Your union’s website is more than just a digital flyer. It’s a valuable tool to connect with members, attract new ones, and promote your union’s message.
If your website looks old, is hard to use, or isn’t interesting, it’s time for a makeover. A fresh website can energize your union, get members more involved, and create positive change.
Here are seven actionable steps for website design strategy:
7 Union Website Redesign Tips
1. Evaluate Your Current Website
Before revamping your website, take a look at your existing website. Know its strengths and weaknesses to identify areas that need improvement. Consider design aesthetics, content relevance, user experience, and mobile responsiveness. This evaluation will provide the necessary insights to add to your website redesign ideas.
2. Define Clear Objectives
Before diving into your union website redesign process, take some time to define your goals and objectives clearly. Having clear objectives will guide your redesign and ensure it aligns with your union’s mission. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do you want to achieve with your new website?
- What message does your union want to convey through its website?
- Who is your target audience?
- What specific actions do you want visitors to take on your website (e.g., join the union, contact you for inquiries, attend events)?
Here are some examples of goals:
- Increase member engagement: Boost website traffic, encourage participation, and foster a stronger community.
- Attract new members: Expand your reach, showcase your union’s value proposition, and simplify the membership process.
- Improve communication: Share important news and updates effectively, provide easy access to resources, and facilitate member-to-union interaction.
Consider incorporating automation to enhance efficiency. For example, you could send personalized SMS alerts for important union updates or automated membership renewal reminders.
By setting clear goals, you can create a website that better serves your members and supports your union’s mission.
3. Integrate Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with members and building a strong online community. By integrating your union’s social media channels into your website, you can increase visibility, encourage engagement, and amplify your message.
Here’s what you can add to your redesign:
- Include share buttons: Make it easy for visitors to share your website content on their social networks.
- Link to your social profiles: Display icons or links to your social media platforms such as Facebook, and Twitter/X in your website’s header or footer.
4. Fresh and Engaging Content
Having high-quality content is an important part of attracting and retaining members. Develop a content strategy that speaks directly to your members’ needs and interests.
Share compelling stories about members who have benefited from your union’s work. Provide valuable resources like contract summaries, benefit explanations, and helpful guides. Additionally, consider adding multimedia elements such as videos and photos to make your content more appealing.
Tip: Keep your content fresh and relevant by regularly updating news, events, and member spotlights.
5. Prioritize Mobile-Friendliness
According to the latest study by Statcounter (“Desktop vs mobile,” n.d.), 62% of browsers use mobile. With the increasing use of smartphones, we need to prioritize mobile-friendly websites. Ensure your website is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes. A seamless mobile experience will make it easier for members to access information and engage with your union on the go.
6. Involve Your Members
Your members are the lifeblood of your union. To ensure your website truly meets their needs, involve them throughout the redesign project process.
Collect feedback through surveys, interviews, or focus groups to understand their experiences with the current website. Identify areas for improvement and use their insights with the new union website redesign.
Once the redesigned website is live, continue to seek feedback to measure its effectiveness and identify opportunities for further enhancement.
Here’s a checklist of sample questions you can ask to assess the web design:
7. Seek Professional Help
Consider hiring a professional brand web designer or developer who creates websites for organizations like unions. They can help you bring your vision to life while ensuring a high-quality, functional union website redesign.
Ready to talk to a professional?
Empower Your Union’s Digital Future
A website redesign for your local union is a valuable investment in your online presence and community engagement. By following these tips, you can enhance your website without compromising the authenticity and integrity of your union. Remember that your website should reflect your union’s values, objectives, and commitment to serving its members and the community.
FAQ
Q: Why do I need to redesign my website?
A: There are several reasons to consider a union website redesign. If your current site is outdated or not user-friendly, it may be time for a redesign. Additionally, if your website isn’t working to drive traffic and conversions or if you’re not seeing the results you want from your online presence, a redesign can help improve your website’s performance.
Q: What are some best practices for a union website redesign?
A: Some best practices for a website redesign include conducting a thorough audit of your current website, optimizing your website for search engines, ensuring a user-friendly and responsive design, creating engaging and relevant content, and utilizing analytics to track website performance.
Q: Can I redesign my website in-house?
A: Yes, you can choose to redesign your website in-house if you have the necessary expertise and resources. However, it’s important to consider whether you have the time and skills to execute a successful redesign. In some cases, hiring a professional web design agency may be more beneficial to ensure a high-quality and efficient redesign process.
Q: What are the 7 essential stages of a prosperous labor union website redesign?
A: The 7 crucial stages for a thriving labor union website redesign encompass setting clear objectives and identifying your target audience, conducting a comprehensive audit of your existing website, strategizing the new design and content plan, selecting the appropriate CMS and template, optimizing the site for search engines, executing the redesign and content integration, and continually assessing and enhancing your website’s performance.
Q: How can a website redesign enhance my labor union’s online presence?
A: A union website redesign can bolster your labor union’s online presence by optimizing user experience, boosting search engine visibility, elevating conversion rates, and conveying your union’s mission and values through a contemporary and captivating design.
Q: What is the significance of search engine optimization (SEO) in a labor union website redesign?
A: Search engine optimization (SEO) is paramount in a labor union website redesign. Through SEO optimization, your union can enhance website visibility, secure higher search engine rankings, draw increased organic traffic, and, ultimately, foster higher conversion rates among website visitors.
Q: How can I select the ideal content management system (CMS) for my labor union’s website redesign?
A: To choose the perfect CMS for your labor union’s website redesign, consider your union’s unique needs, customization flexibility, available features, scalability, technical support, and budget. Conduct a thorough evaluation of various CMS options to pinpoint the one that aligns most closely with your labor union’s objectives and available resources.