Whether you’re ready to build a brand new website or just want to refresh your current one, deciding on content—copywriting, photography, page structure, and more—can feel overwhelming. At Hoan Marketing, many of the organizations we serve find this to be the most time-consuming part of the web design process.

But don’t worry—you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Start creating your website content now with four key elements:

1. Branding

Creating website content becomes much easier if you already have an established brand to draw from. A solid brand guide typically includes:

  • Logo (and variations)
  • Colors
  • Fonts
  • Design elements
  • Messaging best practices

Following your brand guide ensures your website remains clear, cohesive, and visually consistent. It acts as the “guardrails” to keep everything on track.

2. Page Structure

Before you begin building your site, you need to decide which pages will be featured in your main menu. It’s tempting to create a page for every single aspect of your organization, but visitors prefer simplicity. Research shows nonprofits average a 60-70% bounce rate—meaning that many users leave after viewing just one page.

  • Content Prioritization: Think of your 30-second elevator pitch. What are the key points you’d share? These should be the main topics on your website. Write down all your ideas and start organizing them.
  • Understand Your Audience: What do visitors care about most? Look at analytics from your website, social media, and email campaigns. Which pages get the most traffic? Which posts get the most engagement? Patterns will quickly emerge, helping you focus on what matters to your audience.
  • Create an Intuitive Page Structure: Once you know the content that’s important to both you and your visitors, structure your website accordingly. Aim for 4-8 main menu pages, placing the most important at the beginning and end, and group related topics under drop-downs when appropriate.

For example, a nonprofit site might include:

  • About
  • Services
    • Service 1
    • Service 2
    • Service 3
  • News
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Donate

Tip: Keep “Home” linked to your logo—it’s a common design convention.

3. Copywriting

Imagine sitting down face-to-face with a potential supporter of your organization. You’d probably ensure they leave understanding what you do, why it matters, and how they can get involved. Website copywriting serves the same purpose, but instead of a personal conversation, you’re speaking to people through a screen—people who may never meet you in person.

Your goal? Educate, inspire, and anticipate questions.

  • Show, Don’t Tell: There is a time and place for diving into program specifics or even (gasp) financial reports, but research shows that a good story is by far the most memorable type of writing. Consider how you can build an emotional connection to readers, rather than just explaining things to them. Bonus points for visual aids!
  • Make it Skimmable: It is cliche at this point to mention how we’re living in an age of more easily accessible information available for the masses than ever before. But it’s true: between smartphones, social media, and AI, people expect to find what they’re looking for in moments. Website writing can accommodate this reality by breaking up text with headings, subheadings, bullet points, tables of contents, visuals, and so on.
  • Write for Search Engines: Quality, skimmable writing is a key component of search engine optimization (SEO), which helps your website rank higher in search engine results. SEO is an ongoing effort influenced by various factors, including your website’s technical setup, competition within your niche, and—most relevant to this article—your written content. Tools like Google Search Console can help you identify the keywords people use to find your site, allowing you to naturally incorporate them into your writing.
  • Mind the Word Count: From a user experience standpoint, you need only include as many words as it takes to succinctly educate and inspire your audience. But SEO is a whole other consideration, and word count recommendations vary based on page type. In most cases, though, you’ll have success with 300-900 words (and more is okay, too, as long as you continue to follow general writing best practices).

4. Imagery

If copywriting is your organization’s digital “house,” then imagery is the furniture and decorations. No one likes a room that’s too bare or too cluttered, and the same is true for websites: research shows that visitors take only 50 milliseconds to decide to stay or leave, and that half of them base their first impression of the organization on design.

  • Check Image Quality: Avoid using blurry photos or pixelated graphics. Make sure images are optimized for all screen sizes—especially mobile devices, where many visitors access websites.
  • Be Consistent: Imagery should reflect your brand’s visual style. Whether you use original photography, stock images, or illustrations, consistency is key. A mismatched look can be distracting.
  • Balance: Don’t overload your website with too many images, but also don’t leave it too bare. Striking a balance helps convey your message while maintaining visual appeal.
  • Consider Context: Use images that are relevant to the content on each page. For instance, a page about your team should have headshots, while a page about services could include visuals that highlight your work.

Nonprofit Content Experts

At Hoan Marketing, we specialize in creating websites and content for mission-driven nonprofits and businesses. Since 2016, we’ve overseen the copywriting, graphic design, branding, and page structures that make for truly excellent websites.

Ready to start building your website content? Let’s chat! No obligations, no strings attached—just a conversation to help you get started. Schedule a free consultation today.