Maintaining a Web Site:
You've launched your organization's site -- now what?

I'm going to say that again:

Maintaining a Web site is just as important as building it in the first place!

This is just as true for nonprofit organizations (on which the Coyote Communications web site is focused) as it is for for-profit organizations. Unfortunately, most organizations put much more effort into the initial design and launch of a site than they do in keeping the content fresh and keeping the site growing to best serve all staff and clients. It is imperative that your organization maintains a commitment to posting accurate, timely information online. If people who visit your site find that the information never changes, they will stop accessing it.

Maintaining a Web site is never done: new information will always be waiting to be uploaded, old information will need to be updated, staff and users will provide suggestions that need to be incorporated, etc.

Even so, maintaining a Web site will be easy if you incorporate any text you already are preparing for paper newsletters, annual reports, progress reports to funders, speeches to conferences or civi groups, etc. Build the maintaining of your web site into your regular communications processes: when final text is sent to a printer for a brochure, it also gets sent to whomever maintains your web site; the day a brochure is sent via postal mail is the day the text is also uploaded on to your web site; the day after your executive director presents at a conference, upload the speech to your web site, etc. Maintaining a web site does NOT have to be extra work over what you are already doing, if you build the maintenance into your communications "system."

Also, NEVER TAKE YOUR SITE DOWN when launching a site redesign.

Let me say that again: NEVER TAKE YOUR SITE DOWN when launching a site redesign.

There are even for-profit organizations that will do this -- take their web site down and put a "hold" page that says something ridiculous like, "Pardon our dust! Our new site will go up in a few days, so be sure to check back!" NEVER NEVER do this. Just as newspapers are committed to making sure they publish on time no matter what, just as theater companies are committed to the philosophy of the "show must go on" no matter what, you should be committed to always keeping your web site operational.

Taking your web site down for several days during a transition, or ceasing to keep a web site updated while you wait for a new site to be redesigned or launched, is unprofessional and will make your organization look very bad to many potential customers and supporters. It will also deny information to supporters and potential supporters -- and they will go elsewhere, with a very bad impression of your organization.

OTHER ADVICE:

• Keep in mind what your audiences want out of the site and that every web site has more than one audience.

• Give all staff, board members, volunteers and Web users ongoing opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions for the site, both online and off. This can range from putting a feedback form on your site, to standing up a staff meeting and asking, "What does everyone think of the Web site?"

• Via Web search engines and referrals, check out sites for organizations similar to your own for content and design ideas.

• Enforce quality-control measures: Who reviews pages before they become public? Who has access to the server to upload new information or change pages?

• Track the responses that result from your Web site. It will help you plan more strategically for future posts and online activities. And remember that responding to e-mail from the Web site is a vital part of maintaining a successful Web site (see below).

• market your Web site!

Your Web site should not be a passive thing; Web sites should generate activity, and usually do in the form of e-mail. People see something on the Web site they want to know more about, they have a question, they want to sign up for something, and they want to let you know immediately! The reply they get, or don't get, will reflect on your organization as much as the Web site itself!

Responding to e-mail from the Web site is a vital part of maintaining a successful Web site. It's a good idea to set up standards for communicating via e-mail. Here are some suggestions:

• Who is going to answer e-mail generated from the Web site? It's important to make that determination early, and to make sure that person receives adequate direction on what to do. The person should NOT be your head of IT; it should be a member of your staff who regularly deals with the public.

• Each message received by e-mail should get a reply immediately (within 48 hours/two business days), so the sender knows the e-mail has been received. A response could be something like:
  "Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Open House last night. I have forwarded your e-mail to the appropriate person, who will be contacting you soon to answer your question."

  The appropriate staff person can then answer the sender from his or her own e-mail account at their earliest convenience.

• Create a file of "standard" replies, so that information given out is uniform. These replies would probably be similar to the answers to your FAQs (frequently asked questions & their answers).

• At the end of every e-mail should be a "signature" indicating the replier's name, position or department, along with the e-mail address and Web site address.

• Regularly track responses that result from your Web site, and communicate these responses to staff. It will help you plan strategically for future posts and online activities. You will also want to see which pages are generating the most visits each month (your Web host will provide you with this report) and communicate the results in a one-page summary to all staff.

Other related resources that can help you:

• Don't Just Ask for Money!
  The "Support Us" button on your organization's web site needs to link to more information than only how to give money to your organization.

• Use Tech to Show Your Accountability and To Teach Others About the Nonprofit Sector!
  Mission-Based groups are under growing scrutiny. What you put on your web site can help counter the onslaught of "news" stories regarding mission-based organizations and how they spent charitable contributions.

• Mission-Based Groups Need Use the Web to Show Accountability
  There has never been a better time for mission-based organizations to use technology to show their transparency and credibility, and to teach the media and general public about the resources needed to address critical human and environmental needs.

• Handling Online Criticism
  Online criticism of a nonprofit organization, even by its own supporters, is inevitable. How a nonprofit organization handles online criticism speaks volumes about that organization, for weeks, months, and maybe even years to come. There's no way to avoid it, but there are ways to address criticism that can help an organization to be perceived as even more trustworthy and worth supporting.

• Is Your Staff "Walking the Talk" Re: Your Organization's Online Activities?
  Mission-based organizations use the Internet in all sorts of ways to interact with the public, or with staff and volunteers abroad: for instance, online discussion groups, an intranet where staff and volunteers can share profiles about themselves and updates about their work with each other, or an online service that is promoted as central to the organization's mission and identity. But is your staff showing leadership in using these online tools? If your organization is to use technology successfully, all staff must embrace it. Here are tips on how to encourage that.

• Online culture and online community
  This section of my site provides many ideas and resources on how to work with others online, in language that's easy to understand for those considering or just getting started in using online technologies with volunteers, donors and other supporters.

• What are good blog topics for mission-based organizations?
  The word "blog" is short for "web log", and means keeping a journal or diary online. Blogging is NOT a new concept -- people have been doing it long before it had a snazzy media label. The appeal of blogging for an online audience is that it's more personal and less formal than other information on a web site. Readers who want to connect with an organization on a more personal level, or who are more intensely interested in an organization than the perhaps general public as a whole, love blogs. Blogs can come from your Executive Director, other staff members, volunteers, and even those you serve. Content options are many, and this list reviews some of your options.

• For Nonprofits Considering Their Own Podcasts:
  Why It's Worth Exploring, and Content Considerations
  I present my first podcast about... podcasts (transcript included). Specifically, I talk about how podcasts can be used by nonprofits, and just how easy it is to do.

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