1. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 Building a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 Nick Wiseman Introducing volunteer IT professionals to charities needing IT help

2. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 2 Aims and Objectives What problem will the website solve? Who can best identify the aims and objectives? Who is the target audience for the website? Ensure that the person/company that designs the website understands the aims of the charity

3. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 3 Visual design Branding guidelines –Do guidelines exist? –Is there a logo? –Is help needed to create the identity? Design concepts The web site provider should provide one or more mock-ups of the home page to confirm the right visual design and navigation.

4. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 4 Functions and features Select from any of the following. The more you choose, the longer it will take. –Content pages –News pages and lists –Event calendar –Registration and contact forms –Discussion forum –Blog –Online sales / e-commerce –Search: in-site and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) –User uploads of photo/video etc. Can YouTube, Flickr etc be used?

5. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 5 Content Management System Choose the CMS after you have decided what the site will do. Hundreds to choose from, most of them will work fine in the right hands. Think about hosting and long-term support.

6. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 6 Once the site is developed Learn how to create content, and do it! Don’t publish what you can’t maintain Good search rankings depend on content changing frequently Check the site is running! Free monitoring tools are available Worry about security

7. iT4C How to build a successful charity website Copyright iT4C 2009 17 November 2009 7 Key points Keep the first version simple Add clever stuff later Keep content up to date Keep an eye on the site Does it meet the aims and objectives? How can you tell (web stats)?