Web 2.0 Basics for NGOs E-engagement capacity enhancement for
NGOs HKU ExCEL3
Slide 2
Content The Internet & Web 2.0 Is your organisation ready
for Web 2.0? How to start a website Choosing a website design
company 10 best practices
Slide 3
Web 2.0 The Internet is indispensable for NGOs and major
benefits include: Cost-effective Timely Has a wide reach Can
increase participation / interaction Available anywhere, anytime
Reference: Spell, T. (2010). Internet technologies a must for
nonprofits. Nonprofit CMS. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.nonprofitcms.org/internet-technologies-%E2%80%93-a-must-for-
nonprofits/ Grannell, C. (2012). The challenge of designing for
non-profits..Net Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.netmagazine.com/features/challenge-designing-non-profits
Slide 4
Web 2.0 a class of Internet tools and technologies that have
been developed with a view to involve Internet users and make their
role more active - (Spell, 2010) Critical aspect of Web 2.0 =
interactive Reference: Spell, T. (2010). Web 2.0 tactics for
non-profits. Nonprofit CMS. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.nonprofitcms.org/web-2-0-tactics-for-nonprofits/
Slide 5
Web 2.0: Are you ready? Management issues Senior management:
Are they clear about the purpose behind and supportive of using Web
2.0 / social media? Entire organisation: are they in the loop?
Lifelong commitment: maintenance is necessary, inevitable and
continuous. Has sufficient resources been (or will be) allocated to
this cause? Create a maintenance plan.
Slide 6
Web 2.0: Are you ready? Privacy / Security issues Anything
posted on the Internet will leave a trace. Dont post anything you
are not comfortable with becoming public! Security is very
important. If you have a membership system such as an email list or
registration system, then care must be taken to protect that
information.
Slide 7
How to create a website 1.Register a domain. 2.Decide between
designing in-house or finding a web design company with experience
working with NGOs. Ask about a Content Management System (CMS) CMS
allows NGOs to upload and update their own content on the website.
Also, if company who designed the website eventually closes, you
can still update the website with or without them. 3.Get web
hosting. 4.Send out emails to spread the word! 5.(If applicable)
Accept donations online.
Slide 8
Website Design Company Despite the commonly lean budget of
NGOs, a well-designed website can have many long term benefits.
E.g., Survive the growth of an organization, Present a professional
online presence for the organization, Create a sustainable system
that can be easily managed by the NGO, Attract your audience,
etc.
Slide 9
Website Design Company Several factors should be taken into
consideration when choosing a website design company: 1.Look at
their website. Do you like it? Is it updated? 2.Look through their
portfolio. 3.Ask for references. 4.Have they worked with NGOs
before? 5.What is their knowledge of a Content Management System
(CMS)? 6.What is their knowledge beyond just web design? Are they
able to integrate social media or search engine principles into
their designs? Reference: Spell, T. (2010). Non profits: never hire
a web designer without asking these questions. Nonprofit CMS.
Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.nonprofitcms.org/nonprofits-never-hire-
a-web-designer-without-asking-these-questions/http://www.nonprofitcms.org/nonprofits-never-hire-
a-web-designer-without-asking-these-questions/ Spell, T. (2010). 7
things to look for in a non profit website design company.
Nonprofit CMS. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.nonprofitcms.org/7-things-to-look-for-in-a-
nonprofit-website-design-company/
Slide 10
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 11
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 12
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability is how easy a website
is to use. The following will help improve a websites usability:
Easy navigation Readability & hyperlinks Testing Reference:
P.J., Lynch & S. Horton. (2009). Information Architecture. In
P.J., Lynch & S. Horton. (3 rd Ed.) Web Style Guide. Retrieved
November 29, 2012, from
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-
architecture/index.html
Slide 13
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Easy navigation
Information architecture: the process of organising content on a
website Keep a hierarchical format of all your websites pages,
generally from general to specific and in decreasing priority.
