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Organizational Website Design
How to create a website for your group or organization
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Purpose of an organizational website
The purpose of this type of website is to advocate a collective opinion or a groups point of view. It is a website where persons with similar interests, such as a club , hobby group, etc., communicate with each other usually by chat or message boards. If the website is a non-profit site the Internet address often ends with .org.
Members only!An organizational website should not be confused with a company or commercial website. It is intended to encompass the interests and opinions of a niche group and is created solely for that purpose. Usually, but not always, this type of website is for non-profit organizations that employ the site as a means of keeping its members up-to-date on activities and events.
Designing an organizational website
The design of an organizational website should be straightforward and aimed at the dissemination of specific or subject related information. Don't allow yourself to deviate from your main mission. Following certain rules of website design will provide you and your visitor both success and a pleasant experience. The basic rules are as follows;
1) Begin by examining some sites created by existing organizations.
The Internet is a great place to find ideas for the appearance and layout of your website. Do some research to determine the look and feel you think will suit your audience. Once you have decided upon the best way to present your website you can begin construction.
2) Consider your audience and their needs.
Think about the audience of your website and what purpose that audience will want the organizational website to serve. Will your primary readers be club members, political allies, fellow office workers, sport team members or school groups? What will those readers be looking for on your site? The answers to these questions, of course, will depend mostly on the kind of organization for which you're constructing a site.
3) Content
All organizational websites should contain contact information. The address of your organization, an email address and/or contact form are all necessary for visitor feedback and providing answers to queries.
Provide some pictures and descriptions of events to add interest. Also, a schedule of upcoming activities or meetings is a must as well as up-to-date news and information. The point is to present content geared to your organization and its aims.
4) Organization
On organizational websites it's crucial to think carefully about how materials are organized so that your visitors don't feel lost. Provide visual and verbal cues as guideposts for your visitors, a user friendly navigation system is crucial in this regard.
Begin by arranging your information into categories. Most organizational sites use categories like:
- About the organization
- Events
- What's new
Develop an navigation scheme that will help your visitors find the information they want. Examine other sites for ideas of what works and what doesn't.
SummaryAn effective organizational website will meet the needs of your organization and its readers by containing the following elements:
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- A homepage, with a logo and links to other pages in the site
- Contact information
- Mission statement
- Carefully designed and easy-to-use navigational system
- Content that is consistent with your organization and the purposes you're attempting to achieve with your audience and that describes your organization and its purpose effectively
- Effective organization, allowing for easy retrieval of information and having a consistent format for titles, subtitles, and headings
- Attractive presentation and a thoughtful layout
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