Pay close attention to your institution’s homepage. In less than 15 seconds, does it tell you:
- Who you are?
- What your institution is trying to accomplish?
- Does it have a tagline that explicitly summarizes what your institution does?
The design and content on your homepage should address each question in a way that balances breadth and depth. Don’t overwhelm your reader with too much information. Install “read more” links that allow the reader to dive in deep should s/he decide to.
Keep your homepage content dynamic. Put a tickler on your calendar to change something significant on your homepage at least once per month. Consider using a modular or block design that allows certain features to be easily swapped out. So many of us are visual creatures, so build a library of reusable images that you can use to keep your homepage content fresh.
Simple, dynamic, and compelling content on your homepage will draw your donors in. Don’t forget to put a link to your giving page!
