3 Ways to Improve Your Nonprofit Website’s Navigation
Your nonprofit website houses plenty of important information and resources, from the story of your organization鈥檚 founding to your donation page. However, when site visitors navigate to your website, is it easy for them to find exactly what they鈥檙e looking for?
If the answer is 鈥渘o,鈥� then it鈥檚 time for you to update your website鈥檚 functionality. After all, your website鈥檚 success as a digital marketing tool depends on how user-friendly it is to your visitors, whether they鈥檙e exploring your website on desktop or mobile.
An effective navigation system also follows web accessibility guidelines so people of all abilities can engage with your content. If this sounds like a lot for your organization, don鈥檛 worry! With the right tools and strategies, you can easily upgrade your website鈥檚 navigability so supporters will feel inclined to stay on your website and check out your content.
In this article, we鈥檒l explore these top navigation tips:
By enhancing your web audience鈥檚 experience, you鈥檒l be more likely to inspire visitors to take the next action鈥攚hether that鈥檚 signing up for your newsletter, applying to volunteer, or even donating to push your cause forward! This all starts with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Let鈥檚 begin.
Design an intuitive navigation menu
If you look at any of , they all have one thing in common: a well-formatted navigation menu. A navigation menu is the bar鈥攐ften located at the top of your website鈥攖hat acts as a directory to your nonprofit鈥檚 most important resources, including your:
- About Us Page
- Contact Us Page
- Donation Form
- Blog
Your navigation menu should be visible on any page your visitors are on, not just your homepage. This way, visitors who might land on a blog article or your donation form can easily find their way to another relevant page or resource that they鈥檙e searching for. To ensure your navigation menu meets your audience鈥檚 needs, use these strategies:
- Categorize your links: If your nonprofit鈥檚 website has multiple important pages that you want to highlight in your menu, you can develop a dropdown navigation menu, also known as a mega menu. This allows you to group similar pages under one top-level category. For example, you might create a dropdown list under the primary navigation link 鈥淎bout Us鈥� that shows pages dedicated to your mission statement, values, and current projects.
- Use short menu titles: Avoid cluttering your navigation menu by using one- or two-word titles to signal what the associated page will be about. For example, 鈥淒onate Now鈥� instead of 鈥淒onate to our wonderful cause to eradicate cancer for good鈥� is more effective to point to your donation page and keep your navigation bar looking clean.
- Make it mobile-friendly: According to , mobile users made up 33% of online gifts last year. With more people using their phones to interact with their favorite causes, it鈥檚 critical that your navigation menu and website as a whole are mobile-optimized. As you design your navigation bar, consider how it will look on smartphones and tablets, as mobile users should be able to see the entire bar and navigation options. The right nonprofit website builder will automatically optimize your entire website for mobile.
You鈥檒l also want to ensure your navigation bar looks cohesive with the rest of your site design. Infuse your branding elements, including your fonts and color scheme, into your navigation menu. However, don鈥檛 go overboard with the design! A minimalistic look is best for a smooth navigation experience.
Create compelling CTAs
Calls to action (CTAs) are brief phrases that point site visitors to their next action. Often shown as visually distinct buttons with hyperlinks to the relevant resource or page, CTAs are a great way to move site visitors along their journey to becoming more involved supporters. Specifically, they can help drive target actions like donating to your organization, registering for upcoming events like an auction or , or signing up to volunteer at your next community event.
Here are our top recommendations for generating effective CTAs:
- Make sure the language reflects the intended next step: There鈥檚 nothing more frustrating than being taken to a resource that doesn鈥檛 match up with the language of the CTA. For example, if supporters click on a CTA that says 鈥淟earn more about our mission鈥� and are taken to your donation page, they鈥檇 feel confused and likely bothered. Your CTA language should accurately indicate where supporters will be taken if they click on the button.
- Create a sense of urgency: Time is of the essence when it comes to meeting your nonprofit鈥檚 goals. Use active verbs and time-bound language to convince your audience that they need to complete this next step as soon as possible to make a difference. For example, CTAs like 鈥淒onate by midnight to get your donation matched!鈥� or 鈥淒on鈥檛 miss out on our walk-a-thon鈥攔egister now!鈥� help to evoke urgency and mobilize people to act.
- Think carefully about their placement: Place your CTAs in relevant locations across your website to move site visitors along their journey. For instance, you might include a 鈥淩egister Now!鈥� CTA in your latest blog content that covers your upcoming gala or on your event landing page. You can also include bold CTAs in your navigation menu to the most critical actions supporters should take, such as donating to your nonprofit.
To create your CTAs and ensure that they stand out on the page, leverage a with simple front-end editing features. This way, you can easily design buttons with high-contrast colors and eye-catching visuals that align with your branding and other. Best of all, no coding is required when you’re working with a user-friendly website builder, so do your research to find the best solution for your organization’s needs.
Prioritize accessibility
When thinking about your nonprofit website design, it鈥檚 important to reflect on the needs of all possible site visitors. This includes individuals with visual, hearing, motor, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. Not only is this a best practice, but it鈥檚 also legally enforceable under .
Your website therefore needs to adhere to the , which are a series of provisions to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. To get started with prioritizing accessibility in your web design, use these key strategies:
- Add an accessibility widget: An accessibility widget allows users to adjust your content to their exact needs on their devices. This includes increasing the font size, changing colors to grayscale, highlighting links, and changing the font type to sans-serif. You can easily add an accessibility widget to your website with the right website builder.
- Enable keyboard functionality: Users with motor disabilities may only be able to use a keyboard to interact with your website. Ensure that visitors have all the same functionalities of a mouse on their keyboard when navigating your site, such as using the 鈥渢ab鈥� key to jump to different sections on a page.
- Create text alternatives: Text alternatives allow people who can鈥檛 see or interact with your visual content to understand what is being presented and how it contextually aligns with the rest of your on-page content. Create alternative text for photos and offer transcripts and closed captions for videos.
Adhering to web accessibility guidelines is a big responsibility and can be time-consuming. This is where leveraging the right technology can help. recommends investing in a website builder that offers templates already optimized for accessibility. This way, you can simply plug in your content and feel confident that you鈥檙e empowering all audience members to engage with your website.
Your nonprofit website design isn鈥檛 complete without a strong navigation system. Think through your audience鈥檚 needs, and make sure their digital journey is as seamless as possible. Remember to regularly refresh your website as needed to ensure your visitors can easily take actions that support your current goals.
