A charity website should make three things easy to understand: what you do, who you help and how someone can take the next step. Start with those visitor needs, then build the pages around them.
Make your purpose clear
Your homepage should explain your work in familiar language. Say who you support and where you operate. A visitor should not have to know your programme names or sector terminology to recognise whether you can help.
Give each service a useful page
For each service, explain who it is for, what happens, where it takes place and how to enquire. Include current opening times and any cost or eligibility information that matters. If a service is full or paused, say so and explain the next available step.
Create clear routes to support you
Separate the needs of someone seeking help from those of a donor or prospective volunteer. Use specific links such as “Find a volunteering role” or “Support our community kitchen”. If you accept donations, explain the purpose of the appeal and what a donor will see after following the donation link.
Show the organisation behind the work
Introduce your team and explain how to contact the right person. Include accurate organisational details, relevant reports and policies, and honest examples of your work. Date stories where the timing matters. Use real photographs with appropriate permission, or make illustrative imagery clear.
Check how the content works
Use descriptive page titles, headings that explain each section and links that make sense on their own. Give informative images useful alternative text. Keep instructions clear and explain unfamiliar terms. These writing practices align with the W3C’s guidance on accessible web content.
Try the main tasks on a phone and with a keyboard. Can someone find a service, contact you and reach your donation or volunteering page? Ask people outside the team to try, and record where they hesitate. This is a useful starting check, not a complete accessibility audit.
Give someone ownership of updates
Assign an owner to each important page and set a review date. A simple list of page, owner, last check and next review can help. Start with information whose accuracy affects somebody’s day: location, opening hours, availability and contact details.
Put it into practice
Start here: ask someone unfamiliar with your charity to find help, get involved and contact you. Fix the point where they get stuck first.