A 20-minute website makeover, say what?!

You probably think we’re kidding, but we assure you, we’re not! Sure, you can’t do an ENTIRE website overhaul in 20 minutes or less, but there are several things you can do that will still have an impact. Take a look!

1. Update your pictures

When was the last time you updated the pictures on your website? Are there pictures on your website? If it’s been a while or you don’t have any, this is the perfect place to start. People want to see what your association or chamber is all about. Who are your members? What types of events do you hold? What kind of work do you do as it relates to your industry and/or community? 

Pictures pack a punch, so showcase all of that with high-resolution images if you can!

2. Clean up your event calendar

If your event calendar doesn’t update automatically, you’ll want to spend some time cleaning that up. Make sure past events are gone and upcoming events are displayed. 

But we do have to say...if your event calendar doesn’t update automatically, that’s something we urge you to consider looking into in 2020. (Something like an association management system could be helpful.) Because here’s the thing: Even if you don’t check your website a lot, your members and prospects likely do. And since events are likely some of your organization’s biggest offerings (and source of non-dues revenue), it’s key those are consistently up to date.

3. Check/update hyperlinks

You likely have a lot of links within your website, either linking to other pages on your site or  external pages and resources. But over time, links tend to break. Maybe a page was removed or a URL changed. That’s normal and natural, but definitely worth addressing. 

Take a few minutes to go through your website and make sure your links work (especially on your most-viewed pages). Broken links lead to a bad user experience, and you certainly don’t want that!

4. Add some fresh content

Your association or chamber likely produces a lot of content, whether you’re really aware of it or not. Do you host regular webinars (that you then record)? Do you mail out a quarterly publication? If so, could you post snippets of those pieces on your website, almost as if to tease some of the benefits a full membership would allow?

Even if you don’t produce a lot of content, if there’s a blog that’s popular in your industry or community, consider reaching out to the owner/author and asking if you could republish one of their posts on your blog, giving them credit, of course, and linking back to their site. It’d be beneficial for them, just as it would be for you, so chances are, they’ll say yes!

The point, though, is that fresh content not only attracts people, but keeps them coming back. It makes your site engaging, and that’s exactly what you want! 

Now your website is just one of the many ways to engage your members and prospects. In addition to that, there’s email, social media, and events. Want more tips for engaging your members (and prospects) using those tactics? Check out our free guide below! 

This blog post was originally published on 8/22/17, but updated on 3/9/20 for added value.