Some people come to us with websites that are broken; broken links, broken navigation, broken forms, and errors. While others approach us because the website simply isn’t gaining traction or doing the job it needs to. If that sounds like your organisation then read on, because these five design tweaks for charity websites can make a world of difference to your site and the impact you can have.

1. Typography – Less is More

The first challenge is the use of too many fonts or font styles that don’t align with the values of the brand. Worse, your charity’s website fonts may be unreadable. While beautiful intricate fonts can look great on wedding invitations, they can be hard to read on a website. And if people can’t read the content, it won’t matter how stunning it looks. Whether you have a love of “fancy” fonts or you’re dealing with a website that’s be built by a string of volunteers who each added their own style, it’s worth checking to see which fonts are used, where, and whether they do the job.

Tip: Stick to simplicity. Select one easy-to-read font for your headings and a different one for the body text. Limit your website to two font families and prioritise clean, straightforward styles over ornate designs. For web typography, clarity always wins over complexity.

2. White Space – Let Your Content Breathe

Most charity websites are packed with content. Inexperienced designers or volunteers often think that filling in every gap would make a site look more “complete.” But the truth is, the more you cram in, the more overwhelming it becomes for visitors.

Tip: Let your content breathe by incorporating white space around text, images, and buttons. White space isn’t empty—it’s a vital design element that keeps your layout tidy, organised, and visually appealing. It also directs focus to the most important elements.

3. Call to Actions – One Focus Above the Fold

Most charities are writing for multiple audiences, the website might need to speak to donors, funders, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders. With so much information to share it may be tempting to start pages with multiple calls-to-action (CTAs), thinking it would offer more choice. But too many options can overwhelm and confuse, leading to inaction.

Tip: Focus on one main call-to-action above the fold. Whether it’s “Donate Now,” “Take Action,” or “Download the Guide,” having a single, clear prompt guides users to take the next step. Secondary actions can be placed further down the page, but keep your primary CTA prominent and focused. This approach boosts conversions—fewer choices lead to more decisive actions.

4. Colours – Simple and Accessible is Best

If your approach to colour is “the more, the merrier” you might be causing problems for your organisation. From poor brand recognition, to incoherent designs, and failing to meet web accessibility guidelines. Your colours help people make sense of your brand and your content

Tip: Opt for a 3-color palette: one primary color, one accent, and one neutral. Using a small color pallet ensures your site stays cohesive and makes it easier to maintain design consistency. The primary color reflects your brand, the accent adds emphasis in select areas, and the neutral tones provide balance. This simple color scheme creates a polished, professional look that feels purposeful and unified. When choosing your colours, make sure you test them for colour contrast to make sure your website is accessible for all.

5. Don’t Forget Website Accessibility

It’s crucial to make sites inclusive for all users, regardless of their abilities. Luckily the third sector has a greater emphasis on accessibility than most businesses but if you’ve been DIYing your website or if this wasn’t a focus during the design and subsequent updates then you should check your website is meeting the latest web accessibility guidelines.

Tip: Prioritise accessibility from the beginning. Use high-contrast colours for readability, add alt text to images for screen readers, and ensure your site is fully navigable with a keyboard. Focusing on accessibility expands your audience, improves SEO, and demonstrates your commitment to professionalism and inclusivity. One of our favourite tools is Wave Accessibility extension, this can be used to check if a website meets some of the most important accessibility standards.

A little extra web design help for charities

For a little extra help here’s a little video I always share with beginner designers or volunteers to help them understand how to make their designs more accessible, cohesive, and easy to navigate.

With these five tips you’ll ensure that your website isn’t just functional anymore; it will be more professionally designed, easy to use, and impactful. If you’re looking to take your website to the next level, start with these five tweaks. Trust me, the impact can be truly remarkable.

Looking for more help? Get in touch with us to chat about your website design and development, or to book an impact day for us to work on your existing site.

The post Design Tweaks for a More Impactful Small Charity Website appeared first on Mean Creative.

Charities rely on donations to fund their important work, whether it’s supporting communities, protecting the environment, or helping those in need. With so many worthy causes out there, it’s more important than ever for non-profits to stand out and convince potential donors to choose them. And one way to do that is through great website design and user experience (UX).

