A campaign website serves the online hub for any political organization. Whether you’re running a small town campaign or one with a nationwide scope, you definitely need a website to capture the growing number of voters who spend most of their time on the internet. Read on to learn more about creating a successful political campaign web site.
Why build a campaign website?
Free political campaign websites can serve different purposes but they are mainly used as the central information hub for a candidate or organization. They can be used to process donations and contributions online. Most campaign sites also serve as the main content distribution channel for updates and news regarding the candidate.
The most important objective of a free campaign website is to collect donations and support. With the right choice of political campaign website builder and template, you can create a successful site that engages voters and fulfills the organization’s objectives.
1. Select the right campaign website builder
If you are running for office, you probably don’t have the luxury of time to devote to building a website from the ground up. Someone in your team might have the time but if you’re looking to get the site up in no time, it’s best to get the technical aspect of website development out of the way and go straight to content design and development. Strikingly simplifies this process for you by providing you with the right set of tools and political campaign website templates free of charge. You don’t need to worry about hosting or website development. If you need to get a personalized domain (which we highly recommend), you can get it through the same platform.
2. Customize your website
Once you’ve selected a campaign website template, the next step is to customize the look and feel of your website. By now, you must have selected the colors that best represent your personal brand. Feel free to select this custom color scheme through Strikingly’s website editor. You can also upload your own custom font if you have one or experiment on the hundreds of different font combinations available for you on this platform. Add sections to your site depending on the kind of content you need to put up. For instance, you want to provide your supporters with an easy way to send their donations online. Strikingly’s PayPal integration through its built-in app store enables you to receive donations and payments through your website.
Other items you want to add to your site include links to your social media pages, a social media stream so voters can see your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter feed on site, and a gallery section for images and multimedia.
3. Open up communication lines
Overall, your website design should be both inviting and engaging. People shouldn’t have to wonder how to get around your website so navigation should be user-friendly. Avoid using a lot of flash to draw attention to your campaign platform and advocacies.
As a public servant, you want to be accessible to voters. Your website should provide users with different ways to contact you and your team. Include a chatbox or a Facebook messenger integration to be able to address inquiries in real time. Add contact details to your website. Encourage volunteers to sign up by including the address and map to your campaign headquarters. Make sure that this information is easy to find on your website. Finally, keep improving your website. Listen to user feedback and tweak your content to suit your target audience. Many campaign teams review their website analytics frequently to get a good idea of what types of content works and what doesn’t.
