Mobile-Friendly Websites Key to Engaging Online Supporters

It’s becoming more and more important that Not for Profit websites are mobile-friendly, explains Ben Teoh from technology Not for Profit Connecting Up.

Research shows Australians are increasingly using their mobile phones to do much more than make phone calls and texting. But if your Not for Profit’s website isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be sending the wrong message.

The  ACMA Communications report 2012–13 shows that since June 2012, there has been a 33 per cent increase in people accessing their mobile phones to access the internet.

Considering the number of mobile services has only increased 3 per cent, it shows that more people are starting to use their phones for internet access.

When it comes to the internet, your Not for Profit’s website should be its home-base. It’s where supporters and community members go to in order to find out information about programs, contact details and even make donations.

Therefore, it’s vital for any Not for Profit with a website to make sure it’s as easy to use no matter what device it’s being accessed from – including smartphones and tablets.

To tackle the issue of different screen sizes, one popular option is what’s called “responsive design”.

It’s a way of setting up a website so that it will automatically change the way it’s displayed depending on the dimensions of the screen or viewing window.

An infographic, released by Static Shift, shows some of the benefits and reasons with designing your website with a responsive design instead of creating a second website or even a mobile app.

It also shows some key concerns that Not for Profit may face if they don’t create a mobile-friendly experience for their online visitors – especially when it comes to online donations:

• 52 per cent of users said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with that organisation or business;

• 67 per cent of mobile users said they’re more likely to buy a site’s product or service if the site is mobile-friendly; and,

• 61 per cent said that if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site, they would quickly move to another site.

If your Not for Profit is seriously looking at its online presence, creating a mobile-friendly experience will be key to engaging people on the go. Responsive design is a widely adopted practice and a great solution to connecting your audience with your services.

About the Author: Ben Teoh is the Content and Community Coordinator at Connecting Up. Connecting Up a Not for Profit organisation providing donated and discounted technology products and services to the Not for Profit sector.

This article was contributed in partnership with Connecting Up and Infoxchange, two Not for Profit organisations working to improve the technology capacity of the Not for Profit sector.