You don’t need to do a full website audit or hire a specialist to make changes to your website; in fact, there are plenty of quick fixes and additions you can put in place with little time and effort. I’ve picked 10 of the most useful things you can do.
- Search bar
Every website needs a search bar – the little box where someone can search your whole website for a certain word or phrase. You can add your search bar as a widget (a little extra bit of software) on a WordPress website.
For those who have more time, go one step further and add a sitemap as well; this is a list of all the pages on your site, set out in the order of your website menu, and it works like the index in a book to help people find your content.
- SSL certificate
An SSL certificate shows that your website is secure. If you don’t have one of these certificates in place, web browsers will add a warning to visitors telling them that the site may be harmful to their computer, tablet or smartphone.
Fix this error by getting a free SSL certificate for the website through a service such as Let’s Encrypt. Assuming your website uses WordPress, there’s a useful guide to SSL certificates for WordPress sites by WPBeginner, including how to get the certificate through your web hosting provider. Your webmaster, or the person responsible for looking after your website, can help with this.
- Updated visitor information, including accessibility
We know visitor information changes over time, not least if you have seasonal opening hours or even a winter closure. If you don’t keep this updated on your website, you risk visitors having a wasted journey to your museum, and possibly leaving an angry review on TripAdvisor or social media.
You also need to share basic accessibility information for all visitors. For example, ask yourself:
- Which areas are accessible for wheelchairs, mobility aids and prams?
- If there are stairs, how many, and is there a handrail?
- Do you have toilets, and do they include baby changing, disabled access or Changing Places facilities? If not, where are the nearest public toilets and their opening hours?
- Are there seats where people can rest?
- Clear contact information
How do people get in contact with you? Email is essential for this, as you can pick up messages out of hours, and there’s a clear record of the person’s needs. Make sure the email address is up to date, too. Some websites use webforms instead of giving out email addresses, but you need to make sure your webform is accessible.
If you have a phone number, add this as well, but bear in mind not everyone is confident making phone calls; for example, they might have a speech impediment, a language barrier or social anxiety. There’s also a generational divide – a study in 2021 found that 75% of Millennials avoid phone calls if possible, and 85% of Gen Z don’t consider phone calls to be an important function of their mobile phone.
- Yoast or AIOSEO plugin for WordPress
The most important plugin you will install is for search engine optimisation (SEO). You only need one SEO plugin, but two of the best are Yoast and AIOSEO; just pick which you’d prefer. These plugins make sure every page or blog post is optimised for search engines, making it more likely to appear in appropriate search results. Yoast even gives you a preview of what your webpage will look like in Google.
The plugins also consider how readable your content is. Remember you’re not just writing for search engines; you’re writing for humans who will click away from the webpage if they don’t understand it or it’s patronising.
- Alt text on any images
Alternative text, known as alt text, describes an image in basic detail for people using screen readers or for search engines to read. It’s not the super-detailed description you see in cataloguing an object; think as though you’re describing it to a friend over the phone; Siteimprove has a good overview of best practice with alt text.
The file name of your image, separate from the alt text, is also important – you can check these in the back end of your website (go to the section called ‘Media’ or ‘Media library’) and just rename them if needed, so ‘IMG506060’ becomes ‘Exhibition Room at the Teapot Museum’.
- Links (with icons) to active social media channels
Your website should link to all the social media channels you use. Remove any that aren’t active – for example, you haven’t posted new content in the last year. If someone decides to revive that channel later and post regular content, you can add the link again, but right now it’s not doing much to promote your museum. You want to show your best side to website visitors.
If you don’t already link to your social media, install a simple WordPress plugin with buttons (clickable icons) for each channel. You can customise the appearance of the buttons to fit your website style.
- Webpage for events listings
The American Museum in Bath and the Museum of the Home both have great examples of events pages, but it’s okay if yours isn’t this advanced. At the most basic level, you want a list of events in date order, typed onto the page rather than as a PDF, and one appropriate image at the top of the page. Find good quality free stock images on websites like Unsplash or Pexels if you don’t have one from your museum.
Each event should have clear booking instructions, dates and times (double-checked), prices and accessibility information, especially if you use different venues. To go further, add a small image to each listing which will help engage viewers; you can repeat the image for events in the same series, such as a monthly craft club or a series of talks on the same topic.
- Donate button and persuasive text to help with fundraising
You’ve got someone’s attention, as they’re on your website… now you want to attract a donation. You can add a donate button that links to your chosen fundraising platform, such as JustGiving or Virgin Money Giving. The actual button needs to be very simple with one or two words (like ‘Donate now’ or ‘Donate here’).
Make sure you mention the need for fundraising on other pages of your website, such as About Us. Don’t be vague about what money can buy – this is your chance to use facts and figures to help people understand what their donation, however small, could help with. For example:
- £5 could go towards craft supplies for our family activity days.
- £10 could pay the monthly transport costs of a volunteer. We pay our volunteers’ travel expenses as a thank you for their time.
- With energy bills on the rise, we need to raise £10,000 to keep our museum open, safe and warm over the winter and into spring. Whatever you can give will make a difference.
- Highlights of your museum collection
If you don’t already highlight the best bits of your collection, you’re underselling the museum. Don’t assume people already know the pieces you’re most famous for or proud of, because first-time visitors won’t have a clue. Think about your most unusual, surprising or rare objects – the things people are drawn to when they look around – and add content into an existing main page or create a new webpage or blog post.
Why not ask staff and volunteers to describe their favourite museum items? This saves you time. Segedunum Roman Fort has a good example of this, covering 21 objects chosen by the team. Using quotes from staff makes it feel personal and fun, especially the bit about the Roman toilet.
If you need more help with your website or digital engagement in general, please check out our digital resources.