Information should be organized so that each page should only have
a maximum of 3 purposes / focus. As your site grows, there must be
a balance between menus and content webpages. Reference: P.J.,
Lynch & S. Horton. (2009). Information Architecture. In P.J.,
Lynch & S. Horton. (3 rd Ed.) Web Style Guide. Retrieved
November 29, 2012, from
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-
architecture/index.html
Slide 14
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Easy navigation
Information architecture: the process of organising content on a
website Wide vs. Deep Reference: P.J., Lynch & S. Horton.
(2009). Information Architecture. In P.J., Lynch & S. Horton.
(3 rd Ed.) Web Style Guide. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-
architecture/index.html
Slide 15
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Easy navigation
Information architecture: the process of organising content on a
website Choose the right site structure. Reference: P.J., Lynch
& S. Horton. (2009). Information Architecture. In P.J., Lynch
& S. Horton. (3 rd Ed.) Web Style Guide. Retrieved November 29,
2012, from http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/3-information-
architecture/index.html
Slide 16
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Easy navigation
Breadcrumbs Suitable for websites with more than one level. Leave a
visual / text trail so that users will know how they came to each
webpage and can easily go back to any previous section. Make sure
that no webpage ends up as a dead end. At least have a link back to
home. Reference: Gube, J. (2009). Breadcrumbs in web design:
examples and best practices. Smashing Magazine. Retrieved November
30, 2012 from
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/17/breadcrumbs-in-web-design-examples-and-best-practices-2/
Slide 17
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Readability
Scanning: Studies show that people scan websites rather than
reading them thoroughly.
Slide 18
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Readability
Scanning: Studies show that people scan websites rather than
reading them thoroughly. Prioritize your information to place them
in the areas that will receive more attention. Hyperlinks: make
sure hyperlinks stand out as links so readers can scan for them
easily.
Slide 19
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Readability
Typography: It is important to choose fonts that will be easy to
read on a computer screen. Font size is important too. Make it big
enough to be comfortably read especially if your readers may be
older in age. Headings: Use headings to separate sections of text.
Headings can be a different typeface. White space Having enough
white space is important to make text readable. Pay attention to
the spaces between letters as well as the spaces between
lines.
Slide 20
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Usability: Testing In order to
make sure the website is error free and easy to use, ask friends
and family to help test the website. Studies have suggested that 5
website testers is enough to find most of the problems that a
website may have. Reference: Spell, T. (2010). Web 2.0 tactics for
non-profits. Nonprofit CMS. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.nonprofitcms.org/web-2-0-tactics-for-nonprofits/
Slide 21
Best Practices 1. User Friendly Page load speed How quickly a
webpage loads is actually one of the most crucial factors for
whether someone will visit your site. Mobile or tablet friendly
sites: With the popularity of smartphones and tablets, it is
important to consider how your webpage will look on these devices.
If necessary, a mobile version of the website can be made.
Accessibility: Websites made in a way that those with disabilities
will still be able to use it. E.g., easily enlargeable font, images
with a short description for the visually impaired.
Slide 22
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 23
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly The most important
aspect of a website is that it can be found. Users will most likely
find websites via a search engine. Search rankings: Studies have
shown that the higher your website is in the search rankings, the
more likely people will click your site therefore, you should aim
to rank highly in the search results of keywords that are relevant
to your website.
Slide 24
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): Improving a website to increase visits from
search engines. Major search engines in Hong Kong: Yahoo!, Google,
Baidu, soso /QQ & Bing Traffic from search engines are based on
search queries therefore, focus on optimizing your keywords.
Slide 25
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): Search engines will Scan and index your website
Determine its relevance and rank regarding some keywords Keywords:
These are the words that represent the focus of your webpage or
site. Determine these strategically and carefully.
Slide 26
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): Crawlability: how easy it is for a search
engine to scan are record your website. Make sure your website has
a search engine friendly design by Good link structure Tagging (for
headings, images etc.) URL structure Shy away from flash technology
since that cannot be scanned by search engines.
Slide 27
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): Relevance Make sure your content is relevant
for your audience. Specifically, make sure your content is relevant
for the keywords that you are aiming to target. Keep your content
fresh as a way to show relevance (blogs or new is a good way to do
this).
