Content is an oft-neglected part of the redesign process, and it shouldn’t be.  Why?  Tell me if any of these situations sound familiar:

• Your redesign went great – until you were running around the day before launch, trying to get content from your program staff and stuff it into your new CMS.
• Two months after your new site launched, you find a headline that says “Lorem ipsum…”  Oops.
• You leave the default autoresponders for all your most important actions, thinking “we’ll fix it later.”
• Your landing pages are ranking low in search, and have high bounce rates. You suspect your audiences just aren’t engaging with them, but haven’t figured out why.
• Your program staff are responsible for your web content, and they really know their stuff… but they don’t know much about writing for the web.
• Your design is beautiful, but once you start entering content, it’s just not fitting in the boxes that looked so perfect in the design phase.

These things could happen to you, if they haven’t already. Planning for content during a redesign often just means mapping the old content to the new, and then migrating it. But it should get more attention than that, because content is the most important part of your site.

I repeat: content is the most important part of your site.

Content — be it text, images, or video — is what people visit your site to find. Content — headlines, buttons, auto-responders, images — is what motivates people to become supporters or donors.  Content — page structure, metadata, alt tags — determines how your site will rank in search engines.  Content is important stuff.

That’s why Content Strategy, though an emerging field, is growing at lightning speed as people in the web community say, “yes, this is something we need.”  It’s been pioneered by folks like Kristina Halvorson, whose thoughts you can check out on the Brain Traffic Blog.

Content Strategy means deeply analyzing and revisiting your content throughout the redesign process, starting with a messaging strategy and letting that inform your content throughout the site.  It also means planning for content creation, curating good content, and actively improving your existing content before you migrate it.

The most natural time to do a content strategy project is during a redesign, but it can be a stand-alone effort as well. If it’s something you know your site needs, it doesn’t have to wait. Content isn’t always the first thing that’s looked at to improve a site’s performance, at least not holistically.  But in one way or another, content is often the solution, whether you need better SEO, a more emotional image for a landing page, or a more concise introduction to an important form. A content strategy project is your opportunity to look holistically at all these elements, and make sure they’re working together.

Have you done any content strategy for your organization’s site?  If so, what was your experience with it?

R.I.P. IE6

Those of us who build websites for a living have been waiting to see the door hit Internet Explorer 6 on its way out for a very long time now. It could be that the day long awaited is right around the corner.  And it may be that that is a very big corner, and that there are traffic cops making us walk really, really slow.

My wish to see the end of this seriously out-dated browser is not purely selfish, though there is definitely a good amount of frustration I’ll be happy to do away with. Every time I have to create a separate stylesheet to control IE6’s idiotic treatment of width+margins+padding (the box model, for those in the know) I sigh and dream of a day when all browsers display identical HTML in identical ways. I want to use the more sophisticated transparency properties of 24-bit PNG graphics without having to add buggy JavaScript so that IE6 will display the transparency instead of an ugly grey box. I’d love to be able to use more sophisticated CSS3 (2 even!) to style elements without having to add all kinds of classes and ids to them. Cleaner HTML: faster to load, faster to code, easier to maintain. All kinds of better!

So that’s the selfish part. There is another part of me that knows many hours spent on a website design project goes toward simply fixing things that “break” in IE6. It’s not uncommon that, at the end of a typical site build, clients have paid a few thousand dollars just to get IE6 to show the site exactly the same as newer versions of IE or Firefox do.

For all of us, life without IE6 would be an improvement. So why are people still using it? There are a few reasons, really. First, some people are using computers they’ve had for years and have just never felt the need (or known how) to upgrade their browser. Maybe they are on dial-up modems and tying up the line for an hour or so while the new browser downloads is just not worth it.

Second, there are users who are prevented from upgrading by their IT departments. It may be that their organization relies on applications developed years ago using short-sighted programming techniques targeted specifically for what was then the best browser on the market. Allowing users of systems like these to upgrade may require a substantial investment to re-engineer those applications.

Third, there are those who just don’t care.

As someone who is concerned with the usability of the web and who wants websites we build to be usable for everyone, I have to be concerned about all three of those types of IE6 users. Ok, more the first two groups than the last ;)  Here is where things get tricky. I’m no longer talking about “looks exactly like” I’m talking about “is usable.” I want all users of the sites we build to be able to find what they are looking for, engage with the organization in all the ways that they want, and to feel that they are getting the same, complete experience out of a website that any other user of that website does.

