In the year 2022, the internet is expected to grow rapidly. We may not be jumping on the metaverse yet, but there are best practices you can start implementing to have a more impactful nonprofit website.
This year’s top web trends for nonprofits include a focus on user experience, mobile-friendliness, and online security.
1. More video everywhere
The future of online content is video. Nas from Nas Daily talked about this recently. He sees the use of images and text dying out, citing that 60% of future content on LinkedIn will be video. Focus on shorter, “snackable” videos that can be shared on multiple platforms (like Facebook, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok.)
You can watch him talk about that, and more, in this video:
2. Tell more stories
People love stories. We love seeing others overcome a challenge and find glorious success. Consider integrating more stories about who you help (or even stories about donors and volunteers) into your website, blog, social media, and email marketing materials. And if you haven’t heard about it already, tell stories from an Ethical Storytelling standpoint.
3. Make your website more accessible
As nonprofit and community organizations, we already work with disadvantaged people. Making your website accessible and ADA compliant is vital to further your mission. There are simple things that can be done today, like:
- All images have a description for screen readers
- Follow the proper flow for headlines (Like H3s belonging under the appropriate H2)
- All form fields should have a label
- All buttons should describe the action, not just say “click here” or “read more”
- Include written transcripts for videos and audio recordings, when you can
- Test important call-to-actions in color blindness checkers to guarantee the button/link can be seen
More difficult website accessibility best practices include:
- Make sure the website looks alright with the CSS off (or in black and white)
- Make sure that the website is easy to navigate without a mouse
- If someone increases the font size, make sure that the structure of the site doesn’t break
4. Don’t forget the mobile experience
More and more people are using their phones over desktop computers. For one, Google penalizes websites that are not responsive in the organic search results. Also, you want your content to be accessible to all people, where ever they are.
This includes creating mobile-friendly emails. (Please, no more pinch-zoom on newsletter images!) A mobile-optimized email that sends your audience to a mobile-friendly page puts you on the fast track to hitting your goals.
5. Prioritize security
Security is important for protecting your content, as well as your donors’ and volunteers’ data. Simple ways to protect your website today include:
- Strengthen your passwords. Now.
- Avoid using “admin” in all user logins
- If you use WordPress, consider using a security plugin and changing the login URL from /wp-admin
- Install an SSL Certificate on your domain (can be done easily through your hosting provider)
- Force HTTPS in your domain settings
Better prepare your nonprofit organization for the new year with these vital core changes. We hope this list helps you plan for a more profitable, more mobile, and more secure 2022.
