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Avoid Web Site Stagnation

Peckham could benefit from updating its Internet presence.

January 2007 By Sarah Durham

I suspect that when Peckham built this site back in the day, it learned a few lessons from its for-profit counterparts. The site utilizes a few tried-and-true Web design techniques: using colors to define unique areas of the site; having a search, phone and e-mail option on every page (often called “persistent navigation”); rotating photos often enough to be interesting but not distracting; offering visitors graphical and text-only versions; and having a clear call to action with the relevant contact in every area. The organization has one a great job weaving its mission statement throughout the site (I read it on about four separate pages the first time visited the site — which I think is terrific), and donors can give via a secure feature online.

At the same time, this site suffers from a series of decisions that make me suspect it was either a “loving hands at home” project (i.e., built by a volunteer, not a pro), or created at the dawn of the Internet and not yet updated to reflect current best practices. Specifically, it uses a splash page (those introductory pages you used to see before you got to a site’s home page), and its design emulates a more corporate style — integrating imagery such as globes and buzz words as key visuals. Google searches using terms that should yield good results, such as “Lansing Michigan call
center” reveal low or no rankings, which suggests that search engines are picking up copy in the site but are having a hard time identifying what Peckham’s keywords are.

How to upgrade
Peckham would benefit by having the site’s current content redesigned and recoded by a professional who could update it using today’s standards and techniques. That update would include making sure that the site works on both Mac and PC platforms and in varied browsers; that it uses language and coding to optimize its visibility with search engines; and that donors, clients and other key visitors can find what they’re looking for via more user-friendly navigation design.

Lastly, given the nature of its work, Peckham might have a terrific opportunity to shift the site’s language and design away from “what we are/what we do” toward “what supporting our organization can do for you.” By using more audience-centric navigation, copy and visuals, Peckham can allow its donors and other visitors to experience the organization more intimately, rather than as outsiders looking in.

Sarah Durham is founder and principal of New York City-based communica-
tions firm Big Duck. Contact: sarah@bigducknyc.com.
 

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