It’s not just me either. Microsoft Australia has a campaign in which you can send sour milk to your friends who are still using IE6 to equate using nine-year-old browser to the risks of drinking milk the same age. The information on the site claims that IE8 detects malware and phishing 85% and 83% of the time, respectively, making it one of the most secure browsers available today. While its comparisons to other new browsers from Firefox to Opera may be disputed by makers of those browsers, that it is safer to browse the internet using IE8 than IE6 is beyond dispute.

As websites continue to get more sophisticated and we ask more and more of designers and developers, the need to be able to use current technologies and solutions is becoming more and more important.  HTML5 is on its way (sloooowly), and CSS3 is pretty much here.  All indications are that IE9 will support the new standards in a way that it never seemed Microsoft was terribly interested in before.  It will have to…the others are forging ahead daily and Opera, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox will likely get there first.

Keep your fingers crossed!

When you go to the theatre, it’s a given that the words of a playwright are being channeled through the characters on stage. Every line uttered is steeped in the identity of the person speaking, but placed there by the author, whose goal was to make a statement. It’s a fake-me-out that we all accept, a creation that we all buy into, because that’s the very nature of the thing, right?

So now, imagine Shakespeare was on Twitter.

Would he tweet as himself, or as one of the many personalities he created? Would the context of his 140 characters be different depending on “who” says it, even if the source is literally the same? And what about audience – how could he reach the right one given the many personalities he has to chose from?

Welcome of the murky and challenging world of creating a clearly branded and effective organizational identity online using Twitter as your vehicle.

In these days of social media madness, identity as a concept is already tenuous & intangible at best, yet more important than ever. Is it possible for an organization to express itself within the limited construct of Twitter without losing the context of its brand and reputation? Will the syntax and character limit make you look unprofessional? How can you tell is anyone is really listening, let alone caring? And if they are, how critical is it to be “on message” all the time?

It really boils down to this: Who the hell are you out “there”? Let’s turn to the immortal words of the Bard for guidance.

“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”- Hamlet
Should you even Tweet? If you want to make your brand more accessible, expand reach & leverage your audience, yes. If you’re “Keeping up w/ the Jones’s”, don’t bother.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”- Juliet
Select an @name that reflects the organization, not the person doing the tweeting. An identity crisis can negatively impact your brand & loose you audience.

“All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”- Jaques
Dress up the place! Design a background graphic that reinforces your brand and identity & create a custom icon that is more than just your logo, but not a personal photo.

“This above all: to thine own self be true.”- Polonius
Define a voice & stick to it. Consistency in tone paired w/an engaging style will gain you respect, credibility & above all else, followers. Your brand will thank you.

“Nothing will come of nothing.”- King Lear
Tweet regularly but be picky. If you only link to blog posts or RT people, no one will be interested in your tweets. Add value but don’t be afraid to jump in with both feet.

“Listen to many, speak to a few.”- William Shakespeare
Dedicate a staff member to monitor your account & do searches for interesting people & discussions where your organization can engage. Be deliberate in your choices.

“Brevity is the soul of wit”- Polonius
Think of Twitter as an exercise in focused expression. An elevator speech in 140 characters. Getting right to the point w/out fluff. (& URL shorteners can help alot).

“It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”- Macbeth
If you have nothing to say, don’t. Your tweets should interest your followers & reflect your brand’s skill with the medium. No one cares about your lunch order.

“The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation” - Mowbray
It’s very easy to dilute your brand & damage your reputation on twitter by not being strategic or careful about future impact. Think before you tweet.

“O brave new world that has such people in’t!”- Miranda
Twitter is powerful tool & a great way to reach people directly so take advantage of it. Grow a loyal following, show the human face of your org & you will reap the benefits.

For those still skeptical about getting an organization’s point of view across on Twitter without looking it like a 13 year old’s text message, don’t be. It’s totally doable. How do you know?

Each one of the points above was 140 characters or less.

{end scene}

It’s spring, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning.  You’ve already cleaned your house top-to-bottom, right?  (I haven’t, but I assume you’re much more organized and motivated than me, so you’re probably already done!)

