I have a confession: I don’t care if your website is pretty.
Sure, I care that it looks like it’s been updated this millennium, and I care that the design isn’t so awful that it distracts from your message. No site visitor should pull up your site and think, “yeeeesh.”
But beyond that, all bells and whistles tell me is that you paid your web developer top dollar. You might need a flashy homepage if you’re a flashy tech startup that needs to compete in a flashy industry — but for the vast majority of my clients, it’d be a waste.
What I really care about: Is your website doing its job?
This is the number one mistake I see my clients make. Your website absolutely must help the right people understand what you do, why it matters, and what action you want them to take next. If it doesn’t, you’re missing your number one marketing opportunity the second they’ve walked in the (digital) door.
Here are the main ways I see websites go wrong:
There’s good information, but it’s buried
A lot of organizations, especially ones that have been around for a while, have stockpiled a ton of great content. Maybe you’ve got blogs, resources, or a long-running webinar series. But none of that content does anyone any good unless they 1. know it exists and 2. can actually find it.
A well-organized, easy-to-navigate site makes a huge difference for your users. If you’ve got gobs of pages that aren’t accessible from the homepage or main menu, those pages may as well not exist. And if you want people to see those pages, you have to guide them there.
Each page on your site should be working for you and your audience.
The call to action is wrong (or missing entirely)
What’s the number one thing people are looking for when they land on your website? And what’s the number one thing you want them to do?
I’ve seen a lot of homepages with zero mention of a clear call to action. Do you want people to contact you? Donate? Sign up for something? That should be one of the first things they see — right alongside text that explains why they should do the thing.
This is where knowing your audience’s interests and values makes a big difference. Why does your work matter to them?
Did someone say, “call to action”?
If your website isn’t doing what you need it to do — whether that’s attracting new leads, getting people to your programs, or just clearly explaining what you do — I can help. I specialize in strategic, low-fuss website revamps for conservation orgs, nature nerds, and really any good people doing good work. (That’s probably you.)
Ready to get started?
“Yeeeesh”
While we’re at it, some minor updates can take the “yeeeesh” factor out of your website. It’s often simple to clean up fonts, colors, and spacing to make a site feel more crisp and modern.
Again, I won’t tell you to try and “wow” your site visitors — depending on your industry, you likely don’t need to. My goal is a design that’s clean enough that they don’t think about it at all.
Unfortunately, if you made your site yourself (no offense), or haven’t touched it in five or ten years, your design might be actively turning people off. That’s counterproductive.
It doesn’t work on mobile
I’ve made enough websites to know that plenty of design elements look great on desktop but fall apart on mobile. Site builders like WordPress and Squarespace claim their templates are mobile-friendly, but in reality, making your mobile experience equally usable often takes a little extra work.
There are so many tiny formatting glitches that can show up on a phone. And even when things technically work, they might just… not feel good.
If your site is hard to use on a phone, it’s not doing its job. And depending on your user base, that could mean losing a huge portion of your traffic.
Wondering if your site is pulling its weight?
Start here. Ask yourself: What’s your number one goal right now? Do you need more leads? More sales? More volunteers? More program sign-ups?
Now, pull up your homepage. Try to imagine it’s your first time seeing it. Is it clear what you do within five seconds? Is there a crystal-clear next step for someone who wants to [buy, volunteer, sign up, donate, etc.]?
Then dig a little deeper:
- Can users easily find answers to common questions?
- Does your “About” page explain why your work matters — to them?
- Is your contact form working?
- Do you need a FAQ page?
If you need help, phone a friend
This is the kind of work I do all the time — cleaning up site structure, reorganizing content, rewriting copy so it’s actually useful. If you’re not sure whether your site’s doing its job, I’d be happy to take a look.
Learn more about my website services and see some examples here.