Campaign websites are important for candidates to communicate with voters and spread their message. But there are many ways a website can go wrong and turn off voters. Here are some common mistakes that can make a campaign website lose credibility. Some of these topics have been elaborated in other posts, but they bear repeating again.
Mistakes to avoid on your campaign website
Lack of Content: The time when your campaign launches is not the time to start putting together your campaign website. Your site should have enough initial content to inform voters about the candidate and important issues before it launches. You only have one chance to make a first impression. If your website is in bad shape when they first find you, then you’ve made a bad first impression. That’s not good.
Bad Grammar and Spelling: Bad writing is a personal pet peeve. If a candidate cannot spell properly in their campaign literature, why should I expect more from them in office? It’s like a resume with errors – they are the first candidates who get weeded out of the process. Don’t forget to proofread, and have others check any material before it is made public.
Missing an Online Donation Method: Politicians of all types use the web to raise funds. If you are not accepting online donations, then you are missing out on an important campaigning tool. Adding a donation platform is easier than you think. Start this process early, so donation options can be integrated into your website before you launch it.
Not Mentioning Election Day: This is a common problem; the most important call to action is missing – the day of the election. That date should be prominent throughout your site. A good place is at the bottom of each page and prominently on the home page. Your Election Day notification should include the day of the week and the year. Unless your election is held in November, you are going to have to really work to get supporters to the polls. Don’t keep that date a secret!
Leaving Out the Location: Don’t assume everyone knows where you are located. Be sure to include your state and district throughout your website copy. This will help your site to be ranked when voters search a candidate’s name in the search engines.
Weird Stuff: This is a subjective element, but a poorly designed website does not do much to help a candidate. Bad colors, multiple fonts and inconsistent layouts can distract from your message. You can also lump in poor practices such as using overly large image files that slow load times. When laying out copy, keep it simple. Add descriptive headers and limit the amount of text your bold or italicize. Avoid multiple colors, too many fonts, and for goodness’ sake, AVOID USING ALL CAPS.
Online and Offline Inconsistency: Consistency of message and consistency of presentation are important in a campaign. When campaign elements do not match, it can be confusing to voters. A candidate’s website design should match the color scheme and logo of your print materials and signage. It’s all about branding a candidate and message. For the custom political websites that we design, we can provide a high-resolution logo graphic for use in print and signage.
The number one mistake people make when launching a website is not having a plan. A candidate might not know what they want to do with their site, so they just start throwing things up. On the other hand, if you have a campaign platform and solid candidate biography written, then it’s much easier to get your site built.
Why reinvent the wheel? We make our custom website setup process simple by including easy-to-use questionnaires and preset pages. If you are looking for content ideas, we have sample copy on our resources site for clients to use.
Ready to start your campaign website? Learn how Online Candidate can give your campaign the winning edge!
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