First things first, what is UX? Essentially, it’s about how easy and enjoyable it is for someone to use your website. This includes factors like navigation, layout, and content. Great UX means that someone can easily find what they’re looking for and complete a task, like making a donation, without frustration.

So why is UX so important for non-profits? Well, for one, it can help increase donations. If someone visits your website and can’t find the donation button or has a hard time filling out the form, they’re less likely to follow through with a donation. On the other hand, a smooth and intuitive website will make it more likely for someone to complete the donation process and even consider becoming a repeat donor.

But beyond just increasing donations, good UX can also help with branding and trust. A well-designed website reflects positively on your organisation and shows that you care about the user experience. This can help build trust with potential donors and show that you’re a professional and reliable organisation.

So how can you improve the UX of your non-profit’s website? Read on for our top tips.

How to increase charity donations with great website design and UX

1. 1. Make it easy to donate: Donors should be able to quickly and easily make a donation on your website. Sounds simple but often charities don’t make it simple to donate whether that be because of lack of calls to action buttons, faulty tech or cumbersome forms. Making it easy means having a prominent “Donate” button on your homepage and throughout your website, as well as a simple and secure donation form.
   2. Show the impact of donations: Donors want to know where their money is going and how it will make a difference. Clearly communicate the impact of donations on your website, whether through statistics, or stories.
   3. Use compelling images but not videos: Visuals are a powerful way to connect with donors and convey your message. Use high-quality photos to showcase your work and inspire people to give. I’ve found that videos often reduce donations, keep those for other parts of your site.
   4. Tell your story: People are more likely to donate to organisations they feel connected to. Use your website to tell the story of your work or your beneficiaries, highlighting your mission, values, and the people you serve.
   5. Make it mobile-friendly: With more and more people accessing the internet on their phones, it’s essential to have a website that looks great and is easy to use on mobile devices. It’s 2023 but we still need to say this!
   6. Use clear and compelling headlines: Headlines are the first thing visitors will see when they land on your website, so make sure they grab attention and clearly communicate your message.
   7. Use calls to action: Encourage visitors to take action by using the right calls to action, such as “Donate Now” or “Sign Up for Our Newsletter.”
   8. Make it easy to navigate and read: A cluttered or confusing website will turn off potential donors. Use clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.
   9. Optimise for search engines: By using keywords and phrases that people are searching for, you can increase the chances of your website showing up in search results. This will make it easier for people to find and donate to your charity.
   10. Test it out: It’s always a good idea to test your website! You might want to test your donation page with a small group of people to see how they interact with it or you might try split-testing layouts or messaging. This can help you identify any issues or areas for improvement.

The post Increasing charity donations with great website design and UX appeared first on Mean Creative.

Increased Donations

An email list can be a powerful tool for fundraising. By sending newsletters, updates, and appeals to your email subscribers, you can encourage them to donate to your cause. A larger email list means a larger pool of potential donors, which can lead to increased donations.

Improved Communications

Having a large email list also allows you to keep your supporters informed about your organization’s activities and events. This can be especially useful if you are planning a fundraising campaign or a special event. By sending emails to your subscribers, you can easily reach a large audience and keep them up-to-date on your organization’s work.

Increased Visibility

A large email list can also help to increase your organization’s visibility. By sending newsletters and updates to your subscribers, you can get your message out to a wider audience, which can lead to more support and donations.

Easier to Reach Your Target Audience

An email list also makes it easier to reach your target audience. By segmenting your list and targeting specific groups, you can ensure that your emails are reaching the people who are most interested in your cause. This can lead to increased engagement and donations from your audience.

Growing your email list is an essential part of any non profit organization’s marketing strategy. It can lead to increased donations, improved communications, increased visibility, and easier reach to your target audience. So if you’re not already building your email list, now is the time to start!

So, without further ado, here are our top 10 tips on how to increase newsletter signups for your charity:

Make it easy to sign up

Don’t make it hard for people to sign up to your newsletter. Make sure you have a prominent newsletter signup form on your website, and consider including a signup option on your social media profiles too.

Offer incentives

People are more likely to sign up if they know they’ll get something in return. Consider offering a free resource, such as an e-book or guide, to anyone who signs up to your newsletter.

