Dog Charity Website Audit
When we took over the website maintenance for our new client, Canine Concern, in 2020 it wasn’t long before they asked us to give them some feedback on their current website because they didn’t feel it was reaching its full potential.
We were more than happy to oblige, and so we told them about our website audit and consultancy service, whereby we proceeded to use over 10 years’ website design and editing experience to see if and how their website could be improved, or whether it might be better for them to have a new site built from scratch.
We examined every aspect of their website usability by exploring their customer’s journey, evaluating the design and layout, and reading all of the text. We checked whether the information and choices available were presented in a clear and logical way. We reviewed the site’s responsive optimisation, loading speed and all of the website content. We assessed necessary copywriting requirements, and more. Once we were finished, we provided our impartial feedback in a hand-compiled comprehensive audit report, containing detailed recommendations and explanations, which we were then able to consult on further.
The findings were quite substantial as the website did need a lot of improvements throughout, but it was still a more cost-effective solution for them to have the changes made rather than a new website designed, which, being a charity organisation, they were very pleased to hear.
One of the most important elements which we discovered needed improving was the website’s layout. It wasn’t logical and didn’t flow well for the user. It was also confusing and repetitive in places. We spent some time thinking of a better structure and navigation, deciding what could be combined, what should be removed, what should be changed etc. based on what the client needed to gain from the website. It took quite a lot of re-organising, but the result is a much clearer and simple navigation design, and luckily it’s now almost impossible to remember what it was like before.
We also suggested other improvements, such as making the ‘joining as a volunteer’, ‘becoming a member’ and ‘making a donation’ processes much easier to do. It is crucially important when you require users to use systems on your website that they are not confusing or time consuming. These processes also needed to be more visible throughout the website, especially from the homepage. The website’s look was also given some good design tweaks and (of course!) more photos of adorable dogs were added throughout.
Since we carried out our website audit and consultation service for Canine Concern, they have been able to utilise their website even more, such as adding a monthly ‘member of the month’ article, to showcase their volunteers and the important community work they do.
If you already have a website and would like to know what improvements could be made to it, or whether it would be more cost effective to get a brand new one designed, our website audit and consultancy service is what you’ve been looking for. Find out more on our website page or contact us today!
