Updated 9th September 2026
The ultimate charity website checklist: 28 tips to boost your non-profit’s mission
Whether you’re trying to raise awareness, attract donations, or grow your support base, your charity’s website is the shop front of the organisation.
This checklist helps you create a website that’s clear, fast, easy to use, and boosts your charity’s digital marketing efforts.
Why your charity’s website is key to success
Your charity’s website is one of the most powerful tools you have to raise awareness, drive donations, and deliver your mission effectively. It’s often the first place people go to learn about your cause, so making a strong first impression matters.
A fast, well-structured, credible website helps you get discovered on Google (SEO), reducing the cost of visibility and increasing traffic. When your site is optimised for search engines, with clear page titles, relevant keywords, and a smooth user experience, you’re far more likely to appear in the search results when someone is looking to support a cause like yours or get involved.
From a PPC (paid ads) perspective, landing page quality directly affects how your ads perform. A well-designed, mobile-friendly site can improve your Google Ads Quality Score, meaning you pay less per click and reach more people with your budget. A slow or confusing website, on the other hand, can increase ad costs and reduce conversions.
Most importantly, your charity’s website is where supporters take action - donating, signing up to volunteer, or learning more about your work. Every design choice, page load time and call-to-action plays a role in converting visitors into active supporters. A clear, compelling website builds trust, makes it easier for users to engage, and ultimately helps support your mission.
When your website works well, everything else works better - your marketing becomes more effective, reach grows, and your non-profit’s impact increases.
User experience - a simple and easy to navigate charity website
1. Keep the menu short and simple. People should find what they need in one or two clicks. A cluttered top menu is one of the quickest ways to send visitors bouncing off the site altogether.
2. Give every page one clear job. Whether it’s getting donations, sharing a story or signing someone up, each page should do only one thing - with a clear call to action that drives the conversion.
3. Don’t have too many pages. Remove old or repeated content. A smaller, focused site is easier to manage, more effective at converting, and a better experience for users. Google Analytics will show you which pages actually matter to your visitors.
4. Help people find their way. Donors, volunteers and press all arrive with different goals - guide each audience to the right place. Without a clear path, users are far less likely to engage.
Website design - look good with a brand that reflects your ethos
5. Be consistent with colours, fonts and logos. Using your charity’s branding consistently across the site makes it look professional and trustworthy.
6. Keep it easy to read and uncluttered. Use big, clear text, break content into sections with headings and spacing, and choose high quality imagery over stock photos wherever possible. A messy, hard-to-read website kills engagement.
7. Make sure it works on phones and tablets. Your site must look great and be easy to use on every screen size. If it doesn’t work on mobile, potential supporters will go elsewhere.
8. Make it accessible for everyone. Good text contrast, alt text on images and screen reader compatibility aren’t optional extras - at least AA website accessibility is essential for non-profits.
Performance & Core Web Vitals - a fast, secure and reliable charity website
9. Load quickly. People leave slow sites. Optimise your images and use a reliable hosting provider - at Atelier, charities can benefit from free website hosting as part of our charity partner programme.
10. Test on mobile. Over half of your visitors will be on a phone. Try the site on your own device, and a few others, to make sure it holds up everywhere.
11. Stay secure with HTTPS. Your URL should start with ‘https://’. It protects user data and signals trustworthiness to both visitors and Google.
12. Check your Core Web Vitals. These are the metrics Google uses to measure speed, responsiveness and stability - and they feed into both search rankings and ad performance. There are free tools to check yours.
SEO basics for your charity - get found on Google
13. Use the right words. Write with the terms people actually search for, woven naturally through your page content.
14. Write clear page titles and descriptions. These are what people see in the Google results - make them helpful and appealing while working in your important keywords. Our meta titles and descriptions guide covers how.
15. Use good headings and image descriptions. Proper heading structure and alt text help Google understand your content and help screen reader users navigate it - a win for SEO and accessibility at once.
16. Keep URLs short and clear. Use /donate rather than /page123?id=45, so both search engines and humans know what they’ll find on the page.
Charity website maintenance - easy internal management
17. Use a simple content system. Something like WordPress means anyone on your team can update the site without waiting for a developer.
18. Build with repeatable blocks. Reusable sections like donation buttons, testimonials and calls-to-action save time, keep things tidy and keep your brand style consistent.
19. Avoid too many plugins. Extra features slow the site down. Only install what you really need, and keep on top of updates for the plugins you keep.
20. Keep improving with data. Track which pages people visit, how long they stay and what they click in Google Analytics. That analysis reveals the touchpoints that drive meaningful actions.
21. Test key conversion points. Try different layouts or wording on important pages - especially your donation page - and let the results decide what stays.
22. Watch what users actually do. Tools like Hotjar reveal how people really use your site, which makes your user experience decisions informed rather than guessed.
23. Update the site regularly. Keep stories fresh, keep events current and fix anything that breaks. An outdated website tells visitors nobody’s home.
Bonus tips - set your non-profit apart from the rest
24. Make your mission clear right away. Tell people who you are and why you exist on the homepage, in strong, emotive language that resonates - don’t make them guess.
25. Show your impact. Numbers, stories, photos and quotes prove what support achieves, and that proof drives donations and sign-ups.
26. Add trust signals. Your charity number, accreditations and the logos of partners or funders build credibility with users and search engines alike.
27. Make it easy to donate or get involved. Big, bold buttons - never hidden in menus. If it’s important to your mission, don’t make it easy to miss.
28. Offer multiple donation methods. PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay give users flexibility and make the checkout process as seamless as possible.
By working through this checklist, you’ll be building a charity website that’s both functional and impactful for your mission.
Need help bringing it all together? Get in touch with the team at Atelier Impact - specialists in the design, build and optimisation of high-performing, user-friendly websites for charities and non-profits.
FAQs for the best charity websites
Why does my charity website need to be fast?
Fast-loading sites keep users engaged, reduce bounce rates, and perform better in Google rankings and PPC campaigns.
What are Core Web Vitals?
They’re Google’s way of measuring how fast, stable and responsive your website is for users - and they directly impact your SEO and ad performance.
How can I make my charity website easier to use?
Use a clear menu, focused pages with one goal, and a simple layout that guides users to take action, like donating or signing up.
What makes a charity site mobile-friendly?
A responsive design that looks good and works well on all screen sizes, loads quickly, and has clear calls-to-action that are easy to tap.
Why is branding important on a non-profit website?
Consistent colours, fonts and logos build trust and make your charity look professional and credible.
What content management system should we use?
We recommend WordPress - it’s user-friendly, flexible, and perfect for non-profits that want to easily manage content in-house.
How do I know if my site needs improvements?
Use tools like Google Analytics and Hotjar to see how users interact with your site. If people are dropping off quickly or not converting, you may need to make some optimisations.
What helps with Google rankings for charities?
Strong SEO basics include using relevant keywords, clear headings, short URLs, and writing content people are searching for.
How often should I update my website?
Regularly! Keep stories, events, and donation pages fresh. An updated site looks active and keeps visitors coming back.
What’s the best way to get more donations online?
Make donation buttons big, visible, and repeated where relevant. Offer multiple ways to pay and keep the process as simple as possible.