Use social media

Social media is a great way to promote your newsletter and encourage signups. Share links to your signup form on your social media profiles, and consider running a social media campaign to drive more signups.

Make the most of events

If you have a booth at a trade show or other event, make sure you have a newsletter signup form on display. You can also encourage attendees to sign up by offering a prize or giveaway for anyone who does.

Utilise your email signature

If you or your team send out a lot of emails, make sure you include a link to your newsletter signup form in your email signature. This is a simple but effective way to promote your newsletter.

Utilise your website

Make sure your website has a clear call to action encouraging people to sign up to your newsletter. Consider including a pop-up form or a banner on your homepage to grab people’s attention.

Segment your list

By segmenting your email list into different groups, you can tailor your newsletters to specific interests and increase the chances that people will engage with your content.

Create great content

The most important thing when it comes to newsletters is the content. Make sure you’re providing value to your subscribers, whether that’s through informative articles, exclusive discounts, or behind-the-scenes looks at your charity’s work.

A/B test your subject lines

Subject lines are crucial when it comes to getting people to open your newsletters. Use A/B testing to try out different subject lines and see which ones perform the best.

Ask for referrals

Don’t be afraid to ask your current newsletter subscribers to refer their friends and family to sign up. This is a great way to grow your list organically.

We hope these tips help you increase newsletter signups for your charity. Remember, newsletters are an essential way to keep your supporters informed and engaged, so it’s worth putting in the effort to grow your list. Good luck!

The post Why It’s Important for Non Profits to Grow Their Email List and How to do it appeared first on Mean Creative.

In this post, we’re going to show you how to improve your homepage so it’s a high-converting, engaging, client-focused, sales machine.

Your homepage is your digital first impression and it counts! Most people will leave your website within the first 15 seconds. If you want them to stay and get to know you, you need to grab their attention as quickly as possible.

Stand out design, headings so visitors can scan your text easily, enough white space and content optimisation, these are all important but they didn’t make my top four. Of course, there are a lot of things we can do to create engaging homepages but in this hectic world of online business, what are the most important things to get right on your website homepage?

The Four Key Elements to a High-Converting Homepage

These things need to be on your homepage to show potential clients you’re the one they NEED to work with.

Say what you do, who for and the benefits

This is the statement that should jump out at your ideal clients as soon as they land on your website. Make sure they know they’re in exactly the right place and what you offer is going to change everything for them!

This statement is known as your Unique Value Proposition and it goes something like this:

‘I/we do (this) for (these people) so they can (the amazing way their life or business will change).’

For example. I’m a web designer for online businesses, coaches and wedding pros ready to connect with their perfect people.

High-converting homepages focus on benefits first, then features

Be sure you’re explaining how you improve peoples lives, these are the benefits! People generally don’t think about buying your products or services until you’ve clearly defined what THEY think their problem is and what life will look like once you’ve fixed it for them. Paint a picture of what their life or business can be like if they buy into your offer. People invest in ideas, not hours or x number of graphics. What you’re selling is not the thing you do, it’s more time, less stress, confidence, pride or higher sales.

What your product or service is, or what your package includes is relevant info but won’t make the sale so put this further down the page or on a subpage.

Include CALLS TO ACTION and make them stand out!

The best homepages have a call to action (CTA) above the fold so it’s visible before scrolling. This could be a sign up for your amazing new freebie, a link to your services or product pages or a link to your scheduler for discovery calls. Decide on your most important action and make that the focus of your page. Add CTAs throughout your page and at the bottom of the page so your visitors aren’t left stranded after you’ve convinced them how great your offer is!

A homepage may also be directional and therefore include CTAs that lead visitors to products, categories or subpages about your most important offerings so make sure your main call to action stands out against these; too many options make it hard for people to engage.

High-converting homepages include social proof

Testimonials, client logos, PR mentions and affiliations all contribute to trust and demonstrating your expertise. Having these on your homepage increases credibility and can remove doubts for potential clients.

Have you been featured in a relevant publication? Won an award? Add the badge to your homepage. Got amazing feedback from a recent project? Add the review to your homepage. Worked with amazing brands who love your work, reach out to them and ask if you can add their logo to your homepage.

