Bats Northwest is a nonprofit organization formed in 1996 by scientists, educators, and interested lay people to help protect Pacific Northwest bat populations through education and research.
Bats Northwest is a non-profit organization established in 1996 by scientists, educators, and concerned individuals with the mission of safeguarding Pacific Northwest bat populations through education and research. As advocates for bat conservation, they recognized the importance of modernizing their online presence to effectively communicate their mission, engage with the community, and support their conservation efforts.
Challenges
- Outdated Website: Bats Northwest’s previous website, hosted on WordPress, was outdated, clunky, and failed to effectively represent the organization’s mission and activities.
- Usability Concerns: The outdated design and navigation structure of the WordPress website posed usability challenges, making it difficult for visitors to find relevant information and engage with the organization.
- Limited Traffic: The lack of visibility and usability of the website resulted in low traffic and limited engagement with Bats Northwest’s online platform, hindering their ability to reach and educate the community effectively.
About the Project
Solution
To address Bats Northwest’s challenges and objectives of improving usability, engagement, and visibility, we recommended designing a new website on Squarespace. Squarespace’s intuitive interface, customizable templates, and user-friendly features offered the ideal solution for enhancing the organization’s online presence.
Implementation
- Website Redesign: Collaborating closely with Bats Northwest, we designed a modern and visually appealing website on Squarespace that effectively communicated their mission, activities, and impact. Leveraging Squarespace’s customizable templates, we created a user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation, making it easy for visitors to explore and engage with the content.
- Content Organization: We reorganized and streamlined website content to improve clarity, coherence, and relevance, ensuring that visitors could easily find information about Bats Northwest’s programs, events, and resources.
- Engagement Features: We integrated engagement features such as contact forms, donation buttons, and newsletter sign-ups to encourage interaction and support from the community, facilitating greater involvement in bat conservation efforts.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Implementing SEO best practices, we optimized website content, meta tags, and URLs to improve Bats Northwest’s search engine visibility and attract more visitors to their website.
- Mobile Optimization: Recognizing the importance of mobile responsiveness, we ensured that the website was optimized for seamless viewing and navigation across various devices, enhancing accessibility and user experience.
Results
- Increased Website Traffic: The launch of the new Squarespace website resulted in a significant increase in website traffic for Bats Northwest, with the number of visitors tripling compared to the previous WordPress website.
- Improved Usability: The redesigned website’s user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation structure made it easier for visitors to explore and engage with Bats Northwest’s content, resulting in higher engagement and interaction.
- Enhanced Visibility: The implementation of SEO best practices led to improved search engine rankings and increased visibility for Bats Northwest’s website, helping them reach a broader audience interested in bat conservation.
- Positive Feedback: Visitors and stakeholders praised the new website for its modern design, ease of use, and informative content, affirming its effectiveness in promoting bat conservation and engaging the community.
Conclusion
Through the redesign of their website on Squarespace, Bats Northwest successfully revitalized their online presence, increasing website traffic, improving usability, and enhancing visibility for their bat conservation efforts. The new website provides visitors with an engaging platform to learn about bat conservation, participate in activities, and support the organization’s mission, furthering Bats Northwest’s impact in protecting Pacific Northwest bat populations.