Slide 28
Best Practices 2. Search Engine Friendly Search Engine
Optimization (SEO): Rank Have targeted keywords and a focus on each
webpage. It is recommended to aim for no more than 3 keywords per
webpage. Keep content fresh and relevant. Link Building: Having a
link network e.g., links from other websites and links to other
websites. Swap links with reputable webpages. Submit URL to
reputable directories. Create great content so others will link to
you.
Slide 29
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 30
Best Practices 3. Social Media Friendly Social media may
include Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. Integrate
social media into each webpage so that users can share your content
quickly and easily.
Slide 31
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 32
Best Practices 4. Know Your Audience Determine the audience
that your website is meant for as well as potential audience who
are likely to visit. Remember that your website needs to appeal to
and engage them so keep their needs in mind as you develop your
website. Some of the potential audiences of your website may
include: 1.Donors Make sure it is easy for them to donate money no
matter which webpage they are on. 2.Volunteers Make it easy for
them to find information and express their interest in helping.
3.Media Have a downloadable media kit available and at least a link
to your organisations latest news. Reference:
http://www.npengage.com/web-design/the-1-reason-nonprofit-websites-fail-and-how-fix/
Slide 33
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 34
Best Practices 5. Purpose of Each Page Landing page: the
webpage that users first get to after clicking on a search result
link or online advertisement link. Most landing pages should have
one main goal and everything on that page should work towards that
goal. Above the fold: the area on a website that can be seen
without scrolling. Call-to-action: prompts (e.g., buttons, banners,
copy) on a webpage for users to make a certain action e.g., click
somewhere, sign-up for something, buy something etc. Conversion:
the action that you want your user to take.
Slide 35
Best Practices 5. Purpose of Each Page Landing page
optimization Decide on the goal of each landing page Everything on
each landing page should work towards guiding the user to
fulfilling that pages goal. E.g., sign-up for your newsletter,
donate money to your organisation etc. Create urgency and tell
users what to do with calls-to- action. Dont be afraid to repeat
those calls-to-action. Use big fonts and big buttons. Test changes
on landing pages to see which changes lead to more conversions.
Keep everything important above the fold.
Slide 36
Best Practices 5. Purpose of Each Page Homepage Although a
homepage may have more goals than a simple landing page, the same
principles apply. Prioritize your content to keep important content
above the fold Figure out your goals and focus your content and
design around those goals. Besides making your organisations cause
clear, incorporate calls-to-action that users can take to support
your cause. Keep testing!
Slide 37
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 38
Best Practices 6. Content Use simple language Get straight to
the point Cut out the unnecessary Use short paragraphs and
sentences Shy away from too much technical / scientific jargon
Relevant information should fit in with your keyword strategy
Slide 39
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 40
Best Practices 7. Visuals Studies have shown that a
professional / attractive website increases the trust that users
have towards that website. If a picture can replace a thousand
words, do it. Especially for NGOs, include pictures of your staff /
events as this can put a face to your organisation.
Slide 41
Best Practices 7. Visuals Professional layout & design
Slide 42
Best Practices 7. Visuals Professional layout & design
Slide 43
Best Practices 7. Visuals Professional layout & design
Slide 44
Best Practices 7. Visuals Professional layout & design
Slide 45
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 46
Best Practices 8. Contact information Make it easy for users to
reach out to you. Minimum: phone number / email address. Can also
include: Address Hours of operation (If applicable) If you have
social media accounts, remember to include those links too.
Slide 47
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 48
Best Practices 9. Consistency Your website is an extension of
your organisation. Everything within the website must be consistent
with the rest of your organisation. E.g., Purpose / Mission /
Message of the organisation Tone Visual style etc.
Slide 49
Best Practices Successful websites must 1.Be user friendly 2.Be
search engine friendly 3.Be social media friendly 4.Know its
audience 5.Have purpose to each page 6.Contain clear, concise, and
relevant information 7.Have attractive aesthetics & visuals
such as photographs 8.Have contact information 9.Be consistent
10.Have an analytics system
Slide 50
Best Practices 10. Analytics In order to keep track of your
websites performance and potential problems or improvements, it is
crucial to make the site analytics friendly. Google analytics can
be used for free and can track various indicators of your websites
performance. Determine the relevant performance indicators for your
website.