10 tips for online success

OK, so you've got a web site and all of your staff and trustees are on email... and?

Without a plan, or strategy, how are you going to achieve online success?


Here are 10 tips or "thought starters" to get you thinking -

1. Prepare an internet strategy (or plan) with realistic objectives and timescales.
2. Domain names: have you registered other internet domains that are similar to the one you're already using? Maybe to have 'www.yournameevents.org" as well as your existing www.yourname.org might prove useful as part of your plan? Sub-sites or topic specific web sites can enhance your online prescence.
3. Study what other organisations do online - and learn from them! For example, do you maintain an email newsletter database?
4. Review the design of your web site: is it accessible? Is it user friendly? Does it work for you?
5. Ensure your web sites are clear and concise. What are you trying to achieve? Provide information? Get across campaigning messages?
6. Make sure your web site is hosted by a well-established and reliable web service provider.
7. Make sure that you have an internet policy that covers your staff (including the use of email) as well as privacy issues for your beneficiaries and other web site users.
8. Simply creating an online 'shop window' with a web site is not enough. How does your site link to other parts of the organisation?
9. Do you have a separate email strategy such as updating the signature on outgoing emails on a regular basis?
10. Have you thought about how blogs can be used by volunteers, trustees, or beneficiaries to provide feedback on key issues?