Even when a nonprofit ministry is running smoothly, there are still ways to improve its reach and find better ways to engage your audience. For example, you could measure your existing website efforts, run A/B tests to compare different versions of a page, or get a first-hand look at how people are interacting with your site. In this list, we highlight five great tools that can help your organization’s website boost its presence and reach more people.
1. Google Analytics
Peter Drucker, a well-known management expert once said that "What gets measured, gets managed." Such a simple thought that sounds obvious but often gets overlooked. Google Analytics is an industry-leading tool that can help with just that. With actionable reports and insights, your organization can discover which pages are the most popular, see where your visitors are dropping off, and find out which channels are the most effective at driving visitors to your website.
Signing up is free, and implementation is as simple as adding a script to your website. If you use a popular platform like Wordpress or Squarespace, there are plenty of plugins and tutorials to help you integrate with Google Analytics like a pro. But act fast because the program will be ending in 2023.
2. Google Search Central
Your website is one of the primary ways people will interact with your organization before ever deciding to get involved or donate. Knowing how those people are getting to your site and understanding key items to improve your website performance is crucial.
With Google Search Central, your organization can find out how you appear from search results by providing a checklist with tips and tricks. The program also provides advice that can improve the user experience which will increase your ranking on Google. With alert emails, you can always stay up to date on your website’s progress. Before your organization hires an SEO specialist, consider using the tips and tricks provided by Google Search Central.
3. Hotjar
If you’ve ever wondered which parts of your website are working and which ones need some work, then your organization would benefit from a heatmap. Hotjar is an analytics platform that shows you where users go on your website. With these maps, you can find bugs in the system and also which parts get used the most. Additionally, you can leverage Hotjar as a tool to capture website feedback, run polls, or send out surveys.
Implementation only takes a few minutes, and there is no credit card required to sign up. With the free version, your organization will gain access to automatic data capture, unlimited heatmaps, and up to 1,050 recording sessions a month. The old days of collecting data and user feedback manually are now done.
4. Google Optimize
With so many ideas to improve your organization, it can be difficult to know which one is the best. Google Optimize is a free tool that runs tests on your website’s content to determine which idea works best. By running A/B, multivariate, and redirect tests, Optimize can help create a customized website experience that suits your audience.
In minutes, your organization can set up its first website and then continuously improve its effectiveness. The free Optimize plan is a perfect fit for small to medium nonprofits just starting website experimentation. The free plan includes integration with Google Analytics and Google Ads as well as the ability to test different pages at the same time.
5. Google Data Studio
Our final entry on this list gives your data a seat at the table. Google Data Studio is a fantastic app that allows you to track your organization’s data with interactive dashboards and engaging reports. With Data Studio, you can unite your data in one place. Data Studio can pull data from Google Sheets, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google BigQuery, and more. With everything in one place, it is easier to spot trends and understand complex data.
If you've already signed up for any of the Google products previously listed, you'll be able to quickly access Google Data Studio using your existing account. With tools like this available, you'll be empowered with data to make better decisions and guide your organization’s strategy into the future.
Putting It All Together
We hope this list made you aware of some of the amazing free tools and resources available to churches and nonprofits to help your ministry succeed while also saving money. You can also check out our blog 4 Great Google Resources for Nonprofits for more Google-specific resources.
Our goal at My Well Ministry has always been to keep more money in ministry. Whether that’s by helping churches save on processing fees or offering free solutions for your organizations, we are here to help. If you’d like to connect with one of our consultants, you can fill out this Get Started Form.