High-converting homepage structure and content template

We know that creating your website content can be tough, you need a helping hand and we’re here to guide you so you can get unstuck! Below is our favourite high-converting homepage structure complete with prompts so you know exactly what to write where. Viewing on a mobile device? Take a look at the homepage content structure with prompts here.

Thanks for reading and we hope this post will help you create better homepages that engage your perfect people! Interested in working together? Find out about our Website Design Experiences and One Day Website packages and then just get in touch to chat with us about your project

The post High-converting Homepage Structure and Content Guide appeared first on Mean Creative.

What are WordPress Plugins?

WordPress plugins extend the functionality of your website. Your WordPress theme will have some built-in functionality, this can range from page builders to learning management systems and directories. Anything that you to would need in addition to your theme’s capabilities can be done with plugins.

Here are some examples of common things you might need a plugin for:

• Language switching
• Social media feeds
• Complex forms
• Email marketing integrations
• Classic WordPress editor
• Security
• Popups inc GDPR consent
• E-commerce or donations
• Memberships and courses

Why Less Really is More

So, you can make your WordPress website do pretty much anything, but should you? Well, the short answer is no! When extending how much your website can do, you should think VERY carefully. An endless list of plugins can cause all manner of issues on your website. If that list is large you can be sure there is at least one poorly coded or unsupported plugin that could slow down your website, cause security to be breached or break your website altogether.

The simple fact is, with so many plugins available, conflicts can and do happen. The more plugins you have the more likely it is that something will conflict and the harder it will be to identify the problem.

When I’m building a client website I make sure I use a well-supported theme that does most of what I need and use a handful of well supported and regularly updated plugins to do the rest.

Thinking about installing a new plugin? STOP, think about whether you really need it, can you live without it, can it be done off-site – Google Analytics and Really Simple SSL plugins are good examples of this. You should also check your existing plugins and theme functionality to see if you already have what you need. I can’t tell you how many times I find multiple plugins for the same thing on client websites!

How to Choose Good WordPress Plugins

Choosing good WordPress plugins is essential. Whenever you are looking for a new plugin make sure to check how recently it was updated and have a scan through the support page on WordPress.org or the plugin website to see if the author is responding to questions. You should also check if the plugin is compatible with your theme or has any known conflicts with other plugins you are using.

Must have WordPress Plugins for 2022

RankMath SEO

RankMath has been our favourite SEO plugin for a long time, we love it and our clients find it a lot more intuitive than other front runners like Yoast. Top features include the easy setup wizard that even imports all your SEO tags and information from Yoast, image SEO, a checklist that guides you through the on-page optimisation process, multilingual support for top plugins, sitemaps, redirections, a 404 monitor and to top it off it works flawlessly with page builders like Elementor and Divi.

Wordfence Security

Wordfence Security protects your website from malicious code and hacking attempts. There is a free version and a premium version which offers a few more features. With Wordfence you get malware scans, warnings about security vulnerabilities like out of date plugins and themes, and protection through the firewall that blocks malicious traffic and limits login attempts. The premium version enables real-time protection for sites that require better security.

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed

Having tried out a multitude of social feed plugins over the years, Smash Balloon is by far our favourite. It has some great customisation features, is simple to set up and is mobile responsive. If you would like to display a feed of your Instagram posts, this is the plugin for you.

Cookie Notice & Compliance for GDPR / CCPA

We all need to pay attention to EU GDPR cookie law and CCPA regulations. This simple to use plugin offers a great way to collect consent from your website visitors and has some good options including adding a link to your privacy policy, acceptance on click or scroll and a customisable message.

Accept Stripe Payments

Accept Stripe Payments is a lite plugin that links with your Stripe account. You can create products to display on a product page or simply use shortcodes or links within your regular WordPress pages to open the payment popup. The plugin includes options for automatic downloads, tax, shipping, custom donation amounts, custom thank you pages per product and variable products where upsells can be added or the variations can create the final price.

WPML Multilingual

The only premium plugin on my list but worth every penny. This is the plugin I use for multilingual client websites and it takes care of everything from translating posts and pages to emails, menus and media. WPML is compatible with most themes and other popular plugins, is great for SEO and has top-notch support. In my opinion, you won’t find a better plugin for your multilingual website.

Final thoughts, including plugins you should not use!

