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Research & Measurement.

Nonprofit website research is often easier than you think—and using data to make decisions can make a big difference. These resources help you learn from your visitors and data through analytics, user testing, interviews, and checklists so you can continually improve your website.

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📊🤔 Take a guess at your website results
hands hovering over a crystal ball
📊🤔 Take a guess at your website resultsFeaturedMetrics & AnalyticsTip

📊🤔 Take a guess at your website results

Many nonprofits keep an eye on website numbers like pageviews, email signups, new blog posts posted, or event registrations. But fewer organizations take an extra step that helps you actually learn from those numbers: making a forecast. A forecast is…
🔥🗺️ What heatmaps reveal about your website
🔥🗺️ What heatmaps reveal about your websiteFeaturedFundraising & ConversionMetrics & AnalyticsTipUsability & Credibility

🔥🗺️ What heatmaps reveal about your website

Many nonprofits live and die by Google Analytics. But there's another tool that shows you something Analytics can't: exactly where people's attention (and mouse) goes, and more importantly, where it doesn't. That's where heatmaps come in. Heatmaps (not to be…
⚕️🩺 Give your website a thorough checkup
⚕️🩺 Give your website a thorough checkupEvaluating Via ChecklistsSitewide improvementsTip

⚕️🩺 Give your website a thorough checkup

Sometimes you know your website has issues, but you're not sure precisely what they are or how to prioritize fixing them. Enter the heuristic evaluation—a systematic way to review your site against proven best practices and uncover problems that might…
Evaluating usability on content-rich nonprofit websites
Evaluating usability on content-rich nonprofit websitesArticleCompelling contentEvaluating Via ChecklistsFeaturedResearch & MeasurementSubscriber OnlyWebsite Fundamentals

Evaluating usability on content-rich nonprofit websites

(Free subscriber only) For many websites packed with important content, usability isn’t just about whether a form works—it’s about whether people can actually find and understand the information they need. That’s especially true when it comes to usability for content-rich…
Texts that work: specialized guidelines for SMS-based legal services
Texts that work: specialized guidelines for SMS-based legal servicesArticleEvaluating Via ChecklistsResearch & MeasurementUsability & Credibility

Texts that work: specialized guidelines for SMS-based legal services

By Karen Heredia and Laura S. Quinn Text messaging is a critical channel for reaching people with limited internet access, especially those seeking legal assistance. For many vulnerable populations—including those with limited data plans, irregular computer access, or unstable housing—SMS…
A Detailed Framework to Evaluate Legal Aid Websites
A Detailed Framework to Evaluate Legal Aid WebsitesArticleCompelling contentEvaluating Via ChecklistsResearch & Measurement

A Detailed Framework to Evaluate Legal Aid Websites

A heuristics evaluation is a structured way to assess websites against practical usability guidelines. This framework has been developed specifically for assessing legal aid triage and intake flows. It combines established UX best practices with specialized criteria for legal services,…
Essential guidelines for legal aid websites
Essential guidelines for legal aid websitesArticleCompelling contentEvaluating Via ChecklistsResearch & Measurement

Essential guidelines for legal aid websites

By Karen Heredia and Laura S. Quinn For legal aid websites, usability isn't just about convenience—it's about justice. When people facing eviction, domestic violence, or crushing debt visit your website, they're likely feeling in crisis and seeking crucial assistance. If…
🧑‍💻📝 Quick homepage user testing
🧑‍💻📝 Quick homepage user testingFundraising & ConversionResearch & MeasurementTipUsability & CredibilityUsability TestingWebsite Fundamentals

🧑‍💻📝 Quick homepage user testing

If you've never conducted user testing before, you might be surprised by both how straightforward it is to do and how much you can learn in just 3-4 hours total. Can they understand what your nonprofit actually does? Can they…
Building a habit of tiny website user studies in your nonprofit
Building a habit of tiny website user studies in your nonprofitArticleFeaturedResearch & MeasurementUsability & CredibilityUsability TestingWebsite Fundamentals

Building a habit of tiny website user studies in your nonprofit

We don't do nearly enough user research in the nonprofit world — for websites or for anything else. This is a shame. Small research projects can give you significant information with a minimal time investment. Even the most experienced user experience…
10 guidelines for nonprofit website credibility
10 guidelines for nonprofit website credibilityArticleEvaluating Via ChecklistsSitewide improvementsUsability & CredibilityWebsite Fundamentals

10 guidelines for nonprofit website credibility

Building a credible, trustworthy website should be a top priority for any nonprofit organization. When visitors don't trust your online presence, it undermines their faith in your organization and mission. In 2004, researchers at Stanford University released highly influential guidelines…
Webinar: Using Google Search Console to troubleshoot technical SEO (An intro)
Webinar: Using Google Search Console to troubleshoot technical SEO (An intro)Metrics & AnalyticsSearch Engine OptimizationSubscriber OnlyVideoWebinarWebsite Fundamentals

Webinar: Using Google Search Console to troubleshoot technical SEO (An intro)

(45 min, free subscription required) Are you using Google Search Console (GSC) to understand the critical underpinnings of your Search Engine Optimization? You really should be. It's free and straightforward to setup and use. It looks technical, but there's a…
Nonprofit user interviews… on a shoestring budget
Nonprofit user interviews… on a shoestring budgetArticleBroader Research MethodsResearch & Measurement

Nonprofit user interviews… on a shoestring budget

If there’s one constant in the nonprofit world, it’s that we seldom have as much money or time as we’d like for technology projects. But you don’t need a lot of either to gather some very useful information about your…