobile apps can be used to download and watch movies, browse books, listen to music, and even play games.
People spend hours reading books and listening to music on their phones. They also watch movies on the phone.
Businesses should consider using mobile apps to drive traffic to their websites.
Apps can easily be downloaded onto smartphones, tablets, Android phones, iPhones and iPads.
App stores can be found for Apple iOS, Google Play Windows Phones, Blackberry OS, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phones.
#6. Integrate shopping carts into websites
A shopping cart is an efficient way to sell physical products.
Customers can add items into their cart and checkout to complete the purchase.
Online shopping carts are growing in popularity. Customers can register and view product listings at some online retailers like eBay.
Amazon and other online retailers integrate shopping carts into their websites. Customers can order the items they desire and make payment right away.
#7. #7.
It is a great way of attracting new customers.
Companies often send out press releases when they launch a new line.
This release could include information about the new line's pricing and availability.
Once the launch is done, the company can continue to market the new products.
#8. Develop Cross-Channel Marketing Programs
Cross-channel Marketing refers to marketing efforts on different channels.
Cross-channel Marketing could, for example send emails to your subscribers via email lists and promote products on social networks. You might also run banner ads on search engine engines.
Multichannel exposure can be a boon for some companies.
One example is that some companies sell products in brick-and mortar locations. A few companies also sell products online.
Sometimes, companies use both channels simultaneously to increase their sales.
#9. #9.
Companies can use data analytics to enhance their business operations and maximize their profits. This involves analysing data taken from many sources to determine patterns and trends.
Analytics can detect problems, assess current practices and predict future needs.
Analytics tools can pull data from many sources: web servers, databases, and even applications.
Companies can use these tools to learn about their customers and better understand their behavior.
#10. #10.
Every business should be able to satisfy its customers. Customers will return to your business if they are satisfied.
Satisfied customers are more likely to refer your products to others.
Satisfied customers will also be less likely complain about poor services.
All businesses must improve customer satisfaction.
This is possible by offering outstanding customer support.
Employees should respond promptly to customer inquiries and solve problems effectively.
Offer fast shipping options, so customers don't have to wait too long before receiving their orders.
Also, make sure your website is easy to navigate.
Your site should load quickly, and give clear instructions.
Be aware that not all customers are the same.
Some customers might need more assistance while others aren't so much.
Therefore, it is important to tailor customer support policies to individual needs.
Doing this ensures that everyone receives excellent service.
Check out our guide here if you'd like to know how to start an affiliate marketing campaign.
This article will cover everything you need to know when starting an affiliate marketing program.
Now that you're familiar with the basics of affiliate marketing campaigns, you can begin to establish relationships with other bloggers.
By doing this, you'll gain experience and build credibility.
This knowledge can be used to your advantage to make money.
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By: Giana Reno
Title: 3 Critical Nonprofit Website Maintenance Tasks to Prioritize
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/marketing-strategy/3-critical-nonprofit-website-maintenance-tasks-to-prioritize/
Published Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2023 10:00:30 +0000