To finish off, I wanted to list some plugins you should absolutely not use on your website:

SSL secure plugins – these plugins ensure all traffic to your website goes through the secure version on https. They basically replace 3 lines of code you can add to your .htaccess file yourself, these have been the culprit behind many a slow website. I know updating things on your hosting can seem daunting but this is a simple copy paste and your host may even do it for you if they’re any good. Here’s a simple guide if you want to grab the code. Please do back up your website before making any changes like this (and regularly!!!).

Google Analytics – there are a host of analytics plugins available for WordPress. Do yourself a favour and just log in to your analytics account to see the data.

Image optimisers. – it’s so easy to optimise your website images before loading them onto your website. Often these plugins suck up a lot of resources unnecessarily. Check out our blog on optimising images easily in your browser for more info.

Things that should be done on the server – PHP versions selectors, database access, daily backups etc. If you don’t have these things with your hosting you should consider switching!

Unsupported plugins – any plugin that hasn’t been updated at least in the last six months to a year.

With so much choice you can be forgiven for grabbing the first plugin that seems to do what you need but for the sake of your website running smoothly, staying secure and avoiding a maintenance headache, choose your plugins wisely.

Thanks for reading, see you next time! Interested in working together? Find out about our Website Design Experiences and One Day Website packages and then just get in touch to chat with us about your project

The post Must Have WordPress Plugins 2023 appeared first on Mean Creative.

Recently we started looking for an all in one online platform that could function a bit like a course, something where the information could be bite-sized, the process intuitive and the experience flawless. We didn’t find it. So we decided to build our own!

Our brief – Create a client experience portal where

• you can be educated about strategies that work
• you can work through a process to clarify your values, ideal clients, style and message
• we can give you access to the tools and resources you need in a personalised and easy to use dashboard
• we can review what you’ve learnt to build better websites and brands
• we can share files, feedback and information to streamline the actual design phase

I have never been so excited about a client process!

Here’s a sneak peek at the dashboard. In here we have links to information about support and the process, brand strategy and design, website strategy and content planning, and custom links to each client’s Dropbox, Slack channel and live review/feedback on designs. We also let you know how many trees your project helps us plant in our forests.

We have tried to keep the dashboard clean and uncluttered with clear paths to access the content you need. Everyone gets access to everything, we’ve found that our WordPress website design clients often need extra help with brand clarity and usually, our brand design clients go on to build a website with us as well. It’s all in there, you can focus on just the section you need or review and work through everything if it’s helpful for you.

What information is in the portal?

Housekeeping and support

• Communication & Support
• File Sharing
• Book your Strategy Call
• Rescheduling Our Design Experience
• Links to shared resources

Brand Clarity

• Why Brand Strategy
• All About YOU
• Your Niche
• Competition
• Ideal Clients
• Tone Words
• Messaging
• Vision & Mission

Visual Brand Prep

• What do you like?
• Website Inspiration & Research
• Image Curation
• Mood Board

Website Strategy & Planning

• Storybrand
• Website Goals
• Navigation & Structure
• Your Website Style
• Ideal Clients
• Images & Brand Assets
• Hosting & Domain Name
• Business Details

Website Content Guide

• SEO Basics
• Map out the Homepage
• Content Guide & Submitting Content

We’re really excited for our first clients to experience this level of support and guidance with their brand and website strategy and planning. I’ll be sure to update this post with their feedback. In the meantime, if you’re planning to revamp your brand or website and you would like free access to test the platform, just reach out to us at hello@meancreative.com.

Happy Planning Everyone!

The post Brand & website strategy and planning help – A peek inside our client portal appeared first on Mean Creative.

Over here we work with a content-first process. This means that:

• The design of your website aligns with your message.
• Every design element is there to amplify and clarify your message.
• We know the structure of your content and how it all links together before we start designing anything.
• We can build a user experience and user flow that is intuitive and in line with your goals.

All that requires content first.

Without the content upfront, your design is likely to be less impactful. Great content and website structure drive business growth, investing In the opposite could be a waste of your hard-earned time or cash and hold your business back. Whether you hire a designer to create your website or you do it yourself, you need a plan.