Just like your house, your website needs a little special attention sometimes.  There are things you need to do once in a while to keep it performing its best.  Depending on your needs, you might want to do these quarterly or yearly, but you should check up on them at least once a year and make sure everything looks good. It’s not sexy or exciting, but it will help keep your website running smoothly. And now is the perfect time to get started.

• Clean up your email database. Most eCRMs give you tools for cleaning and de-duping your email list. No matter how you import supporters to your database, over time, you’ll end up with some bad data as people move, change their email addresses, or accidentally create duplicate records when they take actions on your site. Get rid of bad data, and consolidate your duplicates as much as possible. This is a big task, but it’ll give you more accurate metrics, improve your spam reputation, and reduce the chances that you’re bugging people with multiple copies of your messages.
• Update outdated content/actions. Take an hour and browse your site with fresh eyes. Are your news stories recent? Do you still have a promo, buried on your subpages, for a campaign that finished a year ago?  Is the contact information up to date? What about that little typo that bugs you every time you visit the site? Set aside time to find and fix these little errors – over time, they can really pile up.
• Fix broken links. Link-checking can be fast and easy.  There are many tools to scan your site and identify bad links, both within your site and to external sites.
• Look at your 404 pages. While you’re at it, take a look at your 404 (Page Not Found) errors. Your analytics tool can tell you what missing pages people are trying to visit, and where they found them.  Maybe Google is still indexing old content, or another site has a link with a typo. Some of them, you may be able to fix.  This is also a good time to look at the content on your 404 page itself. Are you providing useful information to help visitors get where they wanted to be?
• Check your “hidden” content. Welcome messages, autoresponders, donation forms, error text… all this content is “out of sight, out of mind” when you’re running a website day-to-day, but it’s very present for many of your visitors.  You know that good Thank You messages are critical for engaging new subscribers and first-time donors, but when was the last time you took a critical look at your default messaging?
• View your site in new browsers. Unless you just redesigned your website, there have probably been new versions of some major browsers since it was developed.  Look in your analytics to see what browsers and versions most of your visitors are using.  If some of the new ones are on the rise, download them (or find a friend who has them installed) and spend a few minutes browsing the site to make sure everything looks okay.
• Test your SEO. Type the name of your organization into a search engine. Where do you rank? What does your listing look like? Do the same for a few non-branded keywords that describe your org. Do the most relevant pages show up first?  Where do they rank?
• Review your site search. If visitors are having trouble finding something on your site, chances are they’ll search for it.  So reviewing your site search analytics is a great way to see what stumbling blocks users are finding on your site.  Not every search term that’s used will indicate a problem – but site search is the one part of your site where users tell you exactly what they’re looking for, and it’s worth paying attention.
• Long term reporting. Chances are there is some data you’ve been meaning to sift through.  How have your emails performed over the long term? What’s the churn rate on your email list? How are you doing on those important goals you set way-back-when?  Now is a good time to look into some of those questions you never got around to answering, or just to spend some time with your analytics tool and see what you find.

Beaconfire is looking for smart, energetic people to fill some openings on our team. If you’re passionate about working with nonprofit clients like American Lung Association, Feeding America, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, check out these positions to see if Beaconfire is a good fit for you:

• Project Manager – serves as the primary project lead for a wide range of Web-centric projects and is responsible for managing the team, the project and addressing the challenges of our clients.

• Marketing Consultant/Client Manager – works with creative and talented teams to develop breakthrough online campaigns and marketing efforts. If you know your way around email fundraising, online advocacy, social media, Google ads, and community building and want to use them to help nonprofits take their online efforts to the next level, then this job is for you.
• Technical Lead -  provides technical expertise and leadership in the evaluation, recommendation, and implementation of technologies through almost all phases of the project. The Tech Lead works to identify and craft technical solutions that help the Client meet their business goals.
• Software Engineer / .NET focus – provides technical development and support to help Beaconfire’s nonprofit clients extend and grow their existing Web applications. In a team-based environment, the Programmer will work closely with Beaconfire’s clients and project managers to build custom web applications, implement commercial and open source Content Management Systems, and integrate external applications like email marketing.

You can always see all of our open positions on our Careers page.

Does one of these positions sound like you?  Send us your resume and join the Beaconfire team!