The Impacts of Poor Website Design on Your Nonprofit

Have you ever assessed the consequences of a poor website design on your nonprofit? You don’t want a bad website to cost you donors and volunteers after you’ve spent months refining your products and services. The phrase “excellent ideas, terrible execution” applies to countless nonprofit websites, and it could be limiting your organization brand’s reach and ruining its credibility.

Your internet presence is represented directly through your website. It is most likely your brand’s most visible (and valuable) asset. In fact, your website design directly correlates with perceived trust in your brand and visitor engagement.

Are you hesitant to invest in professional website design? If you’ve been putting off a website redesign, consider examining the ways poor website design could be harming your business right now. 

What Factors Contribute to Visitors Abandoning a Website?

Have you ever looked at your website’s analytics and wondered why your visitors just aren’t sticking around? Maybe they don’t like your design. It could be your layout and the difficulties they face trying to find their way around.  

The following characteristics are some of the most common causes of high bounce rates:

  • Poor aesthetic composition.
  • Lack of mobile-responsive design.
  • Excessive clutter or confusing navigation.
  • Obviously cliché or ill-suited stock imagery.
  • Call-to-Action (CTA) is missing or confusing.
  • Poorly formatted content.
  • Non-responsive pages.
  • Lacking essential details like contact information and addresses.
  • It is not user-friendly.
  • Too many colors and fonts.

What Impact Does Poor Web Design Have On Your Nonprofit?

A well-designed website is a crucial component of gaining supporter confidence. Having a visually appealing website design isn’t the be-all and end-all of website effectiveness. Nevertheless, with 94% of people saying they assess a nonprofit’s trustworthiness based on the design of their website, it does make a significant impact on how well your site ranks and how many people convert.

But, how do lousy web design components affect your nonprofit’s donations? It can be challenging to quantify. However, the following are some of the most common effects.

1. Your Poor Web Design Harms Your Nonprofit Credibility

Even if you’re the greatest at what you do, your reputation and credentials will suffer if your website isn’t up to standard. Nonprofit websites are often full of generic images and content, poor navigation and bloated website code. Your audience will take you more seriously if your website is intuitive and easy to navigate. Give your visitors a reason to trust you from the second they land on your page.

2. A Poorly Designed Website Has the Power to Cost You Relationships

You don’t want your website to deter people from taking the next step after spending effort on SEO. Clients, volunteers, and donors will be frustrated by a difficult-to-navigate site, and they’re more inclined to abandon it. It’s doubtful that you’ll see a donor again if they navigate away in irritation due to broken links, clutter, or complicated navigation. Your loss is another’s gain if your competition offers the same products or services with a user-friendly website design.

3. Bad Website Design Makes You Appear Out of Touch or Uninterested

An outdated website sends the message to your community that you are out of touch, or worse, that you are not concerned about what they want. Users may conclude that you are out of touch with industry trends and disregard other aspects of your company in turn. 

4. A Poorly Designed Website Gives The Impression That You’re Not Established

In the long run, the expense of poor website design outweighs the cost of executing it well. There are numerous ways to try to better the average user’s experience, irrespective of your funding. Remember to pay attention to your mobile design and make the necessary adjustments to boost your click-through rate. If website visitors are under the impression that your website was cheaply done, they’ll think your nonprofit may be still young and unstable. 

5. People May Believe That Your Nonprofit is No Longer Active

When your site appears to be a trend gone wrong or simply looks outdated by a decade, it may even give the impression that your nonprofit is no longer pursuing it’s mission, especially when your site is filled with broken links, incorrect business information, and no new reviews. People consider this, whether it is true or not. It’s the same as hanging a “closed for business” sign in your window if your website is old and unappealing. 

Now Is the Time to Make Your Website User-Friendly!

Whether you have spent countless hours on your current website and don’t want all the hard work to go to waste, or you’ve built a recognizable brand and don’t want to confuse your customers with a new look, we understand.

Your website is an asset, not an expense. At Buzzworks Creations, we create a strategy that will keep leads coming back with fresh content and relevant information, so your site never becomes stale or outdated. Our websites work hard to build your brand recognition and foster loyalty. Book your consultation today, and let’s get to work creating some buzz around your brand.