The problem with most websites

Most people struggle to write great content for their website. You’re probably not a copywriter or a salesperson and that’s ok but it doesn’t mean you can’t create great copy for your website on your own. What you need is a process and someone to guide you on how to create copy that connects with your ideal clients and customers.

The biggest problem with most websites (and this probably includes yours), is that no one knows what you do, who for, or most importantly how it will help them. Website planning and strategy helps you to explain the impact your product or service provides in a clear, concise and engaging way. What’s more, having this kind of clarity about your message will help in every aspect of your marketing and networking.

Great website copywriting includes making it clear and easy to buy what you’re offering, including calls to action and in most cases opportunities to engage the audience if they’re not ready to buy yet.

Website Planning and Strategy – What’s Involved?

Identify and understand your ideal clients

Clear messaging starts with understanding your ideal customer. Your website should be all about connecting with your audience. To create something with impact you need to truly understand the vision and values that define your brand and how your clients respond to that.

Imagine having complete clarity on who your perfect clients are; their struggles, objections and wildest dreams. Imagine creating a message that resonates with your dream clients, the ones who love what you do, connect with you on a personal level and pay their invoices on time!  Imagine being able to write your website copy, social posts, adverts and anything else for your business with ease and clarity. This is what defining your ideal clients will do for you.

Be crystal clear on what you’re offering and how it impacts buyers

If you don’t know exactly what you offer and the transformation it provides then you’re going to struggle to write about it. Spend some time working out exactly what you sell, how you sell it, what the process is like for the buyer and what they get out of it.

The most important part here is what the client gets out of it. If you’re selling a service, do they get more leads and sales, do they get more time to focus ‘x’, do they get quality time with their family or maybe you take the stress out of task they don’t enjoy?

Think carefully not only about the features of what you sell but also the benefits. One of my favourite resources for this is Donald Miller’s – 5-Minute Marketing Makeover.

Know your website goals

Want more sales, want sign-ups to your course, want to grow your list? If you don’t decide this ahead of time, how can you encourage your website visitors to do what you want? Spend time thinking about what you really want people to do on your site and how you will encourage them to do it.

Plan the structure, user flow and functionality

Not only will planning your website structure ahead of time help you to a create cohesive and impactful site, but it’s also likely to save you a bunch of time when it comes to actually building the site. Key questions to ask yourself:

1. What pages will I have?
2. What links will appear in the header?
3. What links will appear in the footer?
4. How will pages link together within the content?
5. What advanced functions will I need, think courses, memberships, email marketing integrations?

Plan where your traffic will come from

Understanding the ways that people might arrive on your website is essential. The old saying ‘if you build it they will come’ couldn’t be further from the truth. You need a plan to promote your website and get relevant people to view your content. Here are some great options:

1. Promote on social media
2. SEO optimisation
3. Blogging
4. Digital PR and link building
5. Email marketing
6. Partnerships and referrals
7. Paid traffic

How to do website planning and strategy

You have three options when it comes to getting help with website planning and strategy; 1) work with an experienced website designer who can guide you, 2) hire an experienced copywriter, and 3)  tackle it yourself. Let’s talk briefly about each option.

The Designer

Experienced website designers have received dozens of copy documents that start ‘Hello and welcome to my website’, this is a clear sign that the client doesn’t understand their audience or how to connect with them. Good designers have created a process their clients can use to write better copy and get more clarity around their brand in general. This process should take you through all the things you need to do to create a plan for your website and your website copy. Over the years I’ve had a lot of different processes to help clients with this, from Google docs to fillable PDFs. This year I have built a personalised portal that guides clients through each step and helps us share content and feedback. As part of our process we have an in depth strategy call with every client and then provide custom website wireframes with prompts and hints so we all know exactly what content needs to be provided. Each designer will work in different ways, be sure to ask about this when choosing a designer.

The Copywriter

If writing isn’t your strength then hiring a copywriter might be a good option for you. Now that you know what goes into a website strategy you’ll be better equipped to choose the right copywriter for you. Anyone worth their salt will ask you about all of the above to ensure they’ll be creating copy that does a good job. If they spend 5 minutes asking you about your business and then say they’re ready to craft your brand’s message I would think twice. Obviously, the copy is only part of the picture, so you need to make sure you’re either getting support with the rest or are able to tackle it yourself.

DIY

If you’ve chosen to work with a less experienced designer they may not have the process in place to help you with your website strategy or content. Alternatively, you might be building your own website and need to do all this yourself too. If you are working it out on your own then make sure that you’re giving yourself the space to do it properly. Reread the above list and make sure you’ve covered every aspect, consider taking a copywriting course and if you can, ask a friend or colleague to go through the strategy and copy with you to check for clarity and pesky typos.

Thanks for listening and happy planning!

Interested in working together? Find out about our Website Design Experiences and One Day Website packages and then just get in touch to chat with us about your project

The post Website Planning and Strategy – Why you need it, what’s involved appeared first on Mean Creative.

1. You don’t need a website

Yep, I said it. Having a website isn’t right for everyone and it especially isn’t right for you if you haven’t really decided what you’re offering and who it’s for. So if you don’t know what work lights you up, why you’re in business in the first place and who you love working with, you need to deal with those things first! You might struggle with getting the right website if you’re relatively new in business when all the answers to these questions need some refining with some brand strategy.

Most new entrepreneurs don’t have the budget to invest in a good website and could lose hours, days, weeks or even months trying to design it themselves. If you aren’t working in a design field then you could end up with a website that gives a bad first impression to your potential clients, has no focus on serving them and to top it off sucks your time. It may just be better to get a few clients first and get your website when you can invest in something that will work as hard as you do.

2. Choose the right platform

Let’s get straight to the point. Go with WordPress. The great thing about self-hosted WordPress websites is that they can grow with your business, they’re flexible, so you can be too. We don’t know which direction our businesses might go, WordPress ensures that you can do what you need to, to support your business goals as they change.

3. You have to plan your website

Building a website isn’t just picking some colours, writing some content and putting it online. You need to plan the flow of your site, how will you get visitors to the information they need and how will they engage with you so that your business can thrive? What serves your clients and you the best? Make. A. Plan.

4. You need a clear message

No one will buy your stuff if you don’t tell them what it is, who it’s for and how it will make their lives better. Get your brand messaging crystal clear before you start thinking about a website. Or better yet, work with a designer who helps you do just that – say hello to me here 😉

Not great at writing? Consider hiring a copywriter to help you craft your content, it’s more important than you might think!

5. You don’t just need images, you need optimised images

6. How will people find you

7. Your website hosting matters

There are so many hosts to choose from and you might be tempted to go for the cheapest option but what’s important is that the hosting does everything you need it to. Get your hosting based on features and make sure it’s adequate for what you need.

Top things to look for in a host for a small business website:

• Enough space for your website files and database
• Speed, will they deliver your content quickly
• Optimised for the kind of website you have – WordPress requires Linux hosting
• A free auto-renewing SSL certificate or access to premium certificates they will install (some hosts charge a fee for installing certain certificates)
• Green hosting – if you care about the environment you might opt for green hosting – find a good list of green hosts here

Finally, don’t pick a website hosting company expecting them to support you with website issues, a host is there to provide hosting support, not website support. 

8. You need to give your website some TLC

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It’s no secret that the world needs to move towards more sustainable businesses and lifestyles to protect our environment. If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that this is a huge priority for me and something I’m aware of whenever I’m making decisions about how I live and work. For a long time, I thought my online business had a small impact on the planet but I was wrong…and you might be guilty of thinking your online life is similarly sustainable in terms of environmental impact.

Often we think about plastic waste and pollution as obvious examples of unsustainable practices but web design and development is rarely considered as one of the damaging forces threatening the planet. While the shift from physical products to paperless offices and online services is a step in the right direction, our increasingly energy-hungry virtual lives are also having an impact on the environment.

A Plan for a Greener Online Business

Over the last year, I have been taking an active interest in just how sustainable and low impact my online business is and making a plan. A plan to lower the impact of my day-to-day business activities and a plan to lower the impact of the websites I create for clients.

Obvious things like reducing energy usage, greener energy suppliers, reducing waste, continuing to be a paperless office and offsetting our caron emissions have been the first step. Early this year I contacted all the businesses that still sent me paper invoices and information to ask them to contact me via email only. We already use green energy when connected to the grid and often work off-grid via a small solar system. The next step was to offset our carbon footprint for myself and Alba (our fantastic junior designer), we do this through Ecologi every month.

A Plan for More Sustainable Web Design and Development

Aside from the greener day-to-day activities, there are many things that we can focus on for more sustainable web design and development. Many of these are best practice for great design but if we consider them in the context of sustainability we can ensure they receive even more of our attention.

Embracing Mobile-first Design

Power-hungry desktops have a much greater impact on the environment than mobile devices. Over the last few years, mobile browsing has seen a massive increase, this is great for reducing energy consumption as mobile devices are much more efficient. A genuine mobile-first web design & development strategy also ensures a focus on fast page loads, meaning smaller website file sizes, fewer server requests and optimised images demanding less server and user resources to render each page.

Maximising On-site SEO

Optimising a website properly for SEO can help to reduce carbon emissions in several ways. Firstly, if your site is easily indexed by search engines, they will use less power to index your site. Secondly, a website well optimised for search terms allows users will find what they are looking for without trawling through various pages, making fewer requests from the server and using less power.

Streamlined UX (User Experience)

If your site is focused on providing the most relevant information to users to help them make decisions about engaging with your business it’s more environmentally friendly. They can take action on your site efficiently, getting what they want and allowing your business to thrive without unnecessary usage.

Developing Efficient Code

For me this is a balance, my clients want something they can understand and often want to make updates themselves. This means some advanced backend user functions are essential but it doesn’t mean the website needs to be overloaded with code that isn’t necessary. If your WordPress website has more than a few additional plugins then you’ve probably chosen the wrong ones! We always strive to keep our custom code clean and minimal while reducing the number of plugins we’re using that make additional requests to the server when a page is loaded.

Green Hosting

How green is your hosting? If you’re using a website builder like SquareSpace or Wix you won’t have control over your hosting environment (sadly neither of these companies use green hosting yet), but with WordPress you get to decide where your files are hosted, woohoo! Greener hosts use renewable energy to run their offices and servers and the best of them plant trees when you purchase domains and hosting packages.

There’s a lot of choice when it comes to green hosting for your WordPress website, most of the green hosting options are listed here.

Offsetting Carbon Emissions for Every Website Project

Finally, we wanted to offset the carbon emissions of each website project we complete. Each site we’ve built during 2020 has enabled us to plant around 50 trees with sustainability projects around the world. What’s even better than this is our passion for sustainability is infectious! Many of our clients now offset their own carbon footprint and we’re spreading the word about how businesses can give back and support environmental projects too.

There remains a lot that can be done to make our businesses and our websites greener and we’re committed to prioritising and promoting eco-friendly, sustainable web design. Please take the time to look at the amazing work Ecologi are doing to protect our beautiful planet and consider making your business (web design or otherwise) more sustainable!

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We know that a lot of you build your own websites and often that comes with a lot of frustration. Not because you’re not highly capable, we’re sure you are, but because you’re not a web designer! Well, we don’t want to see you struggle any longer, we want everyone to have a beautiful website, designed by a professional, at a price they can afford.

So that’s why this is a VERY exciting day!

Today we’re launching our One Day Website Design Intensives.

A design day dedicated to just your project can achieve the same results as a standard 4-week design project while drastically reducing the amount of time we need to spend designing.

The process is simple, you pay a deposit, get access to our portal to guide you through creating your content with clarity and we book a time for our strategy call and intensive design day.

How is a done for you website intensive different?

You get access to an experienced design team for one whole day (or more if you need it), no emails, no other clients, no distractions and complete focus on you and your website. With immediate feedback, instant revisions and time to focus on just your project we never lose sight of your goals.

I help you get ready for your intensive design day with comprehensive, guided prep work and a kick-off strategy call to make sure you completely understand your website goals, your dream clients and your message.

My Website Content Planner helps you craft your content and your message so that when an ideal client lands on your website they know they are in exactly the right place.

HOW MUCH CAN WE ACHIEVE IN ONE DAY?

If you’re more than ready to hand it over to the professionals so you can focus on growing your business – but you’re on a startup budget and need to be intentional about how you invest, no problem. It’s time to get unstuck.

We create professionally-designed, conversion-focused WordPress websites that tell your business story beautifully, without the custom price tag.

Want to know more? Take a look

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